National — AASLD Foundation 2027 Pilot Research Award in Liver Diseases ($50,000; December 7)

2027 AASLD Foundation PILOT-LIVER competitive nonprofit institutional research grant, applicant funding $50,000 fixed individual institutional pilot grant for one year July 1 2027–June 30 2028, paid at award initiation. No overall foundation funding pool published. Direct research project costs permitted. Apply by December 7, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Funding$50,000 fixed individual institutional pilot grant for one year July 1 2027–June 30 2028, paid at award initiation. No overall foundation funding pool published. Direct research project costs permitted; equipment >=$5,000 needs written approval; no indirect costs, travel or conference registration expenses. No mandatory universal cash match stated.

DeadlineOfficial controlling 2027 program RFA: Full application deadline December 7, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Funding period July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028.

Last verified2026-11-02

Required next actionReview funder's official 2027 program page and controlling 2027 RFA. Verify all investigator eligibility, host institution and grant history prerequisites, exact applicant grant amount and allowed costs, forms, references and research plan. Prepare the RFA-specific signed cover and eligibility, NIH-format biosketches, relevant budgets or federal study-section review materials as applicable, mentor/chair commitments and IRB/IACUC disclosures. Assemble one unlocked flattened PDF in required order, submit at liverresearchawards.org by December 7 2026 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Official sources: https://www.aasldfoundation.org/awards-programs/pilot-research-award-liver-diseases and the controlling 2027 RFA PDF linked from the funder's official program page

Broad Eligibility

Current AASLD-member faculty investigator at or below Associate Professor with first faculty appointment July 1 2024 or earlier for junior applicants, 20% effort, AASLD mentor if Assistant Professor or equivalent, accredited nonprofit health-related host US/Canada/Mexico; NIH/FDA/CDC employees excluded. Novel non-overlapping hypothesis-based 1–2 aim basic science, clinical, translational or outcomes liver disease projects; only one AASLD Foundation award application per individual/calendar year.

Atlas Analysis

2027 AASLD Foundation Pilot Research Award in Liver Diseases

The 2027 Pilot Research Award in Liver Diseases provides $50,000 to an eligible nonprofit institutional recipient for one year to test original, promising research ideas in liver disease with limited prior data. Applications are due December 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The award period runs July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028, and the grant is paid in a single payment at initiation. This $50,000 is the individual applicant award, not a total funding pool.

Applicants and research eligibility

Applicants must be active AASLD members and faculty at or below Associate Professor rank. Junior faculty must be at least three years from their first appointment at award start; first appointment on or before July 1, 2024 qualifies under current terms. Research effort must be at least 20%. Assistant Professors need an AASLD-member mentor or co-mentor in good standing. The accredited nonprofit research sponsoring organization must be based in the United States, Canada or Mexico, and NIH, CDC and FDA employees cannot apply. Existing federal funding may be held only if the proposed work is wholly nonoverlapping and cannot be financed with the current grant. The research should be innovative, hypothesis-based, include one or two aims feasible in one year, and be distinct from the PI’s ongoing funded portfolio. Basic research and patient-centered clinical/translational/outcomes proposals receive separate evaluations.

Allowable grant budget and restrictions

Grant funds may support approved direct research expenses, excluding indirect costs, registration fees and travel. Equipment purchases costing $5,000 or more require advance written Foundation approval. The RFA does not impose a universal mandatory matching percentage. Unused funding must be returned. The award supports a new exploratory project, not routine extension of an already funded investigation.

Official instructions

Read the official 2027 Pilot Award announcement and controlling ten-page 2027 Pilot Research RFA. Submit signed covers and eligibility checklist, abstract, NIH biosketches, one-page Specific Aims, three-page Research Plan plus references, NIH PHS398 budget and justification for $50,000, facilities and support disclosures, candidate statement, department-chair letter confirming 20% effort, mentor recommendation when applicable, and IRB/IACUC documentation or justification. The complete application must follow the funder’s form, format, page-length and ordering instructions and be uploaded as a single flattened, unlocked PDF via liverresearchawards.org by December 7, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET. Verified November 2, 2026. Genuine research assistance, not procurement.