Funds raised through the Annual Research Fund and Hudson Hoagland Society support the Worcester Foundation Grants. These "seed" grants allow talented scientists to explore new, groundbreaking ideas and serve to fill critical funding gaps while waiting for federal research grants.
Each year, UMass Chan Medical School scientists submit proposals for Worcester Foundation Grant funding. These "seed" grants are awarded based on a competitive process and they have accelerated research in cancer, heart disease, ALS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, RNA interference (gene silencing) and stem cell research, and represent some of the most innovative and medically promising work being done at UMass Chan.