Harvard Medical School–Bristol Myers Squibb Collaborative Research Fellowship 2027: Up to $76,000 Salary and $50,000 Annual Research Support

Harvard Medical School–Bristol Myers Squibb Collaborative Research Fellowship 2027: Up to $76,000 Salary and $50,000 Annual Research Support

Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) are accepting applications for a collaborative postdoctoral research fellowship beginning in 2027. The program supports laboratory-based and computational research carried out in an eligible HMS basic science department, with the fellow working alongside an HMS faculty mentor and senior scientists at BMS. The fellowship can provide up to three years of direct support for the fellow and the associated research project.

This is a particularly useful opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher who already has, or is actively arranging, an HMS laboratory appointment. It is not a general scholarship for an independent applicant who has not identified an HMS mentor. The award is built around a specific research environment, a defined project, and a collaboration that connects academic discovery with pharmaceutical science. A short-term path to a medicine or product is not required, but the work should open a credible new line of inquiry with broad potential impact.

The first step is a short letter of intent (LOI) due September 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Only applicants invited forward will submit a full proposal, which is due December 1, 2026. Decisions are expected in January 2027, with an anticipated start date of February 1, 2027.

Key details

The salary figure is a ceiling, not a promise that every fellow will receive the same amount. HMS states that compensation is standard postdoctoral fellowship compensation commensurate with the fellow’s postdoctoral year, up to $76,000 per year, with fringe benefits. The research allocation is also subject to the program’s allowable-cost rules and an approved budget. The first two years are committed upon award; a third year depends on satisfactory progress and funding availability.

What the fellowship supports

The program is intended to support novel science from basic inquiry through early translation. Its stated purpose is to create new avenues for discovering and developing future medicines while maintaining room for foundational work. An applicant does not need to promise a near-term therapeutic, clinical trial, or commercial product. A project that improves understanding of a biological mechanism, disease-related target, measurement method, or computational approach can fit if it presents a compelling case for broad scientific impact.

The call gives several examples without limiting the program to them. Potential projects may examine cellular mechanisms or targets related to human disease, new ways to measure human biology and pathophysiology at the bench or at scale, computational methods for analyzing emerging datasets, or protein structure in complex macromolecular systems. Research connected to cardiovascular disease, immunology, or oncology is preferred, but the official page says that those connections are not required.

The collaboration has three essential parts: the postdoctoral fellow, the HMS mentor, and one or more senior BMS scientists. That structure matters when shaping a proposal. The strongest application will explain what the academic laboratory can do, what scientific perspective the industry collaborators add, and why the joint arrangement makes the project more ambitious or more credible than an ordinary single-lab study. The industry relationship should be treated as a scientific collaboration, not as a substitute for a clear hypothesis and feasible methods.

Award funds may cover fellow compensation, fringe benefits, laboratory supplies, and other direct research costs allowed under the program. They may not be used for mentor principal-investigator effort, travel expenses, computers, clinical trials, or other costs that are not explicitly listed as allowable. The department and fellow are responsible for required IRB or IACUC approvals before the fellowship can be activated.

Who is a good fit

The immediate audience is a postdoctoral scientist who will conduct research in an HMS Quadrangle basic science department. The eligible departments listed by HMS are Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Biomedical Informatics, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neurobiology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Systems Biology. Faculty in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology may use laboratories on the Faculty of Arts & Sciences campus under the call’s stated exception.

Applicants may be current HMS postdoctoral fellows or incoming fellows. An incoming fellow must have accepted a position, signed Harvard’s standard Participation Agreement, and begun the appointment in the sponsoring laboratory no later than February 1, 2027. In practical terms, a promising project cannot overcome a missing HMS appointment or a mentor who is not eligible to sponsor the application.

The mentor requirement is substantial. The applicant must apply with an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor who holds a primary appointment at HMS and has a laboratory on the HMS Quad, with the SCRB campus exception described above. Each faculty mentor may support only one application, and each applicant may submit only one application. Multiple HMS co-mentors are allowed, but one must be identified as the lead HMS mentor who will accept and manage the fellowship funds.

This program may suit researchers in molecular biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, biomedical informatics, cell biology, systems biology, and related basic science disciplines. It is less suitable for a project that is primarily a clinical trial, a travel-based study, a computer purchase request, or an extension of an existing project with no distinct scientific question. The proposal should make clear what is new, what will be learned, and why the work can be completed in the nominated laboratory.

How to prepare the letter of intent

The LOI is submitted as one PDF through the HMS online system. It has three required parts: a one-page cover page, a one-page project description, and the applicant’s biosketch and publication list. The cover page must identify the applicant, email, HMS mentor, mentor email and department, and project title. The project description should briefly summarize the research aims and project rather than attempting to reproduce a full grant proposal.

Because the LOI is short, use it to establish a clear scientific spine. State the unresolved problem, identify the central question, name the approach that will answer it, and explain why the result could matter beyond the immediate experiment. A reader should be able to understand the project without having to infer the hypothesis from a list of techniques. The biosketch and publications should then provide evidence that the applicant has the training and momentum to execute the work.

Start by confirming the mentor’s eligibility and the laboratory’s capacity. Ask the mentor to review the one-page description early, and confirm whether the planned work needs existing equipment, a core facility, computational infrastructure, biological materials, or regulatory approvals. The official program requires the mentor to provide adequate lab space and supplemental research funding as needed for the full proposal, so a vague promise of access is not enough preparation.

Full proposal requirements

Applicants invited to the next stage will submit a single PDF through the HMS system by December 1, 2026. The full proposal has a one-page cover page, a three-page research plan, a budget and justification, the applicant biosketch and publication list, a one-page PhD research statement, a one-page applicant statement, the HMS mentor biosketch, the HMS mentor letter of support, and up to two additional reference letters.

