International Development & Education Award (IDEA)

Benefits & funding

• Mentorship from a leading ASCO member.
• Attendance at the ASCO Annual Meeting, followed by a visit to the mentor’s institution in the United States or Canada.
• Three years of complimentary ASCO membership, including a Journal of Clinical Oncology subscription.
• ASCO and Conquer Cancer fund 30 combined IDEA and IDEA-PC recipients each year.
• Participation support is provided, but the accessed official pages do not state a cash value or a complete list of covered personal expenses.

Eligibility

• Applicants must currently reside in a World Bank FY2027 low-, lower-middle-, or upper-middle-income economy and have limited resources to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting. Eligible residences are Afghanistan, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Somalia, Burundi, Liberia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Sudan, Chad, Malawi, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Uganda, Eritrea, Mozambique, Yemen, Ethiopia, Niger, Gambia, Rwanda, Angola, India, Senegal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Solomon Islands, Benin, Kiribati, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Bolivia, Laos, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Lebanon, Togo, Cameroon, Lesotho, Tunisia, Comoros, Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Vanuatu, Côte d’Ivoire, Myanmar, Venezuela, Djibouti, Namibia, West Bank and Gaza, Egypt, Nepal, Zambia, Eswatini, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea, Pakistan, Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, São Tomé and Príncipe, Albania, Gabon, Montenegro, Algeria, Georgia, North Macedonia, Argentina, Grenada, Paraguay, Armenia, Guatemala, Peru, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Philippines, Belarus, Iran, Samoa, Belize, Iraq, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jamaica, South Africa, Botswana, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Saint Lucia, Cabo Verde, Kosovo, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, China, Libya, Suriname, Colombia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Maldives, Tonga, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Türkiye, Dominican Republic, Mauritius, Turkmenistan, Ecuador, Mexico, Tuvalu, El Salvador, Micronesia, Ukraine, Equatorial Guinea, Moldova, Vietnam, Fiji, and Mongolia.
• No nationality restriction is stated.
• Applicants must not have completed more than one academic year of formal training in a World Bank high-income economy.
• Applicants must be within 10 years of graduating from their oncology training program.
• Applicants must be ASCO members or submit a physician membership application.
• Written and spoken English fluency is required.
• IDEA-PC applicants must additionally demonstrate interest in integrating palliative and supportive care at their institution.

Application process

1. 1
   Create an ASCO account and confirm ASCO membership status or prepare a physician membership application.
2. 2
   Review the IDEA and IDEA-PC Request for Applications and select the applicable track.
3. 3
   Prepare the required recommendation, biosketch, institutional approval, and personal statement templates in English.
4. 4
   Submit all materials through the ASCO and Conquer Cancer Application Portal by September 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT; paper, email, and fax submissions are not accepted.

Program timeline

1. Application opens.

   July 1, 2026

2. Application deadline.

   September 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT

3. ASCO Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago.

   June 4–8, 2027

4. Mentor-institution visit in the United States or Canada; the exact dates and program end date are not published.

   After June 8, 2027