EACR-Mark Foundation-Pezcoller Foundation Rising Star Award

The EACR-Mark Foundation-Pezcoller Foundation Rising Star Award is open to EACR members with an unfunded Score ‘A’ cancer-related project from the 2025 ERC Starting Grant calls. Established in 2023, this prestigious award aims to support pioneering projects that can have a transformative impact on the cancer research field.

Application deadline: Thursday 09 October 2025 at 23:59 CEST

The awardee will receive funding of up to €100,000 to begin their project. Institutional overheads of 10% will be added to this amount. The award is intended to bridge the period before re-submission to the ERC. The awardee will be invited to accept their award, and to give a talk, at the EACR Congress in Budapest, Hungary, 08-11 June 2026, and also to give a lecture at the Pezcoller Foundation in Trento, Italy, at a date to be agreed.

Eligibility

Applicants must be current EACR members. If you want to apply for this award but are not yet an EACR member, you can sign up to become a member now.

Applicants must have an unfunded Score ‘A’ cancer-related project from the 2025 ERC Starting Grant calls. The ERC defines Score 'A' as "Fully meets the ERC excellence criterion and is recommended for funding if sufficient funds are available".

How to apply

Application deadline: Thursday 09 October 2025 at 23:59 CEST

Download the Terms and Conditions
Download the Application Form

Please email your completed application form and the below accompanying documents as a single PDF to laura.kendrick@eacr.org. Applicants can expect to hear the result of the evaluation by 21 November 2025.

Documents to send:

Completed Application Form
Concise curriculum vitae (CV) [1 page maximum]
A copy of your ‘B1’ ERC Starting Grant application
Confirmation of your unfunded 2025 Score ‘A’ cancer-related project . Please include the first page of your Evaluation Report, and the ERC letter confirming that you have not been awarded funding.

About the EACR

The European Association for Cancer Research, a registered charity, is a global community for those working and studying in cancer research.

About the Mark Foundation

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research is a philanthropic organisation committed to accelerating cancer research and translating discoveries into improved patient care.