The OCRA AI Accelerator Grant brings together the world’s leading ovarian cancer research organizations to fund ambitious, internationally collaborative research that puts artificial intelligence at the center of the scientific design.
About the OCRA AI Accelerator Grant Program
Administered by the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) in partnership with the Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium, which unites Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (Australia), Ovarian Cancer Canada, and Ovarian Cancer Action (United Kingdom), the grant was first introduced in 2025 as the inaugural initiative of the Consortium.
Funding Size
- Total award: up to $1,000,000 over three years
- Additional in-kind cloud compute support provided by AWS
- Grant start date: January 1, 2027
- Funding is awarded to the institution of the Principal Investigator
Who Can Apply
- Accredited nonprofit universities and colleges
- Nonprofit research hospitals and institutes
- Recognized nonprofit scientific research facilities
- For-profit entities, consulting companies, and nonprofits not directly conducting the research are not eligibl
Geographic Eligibility
- Open globally, with the requirement that the research team includes lead investigators from at least the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia
- International collaborators from other countries are welcomed in addition to the four required nations
Sector or Thematic Focus
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning applied to ovarian cancer research
- Screening and early detection tools
- Etiology, prevention, and cancer biology
- Therapeutic discovery, development, and treatment response
- Recurrence monitoring and survivorship
- Genomics and data-driven insights into gynecologic cancers
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Application Process
Letters of Intent must be submitted through SmartSimple, OCRA’s grant management system, before the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to log in early to review system requirements. Only a fraction of LOIs receive invitations to submit full proposals; in the previous cycle, approximately 14 percent of LOI submissions advanced. An informational webinar takes place on May 19, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET, with a recording made available afterward for those unable to attend.
Required Materials
- Letter of Intent submitted via SmartSimple
- Summary of the proposed research project
- Demonstration of AI or machine learning as a core and substantive element of the research design
- Evidence of the required international team composition across all four required countries
- Physician investigator must be clearly identified within the team
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Key Dates
- Letter of Intent deadline: June 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
- Full proposal invitations: mid-2026
- Grant start date: January 1, 2027
Selection Notes
- AI or machine learning must be central to the research design, not a secondary element
- Proposals must clearly focus on ovarian cancer or directly related gynecologic cancers
- At least one qualified physician investigator is mandatory in every team