Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research (PBBR):
As our vanguard program for discovery science, PBBR is a beacon for our most courageous investigators. In a departure from traditional funders who favor conservative proposals led by well-established investigators with demonstrated success, the PBBR faculty selection committee provides seed funding exclusively to projects that challenge conventional wisdom but have the potential for transformative effects. With grants ranging from $50,000–$250,000 (including matches for philanthropic donations), we offer a unique array of awards to meet the broad aspirations of our fearless donors and the expansive needs of UCSF’s visionary thinkers.
Discovery Fellows (PhD) Program:
UCSF’s top ranked graduate programs erase traditional academic boundaries, allowing discovery science PhD students to explore unchartered intellectual territory between labs, cementing interdisciplinary interactions among faculty. To ensure strong support for our next generation leaders, UCSF has launched the Discovery Fellows Program—the largest endowed program for PhD students in the history of the University of California. With gift opportunities ranging from $125,000 – $1 million (including matches for philanthropic donations), our goal is to empower our discovery science students with the freedom to direct their energy and imagination toward the labs that ignite their curiosity, rather than the labs that can afford them.
Sandler Fellows (Young Investigators) Program:
The Sandler Fellows Program launches the careers of some of the nation’s boldest and most creative young scientists. Our novel approach provides funding for a small cohort of PhDs for whom a period of independence, free of the limitations of a postdoctoral traineeship and the demands of assistant professorship, gives full voice to their extraordinary creativity. Investigators in the pre-tenure years of their academic careers exhibit the kind of fearlessness that energizes students and trainees as well as their more senior faculty peers. With many different levels for support and a matching gift opportunity, your gift can help our young talent extend the boundaries of science.