The mission of the Hirshberg Foundation is to find a cure for pancreatic cancer through funding groundbreaking research, providing patient support, and increasing awareness and education about this disease. Their commitment to collaboration amongst the world’s leading researchers is a cornerstone of their approach to achieving their goals.
The Individual & Collaborative Seed Grant program by the Foundation is aimed at supporting both basic and clinical scientists and investigators in the United States and overseas. This program focuses on funding research in areas such as treatment/therapy, patient care, early diagnosis, detection, cancer biology, basic science, prevention/metabolism, and research core facilities. The broad goals of the program are to provide start-up funding for new, innovative ideas in pancreatic cancer research, obtain preliminary data for further funding, impact the understanding of pancreatic cancer biology and treatments, and establish collaborations for mutual projects with potential for additional support. Specifically, the Collaborative Seed Grant encourages joint projects between two principal investigators to foster innovation through partnership. Funding for these grants includes a duration of one year with the possibility of a no-cost extension, an award amount of $75,000 without indirect costs, and potential for additional travel support for award recipients presenting their work at relevant meetings.