FUNDING MEMO

Title: Postdoctoral Fellowships

Funding Agency: Breakthrough T1D

External Deadline(s):

07/01/2025 02:00 PM PDT (Full Proposal)

Cognizant Office: Office of Sponsored Research/Office of Foundation Relations

Description:

Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) postdoctoral fellowships are designed to attract qualified, promising scientists entering their professional career in the T1D research field.

Frequency: Typically annual

Total Award: Varies

• Award amounts are based on years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of activation.
  • A research allowance of $5,500 is aimed at providing the fellow with funds to enrich their training experience and can be used for travel to scientific meetings (up to $2,000/year), journal subscriptions, books, training courses etc. They are not to be used for laboratory supplies or equipment.
  • The purchase of a personal computer is allowed (up to $2,000) only during Year 1 of the award.
  • Health insurance costs are permissible.

Indirect Costs: Not Allowed

• This award is considered a “true fellowship” and will not be subject to Caltech’s minimum overhead requirements. An approved MORA and DAF are still required.

Duration: 3 years

• Awards are for three years, assuming satisfactory progress.
• The fellowship term is 12 months for each fellowship year.

Discipline(s): Biology and Biological Engineering; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Engineering and Applied Science

Eligibility: Postdoc

• This fellowship is intended for those at a relatively early stage of their career. Ordinarily, the most recent doctoral degree (PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, or equivalent) will have been received no more than 5 years before the application is submitted.
  • Breakthrough T1D is sensitive to personal and COVID-related matters that impact career trajectories. Applicants who have taken leave from their career (e.g. parenting of a child, childbirth, long-term care of a parent/spouse/child/dependent, personal health issues), or experienced a delay in their training due to COVID shutdowns and the cancellation of the Breakthrough T1D FY21 training call that put them outside of the eligibility time frame for the award mechanism should feel free to reach out to Breakthrough T1D staff ahead of their application submission.
• There are no citizenship requirements.
• The applicant must be sponsored by an investigator who is affiliated full-time with an accredited institution and who agrees to supervise the applicant’s training. The sponsor does not necessarily need to have a background in diabetes, but the research project must be type 1 diabetes-related.
• Fellowship research may be conducted at foreign and domestic, for-profit and nonprofit, and public and private organizations such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments, and eligible agencies of the federal government.
• Fellows must devote at least 75% of their effort to the project outlined in the fellowship proposal.
• Recipients of the Breakthrough T1D postdoctoral fellowship award cannot hold another postdoctoral fellowship at the same time.

Research Areas of Interest:

• Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
  • Applicants are encouraged to submit projects aligned with Breakthrough T1D Research Strategy. While not a requirement, a proposal that is aligned with Breakthrough T1D Priority areas will be given priority consideration in the review process.

Research Exclusions:

• Applications in the area of long-term complications will not be accepted.

Post-Award Obligations:

• Annual reporting is required.

Recent Caltech Recipients:

• None

Guidelines & Other Information:

Guidelines: https://www.breakthrought1d.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FY26-Postdoctoral-Fellowships-RFA-FINAL-1.pdf

Overview and General Information (All Grants): https://www.breakthrought1d.org/explore-research/funding-opportunities/

Funded Research (All Grants): https://www.breakthrought1d.org/explore-research/funded-research/

Submissions and awards for this grant program will be processed through the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR). However, please notify the Office of Foundation Relations (OFR) if you anticipate making a submission, have any questions, or would like a content review of your proposal. OFR is available to help ensure that Caltech’s proposals are competitive and can assist with proposal development and advise you on the routing of your paperwork. Interested researchers should work with their division grant manager to prepare the budget, the MORA form, and the Division Approval Form (DAF).

Opportunity ID: 2325