Research and Innovation Office

Extramural Coordinated Funding


UM Submission Instructions: Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists 2021

Sponsor: Blavatnik Family Foundation
Award Title: Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
Amount: $250,000
$250,000
UM Deadline: 10/18/2021
Sponsor Deadline: 11/17/2021
Description: The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists recognize the country’s most promising young faculty-rank scientists and engineers in the disciplinary categories of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry. Eligibility: The nominee must have been born in or after 1980 and hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.). Currently hold a tenured or tenure-track academic faculty position at an invited institution in the United States. Currently conducting research as a principal investigator in one of the disciplinary categories in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemistry. The Blavatnik Awards strongly encourage the nomination of women and other underrepresented groups in science and engineering. Age limit exceptions will be considered by the Academy in exceptional circumstances upon a detailed written submission from the nominating institution received by the Academy by November 3, 2021. Non-winning nominees from prior Blavatnik Awards nomination cycles are eligible to be re-nominated by their institutions as one of their three nominees, provided they still meet all eligibility requirements. Please note that UM is allowed to nominate one candidate per category.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit: 3, one in each category
Additional Requirements: None
Sponsor Guidelines: http://blavatnikawards.org/awards/national-awards/nomination-guidelines/
UM Nominations Process: Internal deadline: October 18

The dossier for internal review is to include everything listed in the nomination instructions http://blavatnikawards.org/awards/national-awards/nomination-materials-instructions/ EXCEPT the letters, which are not required with the submission (they are due to Blavatnik by December 1). For internal review, include the names, email addresses, and institutions of two individuals who are familiar with the nominee’s scientific contributions who are committed to providing letters of support if the nomination is chosen for submission. It is highly recommended that you contact letter writers early in the process, as nominees from other institutions may ask for letters from the same people.

Questions may be directed to Chris Bremer at breme006@umn.edu or 612-226-9476.
Peer Review Coordination: Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost contact email
Status: The internal deadline has passed but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
Please note: To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.



General Information

  • Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
  • Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
  • When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
  • If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Robyn Kennedy.
Column Descriptions

  • Sponsor: redirects you to the sponsor's main website
  • Title/Guidelines: redirects you to sponsor specific information regarding the opportunity which may include description, eligibility, budget instructions, forms and other requirements
  • Amount: Maximum dollar amount awarded.
  • Add’l Req: Identifies special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
  • Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
  • UM Submission Instructions: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
  • # Apps: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
  • UM Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
  • Status:
    • Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
    • In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
    • PI Selected: The PI has been selected as the official UM nominee.
    • Closed: Sponsor deadline has passed and the opportunity is closed for application.
U of M Submission Instructions (Required)

This link includes summary sponsor information, specific instructions for internal submission and contact information for the university office coordinating the nomination process.

  • Follow the directions in the submission instructions and submit required materials by the UM deadline to the contact indicated.
  • Instructions vary according to the requirements of the sponsor and the university office coordinating the nomination process.
Registration (optional)

Registration is an optional but highly recommended feature. Perhaps you are looking for a wider audience for your proposal idea, or for potential collaborators to work with to create a stronger application. Registration allows applicants to share proposal ideas and post contact information.

Registration also provides information that helps the university office overseeing the nomination to determine the level of coordination needed and guide the review process.

To register (or view registrants), click on the UM Submission Instructions for a specific opportunity, then click on the Register Interest link.

Selection Process

  • Once the internal deadline has passed, the status will change to “In Review” and proposals will undergo review.
  • If there are multiple applicants, the office managing the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process.
  • Once review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
  • Nominees will be provided with a letter addressed to the sponsor from the RIO indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
  • SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to “PI Selected”.


*If you have questions about the University's process related to extramural funding opportunities requiring nomination or if you have any technical issues with the site, contact collabor8@umn.edu.

For questions, please contact RIO's Research Advancement group.