AHA Career Development Award
Supports career-stage cardiovascular investigators through structured development fellowships to strengthen real-world implementation.
The American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development Award targets clinician-scientists and academic researchers in the early years of their first faculty appointment who seek to pursue innovative cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or brain health research. The AHA is the largest non-government funder of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research in the United States, having invested more than $6 billion since its founding in 1924. The 2027 award cycle carries a December 1, 2026 deadline, with ProposalCentral opening October 1, 2026, award notifications in March 2027, and awards starting April 1, 2027.
The total award is $231,000 over three years, equivalent to $77,000 per year including 10% institutional indirect costs. This is a non-renewable award. Applicants must hold an MD, PhD, DO, DVM, or DDS degree and be within six years of their first faculty appointment at assistant professor level or equivalent. Critically, prior recipients of an AHA Career Development Award or Scientist Development Grant are ineligible. A minimum 10% effort commitment is required — notably lower than comparable NIH K-award requirements — allowing concurrent salary support from other sources. AHA Professional Membership and eligible U.S. citizenship or visa status are required at submission.
Applications must include a mentoring team (at minimum a primary and secondary mentor) and a comprehensive career development plan alongside the research proposal. Allowable costs span salary, fringe benefits, supplies, equipment, travel, and publication expenses. The comparatively low effort requirement and flexible cost structure make this award well-suited to clinician-scientists navigating split research-clinical schedules. Applicants who can demonstrate a clear pivot to independent research leadership — rather than continued dependence on established labs — will be most competitive.
Funds early-stage faculty members conducting innovative cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or brain health research, providing $231,000 over three non-renewable years to support salary, project costs, and career development.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see what you submit
Sign up free to see the timeline