Last month, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), an upstart state-funded initiative to make California a stem-cell research hub, announced plans to award $85 million to 25 young scientists. It's an effort to help fledgling investigators who often have a tough time finding start-up funds.

Like the institute's previous grants, these CIRM grants include funding for research on human embryonic stem-cells, which is severely restricted under US federal funding policy. That policy has prevented scientists from entering the field, says Christopher Scott, executive director of the Stem Cells and Society Program at Stanford University, California. He believes that CIRM's grants should help stem-cell scientists feel less obliged to study related but less controversial fields.

US biomedics moving from postdoc to independent research often struggle to find stable sources of funding. New investigators receive only 6% of US National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 awards, the multi-year grants that US universities rely on. Similar to R01, the CIRM grants will fund direct project costs of $300,000 for academics and $400,000 for clinicians. Worries over money hamper long-term thinking, says Xianmin Zeng of the Buck Institute in Novato, California, who plans to apply. Many foundations give only small amounts of money over one or two years, she says. “For young investigators to get a stable environment, they need a stable foundation,” Zeng says.

Although previous CIRM grants targeted research in human embryonic stem cells, the new grants are broader in scope. Researchers working on animal systems as well as on non-embryonic systems are eligible. But the grants are also intended to push basic research into clinical applications. Ten of the 25 slots are reserved for physician researchers. “They are critical to translating this research into therapies,” says the CIRM's scientific officer, Kumar Hari.

Courting some controversy, the CIRM has restricted the number of candidates qualifying institutions can nominate. Organizations with medical schools can nominate four faculty members; those without can nominate two. Otherwise, say CIRM officials, the awards might attract hundreds of applicants and overwhelm staff and outside reviewers. Candidates must submit letters of intent by 9 August this year.