The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center announces a funding opportunity to support innovative cancer-related projects in need of preliminary data. The goal of this award is to provide funding to support paradigm-shifting, practice-improving or policy-changing research.
It is not the purpose of this program to provide a bridge or additional funding for a current project. Instead, the funds are to establish a proof of concept and generate the preliminary data for high-reward but potentially high-risk projects that will then be competitive for external funding.
Both single PI and collaborative project proposals are eligible. As many as five grants with budgets not to exceed $80,000 will be awarded for projects beginning in May 2020 and running through April 2021 with the possibility of renewal for a second year.
The ranking will be by peer review and based on novelty and scientific merit. Reviewers are instructed to look for:
- Significance and innovation – defined as the possibility to open new areas of investigation, discover new concepts, generate new patient care strategies or otherwise change the way we think about a cancer-related problem
- Projects that are not simply extensions of existing funded research
- Projects that are cancer-focused, although we ask you to view this concept with an inclusive, rather than exclusive, eye. All aspects of cancer research will be considered, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center continues to be committed to all areas of innovative cancer research
Interested applicants should electronically submit a single PDF containing a two-page application, a budget justification and biosketches for the key investigator(s) through the VICC Pilot Project Application Portal by midnight on Friday, March 27.
Applicants are encouraged to consider the wide range of expertise of the review panel (consisting of VICC senior leadership) when writing their application. Successful applications will have clear and concise explanations of aims, significance, innovation and expected outcomes. Investigators must certify in their budget justification that there is no financial or scientific overlap with existing projects.
In the VICC Pilot Project Application Portal, please select “CCSG pilot project.” VICC may require oral presentations of competitive projects to VICC Senior Leadership before final funding selections. Oral and written progress reports will be required at the end of the project period.
Please contact Julie Schaum (j.schaum@vumc.org) if you have any questions.