Frequently Asked Questions

Awards will consist of annual funding of $300,000/year, totaling a maximum of $900,000 for the normal term of a research project. The Ono Pharma Foundation will provide up to an additional 15% ($45,000) per year to be used for indirect costs of the PI’s institution. In total, Ono Pharma Foundation’s three-year research awards provide up to $1,035,000 to researchers and their institutions.

The Ono Initiative supports creative research conducted by emerging Chemical Biologists in search of new discoveries, solutions, and the development of high-impact science.

The goals of the Ono Initiative are to: 

• Identify and develop innovative research proposals and results that could lead to the development of breakthrough treatment solutions for patients.
• Support academic research and the career development of promising young and established scientists.
• Build strong relationships within the community in order to lead to transformative research aligned with Ono Initiative's interest.

All grants awarded by Ono Pharma Foundation have a three year term.

Eligibility is determined based on the LOI date of submission. PI's who have 15 or fewer years since starting in an academic position are eligible. PI's with more than 15 years of experience since starting in an academic position at the date of LOI submission are ineligible.

The PI must be a new applicant to the Ono Initiative, or, if they are returning, be proposing a project different from the one they initially submitted. If a PI submits the same project, the PI will be contacted and asked to apply with a different project, assuming the application deadline has not already passed.

Applicants/PIs are expected to:

• Design studies to generate novel science to address the Scientific Research Area of interest for 2025: 

  • Chemical Biology

    • Target research of Chemical Biology is not specified by the Ono Initiative.

    • Chemical Biology is defined as research that deals with the interface between chemistry and biology. The criteria for this field are deliberately broad so as not to disqualify potentially innovative and groundbreaking projects. The subjects of interest (SOIs) for 2024 include but are not limited to:

      • Modulating interactome and cell/tissue crosstalk

      • Manipulating biomolecular condensates and protein quality control systems

      • Deep understanding and emerging applications of chemical glycobiology

      • New concepts of drug delivery and localization to tissue/cell/organelle

      • Understanding and leveraging allostery in biology

• Complete the two-step application process which is: (i) submission of a Letter of Interest, and (ii) if selected, to submit a full Proposal within the time designated by the Ono Pharma Foundation.

Only parental leave will be considered when calculating eligibility as “mid-career” scientist.  

2025 Applicant Nominating Institutions in Chemical Biology Research *

1. Albert Einstein College of Medicine

2. Baylor College of Medicine

3. Boston College

4. California Institute of Technology

5. Carnegie Mellon University

6. Columbia University

7. Cornell University

8. Duke University

9. Emory University

10. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute

11. Georgia Institute of Technology

12. Harvard Medical School

13. Harvard University

14. Johns Hopkins University

15. Kennesaw State University

16. Louisiana State University

17. Loyola University Chicago

18. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

19. McGill University

20. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

21. Michigan State University

22. Northeastern University

23. Northwestern University

24. Ontario Tech University

25. Oregon Health and Science University

26. Princeton University

27. Purdue University

28. Rice University

29. Salk Institute for Biological Studies

30. Stanford University

31. Texas A&M University

32. The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT

33. The Rockefeller University

34. The Scripps Research Institute

35. The University of Chicago

36. The University of Texas – Austin

37. The University of Texas – Southwestern Medical Center

38. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

39. The University of Utah

40. University of Alberta

41. University of British Columbia

42. University of California – Berkeley

43. University of California – Davis

44. University of California – Irvine

45. University of California – Los Angeles

46. University of California – San Diego

47. University of California – San Francisco

48. University of California – Santa Barbara

49. University of Florida

50. University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign

51. University of Massachusetts – Amherst

52. University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

53. University of Michigan

54. University of Minnesota

55. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

56. University of Notre Dame

57. University of Pittsburgh

58. University of Toronto

59. University of Virginia

60. University of Washington

61. University of Wisconsin – Madison

62. Vanderbilt University

63. Virginia Commonwealth University

64. Washington University in St Louis

65. Wayne State University

66. Yale University

*Each Nominating Institution may nominate up to two (2) applicants in Chemical Biology Research. 

Applicants must meet the following requirements. Letter of Interest (LOI) and final Proposals from applicants not meeting the requirements listed below will not be considered.

• PIs applying must be working at one of the nominating institutions. Nominating institutions might be replaced or added to in subsequent years.  

• The PI must have an MD and/or a PhD degree.

• The PI must be a new applicant to the Ono Initiative, or, if they are a returning applicant, must be applying for a project different from the one they previously proposed.

