The V Foundation for Cancer Research in Cary, North Carolina, has announced 2016 grants totaling more than $23 million for cancer research projects around the country.

Representing the largest amount awarded by the foundation for cancer research in a single year, the grants include $5.8 million in V Scholar awards, which provide young scientists in the early stages of establishing their research careers with $200,000 over two years and a competitive edge as they seek additional funding from other sources.

The foundation also awarded $10.2 million in translational grants and $7.1 million in designated grants. The three-year, $600,000 translational grants will fund projects designed to bring research findings to the patient bedside more quickly and efficiently, while designated grants focus on areas of particular interest to the foundation.

"Through the V Foundation, donors from all over the United States have come together to support the most exceptional young cancer researchers and the most promising projects that will bring new and more effective treatment to cancer patients," said Robert Bast, vice president for Translational Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and chair of the foundation’s scientific advisory committee. "These grants will accelerate progress and hasten the day when we will eliminate cancer as a threat to us all."