The Schwartz Research Fund for Women in the Life Sciences is accepting applications, due Nov. 6, for two grants of up to $15,000 each. They will be awarded to Ithaca and Geneva campus-based female faculty in the life sciences who display outstanding promise for conducting creative research.

According to the website, one award will be given to a female assistant professor who has been at the university for three to six years. The award will provide seed money for a pilot experiment that would generate novel preliminary data to be used in a subsequent application for major new funding.

The second award will be given to a female associate professor to conduct an innovative pilot experiment that might open up a significant new line of inquiry that could be used as preliminary data in a subsequent application for major new funding or serve as a bridge grant before the onset of such funding.

In prior years the award been limited to faculty in traditional life science disciplines. This year, female faculty from a variety of colleges and departments are eligible to apply provided they clearly state the relevance of their research to and its impact on the life sciences. Contact Yael Levitte, vice provost for faculty development and diversity, for more information.

Grants can be applied toward a variety of research-related expenses, except for equipment and faculty salaries. Applicants are encouraged to include future conference travel for grantees, their students and postdoctoral associates, support for students and postdoc hiring, and other specific scientific needs in their proposals.

Winners will be announced by the end of 2017.

The Schwartz Research Fund is endowed by Joan Poyner Schwartz ’65 and Ronald H. Schwartz ’65, both chemistry majors in the College of Arts and Sciences who are retired from the National Institutes of Health and are pioneers in promoting the work and careers of women in the life sciences.

The grants are administered by the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity.