Limited Submission Opportunity: 2022 V Foundation Pediatric Cancer Special Grant Opportunity

Applications due Aug. 4

This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.

Vanderbilt (VU and VUMC, collaboratively) has been invited to participate in the 2022 V Foundation Pediatric Cancer Special Grant Opportunity. Vanderbilt may choose one nominee for the Pediatric Cancer Special Grant Opportunity. The single nominee may apply for only one of the following award types: V Scholar, Translational or (new) All-Star grant. All applications should focus on pediatric cancer research, with additional detail in each section below. Research areas not included in this scope for any grant type are epidemiology, behavioral science and health services research.

Please note: The V Foundation is offering this additional pediatric cancer research grant opportunity due to exceptional 2022 fundraising levels. Award amounts will be significantly larger than usual for each of these mechanisms, ranging from $600,000 to $1 million. Strict eligibility criteria are listed below.

Translational Research Award (Pediatric Cancer)

• Overview: Translational grant applicants can propose pediatric cancer research that moves a novel strategy from the laboratory into a human clinical trial or uses specimens from a clinical trial to develop biomarkers or mechanisms. The research should apply in some direct way to human beings within the time frame of less than three years from the end of the grant. If biomarker research is undertaken, a validation set or independent clinical trial is essential. A plan for biomarker validation, if applicable, must be included in any proposal. The endpoint of the project should be the planning or initiation of a new pediatric clinical trial.
• Award amount: $800,000, paid in four annual installments. Indirect costs up to 10 percent allowed (not to exceed $80,000 within the award).

V Scholar Award (Pediatric Cancer)

• Overview: V Scholar applicants can propose pediatric cancer research that is focused on laboratory research that increases our understanding of cancer biology or translational-type research that improves cancer detection, prevention, treatment and survivorship. Emphasis for this grant mechanism is on supporting exceptional early career investigators at the assistant professor stage to be better positioned to leverage large R01 or similar sustaining grants.
• Award amount: $600,000, paid in three annual installments. No indirect costs allowed.

All Star Award (Pediatric Cancer)

• Overview: All Star grant applicants can propose any area of pediatric cancer research, as outlined in either example above. All-Star grant applicants must have previously received a V Foundation grant (V Scholar, Translational or Designated cancer research grant) to be eligible to apply for the All Star grant.
• Award amount: $1 million, paid in five annual installments. Indirect costs up to 10 percent allowed (not to exceed $100,000 within the award).

Applicant eligibility: Each applicant must meet all of the award-relevant criteria below by Aug. 22, 2022.

For Translational applicants:

• Must hold a tenure-track or tenured faculty position at their cancer research institution. Non-promotable adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for principal investigator nomination.
• Must be either a U.S. citizen or have a legal permit (temporary or permanent) to work in the U.S.

For V Scholar applicants:

• Must hold a tenure-track or tenured faculty position at their cancer research institution. Non-promotable adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for principal investigator nomination.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent legal residency in the U.S. This requirement does not apply to invited Canadian institutions.
• Must possess at least two years postdoctoral (M.D. or Ph.D.) fellowship training. For M.D.s, a minimum of one year is acceptable if only one year is required for their specialty.
• Clinical scientists are eligible if the research institution can demonstrate that it will fully support the research applicant (e.g., dedicated lab space, committed research time, start-up funds).
• V Scholar applicants must have been appointed to their first full-time tenure-track assistant professor position no more than five years prior to the nomination due date of Aug. 22, 2022, and not yet been promoted to associate professor (e.g., must be eligible to apply for PI status on an R01 at your institution).
• Must NOT have been a previous or current V Foundation V Scholar awardee.
• Must NOT have accepted or have received notification that you will be awarded an R01 or other large grant exceeding $250,000 per year in funding to your lab from public or private sources by this nomination due date of Aug. 22, 2022. Internal/start-up institutional funds should not be included in the calculation.
• Must NOT have accepted or have received notification of aggregated funding exceeding $300,000 per year for more than three consecutive years by this nomination due date of Aug. 22, 2022. Internal/start-up institutional funds should not be included in this aggregate calculation.

For All Star applicants:

• Must hold a tenure-track or tenured faculty position at their cancer research institution. Non-promotable adjunct, affiliated, temporary, part-time or acting faculty positions are not eligible for principal investigator nomination.
• Must have previously received a V Foundation-funded research award to be eligible to apply for this larger grant. The previous grant award is not required to be in the area of pediatrics, and the two projects do not need to be linked.
• Must have either a completed V Foundation grant, or if grant is still open, must be in the final year of a previously funded V Foundation grant and in good standing with the V Foundation.
• Must list previous V Foundation funding and a URL link to the previous grant on the V Foundation website within the support letter from the cancer center director/department head and on the nomination form.
• Must be either a U.S. citizen or have a legal permit (temporary or permanent) to work in the U.S.

Internal selection process

Anyone interested in being considered as Vanderbilt’s nominee for either of the pediatric awards above must submit the following (in PDF format) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu  by 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2022. Late applications will not be considered.

1. Brief (two-page max.) research plan including summary budget;
   1. All Star applicants should clearly state the end date of their prior V Foundation award.
2. Letter of support from department chair/center director;
   1. Scholar award does not allow indirect costs. Scholar letters must also acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs. This statement can be used/modified within the letter: “The department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable institutional/school policy.” Consult LSO@vanderbilt.edu for further guidance.
   2. Translational award allows 10 percent indirect costs; indirect cost statement is not required.
   3. All Star award allows 10 percent indirect costs; indirect cost statement is not required.
3. NIH Biosketch or five-page CV.

Submissions should reference the award type (Translational, V Scholar or All-Star) in the subject line of the email.

A nomination form and letter of support for Vanderbilt’s selected candidate will be submitted to the V Foundation by Aug. 22, 2022. The candidate will then receive an invitation to submit a full application to the foundation due Oct. 17, 2022.

Please contact us at LSO@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about the program, foundation or internal review process.