The cover page must include the applicant and mentor details, the mentor’s grant manager, project title, requested budget, any proposed start date other than February 1, 2027, and a departmental administrator’s signature acknowledging the proposal. The three-page research plan must describe a detailed three-year project in the third person. HMS specifically instructs applicants not to use first-person pronouns such as “I” or “we”; use institutional or laboratory language such as “the Institution will” or “[PI]’s lab will.” Break the work into discrete aims and make the relationship among aims easy to follow.

The budget should use the program’s template and reflect a realistic three-year plan. HMS lists a maximum annual direct-cost budget of $142,872, up to $50,000 per year for allowable research costs, and a current fringe calculation of 22.2 percent of compensation. The call also says to assume an indirect rate of 46.05 percent applies to all direct-cost lines for budgeting purposes. Do not quietly place excluded purchases, travel, mentor effort, or clinical-trial expenses into the request. If an item is ambiguous, ask the program before finalizing the budget.

The mentor letter must confirm that the mentor reviewed the research proposal, will serve as mentor, can provide adequate lab space and supplemental research funding, will identify other government or nonprofit support relevant to the plan, and will integrate the applicant into the research group if necessary. That letter is not a formality: it is evidence that the project is ready to happen in the named environment.

Timeline and submission strategy

The LOI deadline is September 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. HMS expects to notify applicants invited to submit full proposals in October. Full proposals are due December 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, decisions are expected in January 2027, and the anticipated fellowship start is February 1, 2027. A later start may be acceptable if requested and justified.

Work backward from the LOI rather than waiting for the portal to become the project plan. First secure the mentor and department confirmation. Then build the one-page project summary, obtain feedback from a scientist who is not immersed in the project, and assemble a clean biosketch and publication list. Leave time for PDF checks, file naming, and submission confirmation. If invited, immediately expand the aims into a three-year timeline and ask the departmental administrator and grant manager to review the budget assumptions before the December deadline.

Incoming fellows should also verify the appointment logistics. The program requires the sponsoring-lab appointment to begin no later than February 1, 2027, and the applicant must sign Harvard’s standard Participation Agreement. A research plan that is scientifically ready but administratively unable to start on time is not ready for award activation.

What reviewers are likely to assess

HMS identifies three review criteria: academic strength of the candidate, strength of the mentor, and the merit and relevance of the project in relation to the request for proposals. Use those criteria as a practical editing checklist. The application should show a record appropriate to the career stage, a mentor with the right expertise and resources, and a project that is both ambitious and executable.

Reviewers will need to see the difference between novelty and complexity. A long list of assays, datasets, or collaborators does not automatically make a proposal important. Explain the decision that each experiment enables and the result that would change the next step. Include a credible fallback when a key method may fail, and distinguish what is already established in the laboratory from what the fellowship would make possible.

The project should also explain the value of the HMS–BMS collaboration without overstating it. Identify where a BMS scientist’s perspective helps with target selection, measurement, disease biology, computation, or translation. Do not imply that BMS has promised a drug-development pathway unless the formal agreement says so. The call expressly allows basic research and does not require a short-term translational outcome.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is applying without a qualifying HMS mentor or laboratory. Check the department, primary appointment, laboratory location, and one-application-per-mentor rule before investing in the proposal. A second mistake is treating the award as unrestricted personal funding. Salary, fringe, lab costs, and other direct costs must fit the program’s rules, and the research funds stay connected to the approved research environment.

Another weak approach is writing the LOI as a miniature literature review. The first-stage document needs a focused project description, not every background fact. Use the limited space to show the question, method, expected insight, and broad impact. Avoid claiming that a preferred disease area is mandatory; cardiovascular disease, immunology, and oncology are preferred but not required.

Finally, do not ignore the third-year condition. The program commits the first two years at award, while a third year depends on satisfactory progress and funding availability. Build a plan that has meaningful milestones in years one and two and describe what the third year would add, rather than making the project depend entirely on an uncertain extension.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a salary or a stipend?

HMS describes standard postdoctoral fellowship compensation commensurate with postdoctoral year, up to $76,000 per year, plus fringe benefits. The public call does not promise one identical salary for every fellow.

How long is the award?

The fellowship provides up to three years of direct funding support. The first two years are committed upon award; the third year depends on satisfactory progress and funding availability.

Can an incoming postdoctoral fellow apply?

Yes. The incoming fellow must have accepted a position, signed Harvard’s standard Participation Agreement, and begun the appointment in the sponsoring lab by February 1, 2027.

Does the research have to be in oncology, immunology, or cardiovascular disease?

No. HMS says those areas are preferred, not required. The proposal must still present novel basic or early-translational science with broad potential impact.

Can one applicant submit multiple applications?

No. Each applicant may submit one application, and each HMS faculty mentor may support one application. Multiple HMS co-mentors can be listed on a single application.

What is the first required submission?

The first submission is a single-PDF LOI due September 28, 2026. It includes the cover page, one-page project description, and applicant biosketch and publication list.

Official links and next steps

Read the official HMS–Bristol Myers Squibb Collaborative Research Fellowship page for the current RFP, deadlines, eligibility rules, award limits, and full-proposal instructions. Submit the official LOI form before the September 28 deadline. For questions about the RFP or fellowship, HMS lists [email protected] as the program contact.

Before submitting, confirm the mentor and department, turn the scientific idea into a one-page set of aims, check the PDF contents against the official list, and preserve the submission confirmation. This fellowship is a strong fit when the applicant, HMS laboratory, and BMS collaboration form one coherent research story. It is not a fit for an unaffiliated applicant seeking general postdoctoral funding or for a project whose main costs fall outside the program’s allowable categories.