DKMS Impact Grant

About the DKMS Impact Grant

Grant for research or sustainable projects to physician scientists from nonprofit institutions in Central and South America, Africa as well as South and South East Asia.

Limited resources do not mean limited potential. The DKMS Impact Grant recognizes outstanding research and transformative initiatives that improve access to treatment and hematology care where it is needed most.

Around the world, patients with malignant and non-malignant hematological diseases continue to face significant barriers to timely diagnosis, treatment, management of complications and supportive care. While advances in science have transformed outcomes for many patients, access to these innovations remains inequitable, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The DKMS Impact Grant was established to help bridge this gap in the following countries.

The DKMS Impact Grant reflects our commitment to improving access to treatment and hematological care worldwide. Through funding, mentorship, and access to international expertise, the DKMS Impact Grant helps emerging physicians and scientists transform promising research or sustainable project ideas into meaningful impact for patients and communities.

The grant is funded by the foundation DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden and administered by the DKMS Group gGmbH.

The application period for the DKMS Impact Grant 2027 is now open!

Here you’ll find all important documents you need for your application.

The application process has two stages: projects are selected from promising Letters of Intent to be invited to submit a full application. Up to three projects will ultimately be funded.

Download: Letter of Intent

As the first step in the application process, please submit your Letter of Intent via email to impact-grant@dkms.org until August 31, 2026, 23:59h (Central European Summer Time).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Description of the grant

The DKMS Impact Grant awards up to € 120,000 for a time period of two years (€ 60,000 annually), with the possibility of an extension of two additional years, subject to positive evaluation and reasonable progress. Grant funds may be used for personnel costs according to local salary standards, project implementation costs, consumables and infrastructure as well as communication and documentation-related expenses, publication costs, travel expenses, and other project-related expenditures necessary to achieve the proposed objectives (e.g. drugs or external diagnostic services). In addition, free-of-charge access to diagnostic services (e.g., HLA typing) as well as know-how of DKMS experts may be requested.

Scope of Impact projects

Projects should address issues to advance the understanding of and improve access to access to diagnosis, treatment, management of complications, and supportive care of malignant and non-malignant hematological diseases in the afore-mentioned countries. Projects can either focus on generating actionable knowledge (research projects) or on implementation, scalability, and sustainability aspects (sustainable projects).

Qualifications of the applicant

The DKMS Impact Grant is aimed at physicians in an early stage of their scientific career. Applicants must have received a medical degree within the last 15 years (after July 2001). Applicants whose careers have been interrupted after receiving a medical degree, may request an extension of the degree requirement insofar as the interruption occurred for example to one of the following reasons: family care responsibilities, applicant’s disability or illness, active duty community service. They must have professional experience in hematology/oncology for at least three years as well as experience in science or a strong project development background. Applicants must be affiliated with a local faculty or have a qualified academic supervisor. The host institution of the applicant must be nonprofit and localized in one of the above highlighted countries and must guarantee the employment of the applicant for at least two years from begin of funding in July 2027.

If you have any further questions, please write to impact-grant@dkms.org.