The University of Colorado and the Boettcher Foundation have announced the launch of the 2026 Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program. This initiative will provide up to five grants, each worth $250,000 over a period of up to three years, aimed at supporting early career investigators in biomedical research.
According to the announcement, “The Boettcher Foundation established the Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program, which will provide up to five grants of $250,000 each covering up to three years of research activity with the intent to provide independent research opportunities to promising and talented early career investigators. Awardees will carry the prestigious title of Boettcher Investigator.”
The focus of these grants is on basic and applied biomedical research that seeks new ways to prevent disease and improve human health. The program is designed to support research projects that may lead to new discoveries or advance existing findings toward practical applications in healthcare. As stated in the release, “The intent of the program is to fund meritorious research that has the potential for new discoveries or advances a discovery to the proof of its potential value as an application to improve human health. This research will improve the understanding, treatment and prevention of human disease.”
Since July 2010, when the first awards were given, more than $17.6 million has been awarded by the Boettcher Foundation to 75 current Boettcher Investigators at CU.
A pre-submission webinar is scheduled for December 12 from 2:30-3:30 p.m., offering prospective applicants information about the award process and an opportunity for questions with members of the selection panel.
For this application cycle, all potential applicants are required to complete an Intent to Apply form by January 9, 2026. This step aims to ensure that reviewers have appropriate expertise for evaluating submissions.
Eligible faculty researchers from all four University of Colorado campuses are encouraged to apply. Criteria include being within four years of their initial career-track academic appointment as of January 1, 2026; not having previously received a major independent research award; having received a terminal degree or completed initial medical residency within ten years prior; and being either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at time of application. More details on eligibility can be found at http://www.cu.edu/bfww/eligibility.
Applicants must submit their materials through their respective campus grants offices according to campus-specific deadlines provided online.