• The PI must be a young and/or mid-career scientist (15 years or below of experience from starting independent academic position).

• The PI may not already be engaged in other sponsored research and/or collaborative research with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and/or grant program with Ono Pharma Foundation.

• The PI may not apply for funding to amplify current work. However, PIs may research a new idea based on prior findings of the PI.

• The PI must not be a healthcare professional (defined as individuals currently holding an active state license for which they are (a) qualified to prescribe, administer, use or supply any medicinal or medical products or (b) perform any professional clinical services). A PI with an MD but without an active state medical license is still eligible.

• PIs serving on a healthcare formulary or similar committee are not eligible.

• More detail as to eligibility criteria can be found in the “Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program: Program Information & Overview” document.

 The Ono Pharma Foundation will make announcements about LOI selections and send Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to selected PI/Applicants in April, 2025. RFPs will be made based on:

• Eligibility of Applicant

• Completion of Research Requirements

• Strength of proposed project against Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed, and Awards will be made based upon the following criteria:

• Scientific merit of the research LOI and/or Proposal
• Relevance of proposed research to the mission of the Ono Initiative
  • Significance
  • Innovation
  • Approach
• Technical considerations for the research
• Qualifications and relevant experience of the PI
• Evidence of a suitable research environment

The application processes for the scientific research is: 

• LOI in Chemical Biology Research: PIs should first contact the administration office of their Institution. Institutions will be asked to nominate PIs, but only the PI may submit LOIs and Proposals. An LOI should be submitted through the Ono Pharma Foundation online portal. To access the website, please click on the link below to the application portal, select “REGISTER,” and follow the online instructions. If this is your first time visiting the portal, you will be sent your login information within 24 hours of submitting your “Registration.” If this is not your first time visiting the portal, you will still need to register to be assigned an LOI form for the current program year, but your username and password remain the same as when you previously applied. Proposal submission by LOI applicants and selected by a Scientific Advisory Board will be invited by the Ono Pharma Foundation to submit a full Proposal. The Proposal must be submitted through the Ono Pharma Foundation Portal. Please access the Application Portal on the Ono Pharma Foundation website.
• More detail as to the application process can be found in the “Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program: Program Information & Overview” document.

Please see below for link to the Ono Pharma Foundation application portal:

• ​​​Website: www.onofound.org
• Application Portal: https://ono.fluxx.io

Three Awards are planned every year, contingent upon Ono Pharma Foundation appropriations and the submission of sufficient meritorious applications.

The members of the SAB are selected by the Ono Pharma Foundation based upon their expertise and reputation in the field of Chemical Biology.

The Ono Pharma Foundation selects all Awardees based upon recommendations of its Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”), which is comprised of outside experts from the fields of Chemical Biology.

The parties intend and agree that, to the extent allowable by U.S. intellectual property law, all intellectual property rights related to activities and research funded by the Grant shall be exclusively owned by the PI’s Institution. The Foundation disclaims any intellectual property and related rights developed by the research activities supported by the grant.

Ono Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd. is a leading global healthcare company committee to delivering new, innovative drugs to patients, and championing the fight against disease and pain, together with research, patients, their families, and healthcare providers. Ono Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd. of Osaka, Japan is fully integrated, research based pharmaceutical company which traces its origins back over 300 years. In 1717, in Doshomachi, Osaka, Ichibei Fushimiya first opened the apothecary that would eventually become Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Since then, the company has been dedicated to developing innovative and breakthrough pharmaceutical products. The company’s scientists have driven drug discovery through the adoption of world-leading technologies and knowledge. 300 years after Ichibei Fushimiya opened his apothecary, Ono Pharma USA, Inc. a fully owned subsidiary based in Cambridge, MA founded the independent Ono Pharma Foundation. The Foundation is a continuation of Ono’s commitment to scientific innovation and drug discovery.

Formed in 1980, TCC Group provides strategic planning, program development, evaluation, and management consulting services to foundations, nonprofit organizations, corporate community involvement programs, and government agencies. Its consulting staff includes individuals with wide-ranging expertise and experience in a diverse range of issues including education, arts and culture, community and economic development, human services, health care, children and family issues, and the environment. TCC Group is providing ongoing strategic and administrative support for the Ono Pharma Foundation.

Chemical biology is vital to the transformation of human health. Through studying biological systems at the chemical level, chemical biology helps answer biological questions and elucidate mechanisms of disorder, leading to the discovery and development of treatments for diseases. We do not limit the definition of chemical biology to the application of small molecules. Instead, we encourage applicants to leverage high-impact and transformative research and are flexible in our review of applications.