Research Research Programs Biotechnology, Imaging & Drug Development Systems, Pathways & Targets Cancer Control Clinical Research Stern Center for Cancer Clinical Trials and Research Disease-Oriented Teams Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee Research Resources Membership Guidelines Shared Resources Funding Opportunities Acknowledgement of Grant and Shared Resources Centers & Institutes Anti-Cancer Challenge Research Anti-Cancer Challenge RFP Anti-Cancer Challenge Past Awardees Team Funds Anti-Cancer Challenge RFP Home Research Anti-Cancer Challenge RFP 2021 Tracks and Focus Areas Applications for this competition are due on January 7, 2022 no later than 5 PM PST. This competition will provide awards of up to $40,000 each (total direct costs) along two tracks, with a specific emphasis on projects capable of significant impact within 1-2 years. Applications are categorized into two tracks: Track 1 projects are basic, translational, or population-based cancer science projects limited to one year. These applications are expected to generate pilot data necessary for obtaining peer-reviewed extramural grants (such as an NIH R01) or enable additional data collection to respond to prior critiques for resubmission applications (NIH A1 applications). Track 2 projects support Early Phase Clinical Research, with the goal of launching an interventional investigator-initiated interventional clinical trial at UCI Health within a 2-year time frame. While Track 2 projects are not necessarily expected to lead to extramural peer-reviewed funding, pharmaceutical industry co-sponsorship is encouraged. These projects must be managed by the Stern Center for Cancer Clinical Trials & Research and must meet the following criteria: Be developed in collaboration with a CFCCC Disease-Oriented Team or a multidisciplinary tumor board Include a DOT-approved clinical protocol Be capable of obtaining full regulatory approval (e.g., IRB) within 6 months of the award. The CFCCC will prioritize funding for projects in the following areas: Research addressing cancer health disparities in the CFCCC catchment area of Orange County. This includes: Cancers with unusually high rates of incidence, prevalence or mortality in the catchment area, such as melanoma, breast and lung cancer Cancers disproportionately affecting racial or ethnic groups in Orange County, such as liver and gastric cancer in Hispanics and Asians, cervical, gall bladder, and young onset colorectal cancer in Hispanics Projects that address unique aspects of a specific cancer burden in the catchment area (e.g., etiology of lung adenocarcinoma in Asian female never-smokers or of Ph-like B-lymphoblastic leukemia in Hispanics; basis for low HPV vaccination rates in different racial/ethnic groups; melanoma detection/prognosis in Hispanics) Projects that include community engagement in the research development, methods, analyses, and/or dissemination of results Collaborations between members of the Cancer Control Program with one or both of the other CFCCC research programs (Biotechnology, Imaging & Drug Development, and Systems, Pathways & Targets) Research supporting the development of an Investigator-Initiated Trial in the detection or prevention of cancer, with the ultimate goal of obtaining extramural funding Collaborations involving Disease-Oriented Teams or multidisciplinary tumor boards that seek to advance a novel diagnostic or screening technology, therapeutic molecule or device, or bio-behavioral intervention to a clinical trial Basic, translational or investigator-initiated clinical research on cancers impacting the pediatric and adolescent/young adult population Details on catchment area demographics and cancer incidence and mortality can be found at: https://youtu.be/5yPWuDd-Ygo. ACC 2021 RFP Click Here to Download ACC Letter of Intent Form Click Here to Download ACC Application Form Click Here to Download 2021 Application Guidelines Letter of Intent Due by 5pm PST on November 22, 2021 Should be emailed to: cfcccadmin@hs.uci.edu. Download and complete the Letter of Intent Form available on our website. Please save the file as: Lastname_ACC LOI_YYYY-MM-DD The letter should include: Project Title Indication regarding if you plan a Track 1 or Track 2 application A list of key personnel (Name, academic rank, department affiliation, email address) An abstract not to exceed 30 lines of text. Must include a description of the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals, as well as a project’s broad, long-term objectives and specific aims. Letters of intent are not binding and will be used to select reviewers for full applications. Full Application Due by 5pm PST on January 7, 2022 Should be emailed to: cfcccadmin@hs.uci.edu. Please save the file as: Lastname_ACC LOI_YYYY-MM-DD Download and complete the Application Form available on our website. The application form consists of the following: Project detail cover sheet Scientific Abstract (limited to 30 lines of text) Lay Audience Summary (3-4 sentences) Research Strategy (limited to 3 pages) Bibliography/References Cited Detailed Budget & Budget Justification NIH-formatted Biosketches for Key Personnel Resubmission applications are given an additional ½ page to discuss changes in their application in response to previous reviewer critiques. Timeline RFA released: November 3, 2021 Letter of Intent due: November 22, 2021 Applications are due: January 7, 2022 Scientific Merit Review: January 2022 Award decisions are released: February 14, 2022 Earliest start date of funding: March 1, 2022 Eligibility Principal Investigators should be UCI researchers (e.g. faculty or project scientists), CHOC Hyundai Cancer Institute-affiliated physicians, or collaborators at the Long Beach VA Medical Center. Projects must focus on cancer burden in the CFCCC catchment area. Inter/intra-programmatic collaboration between Cancer Center members is strongly encouraged. Applicants should leverage CFCCC Shared Resources whenever possible. Priority will be given to early-stage investigators (as defined by the NIH early-stage investigator definition). PI Eligibility An individual cannot serve as a PI on more than one application. Principal Investigators should be UCI researchers (e.g. faculty or project scientists), CHOC Hyundai Cancer Institute-affiliated physicians, or collaborators at the Long-Beach VA. The PI of the award is required to be a CFCCC Member or Associate Member at the time of award. Review Criteria Applications will be peer reviewed in accordance with NIH criteria with explicit emphasis placed on the near-term impact (i.e., within 1-2 years). Applicants will receive a copy of the review comments in an anonymous format. Projects addressing priority areas (above) will be scored more favorably Funding priority will also be given to Early-Stage Investigators (ESI), as determined by the NIH ESI definition. Projects that extend basic science to a clinical or translational capacity, utilize CFCCC Shared Resources, collaborate with DOTs, or involve significant new collaborations will be ranked more favorably. Regulatory Approvals All projects involving human subjects must have IRB approval prior to the release of funding. If sufficient progress in obtaining regulatory approvals has not been made within 6 months after award date, the CFCCC may withdraw funding for the award. All projects involving animal subjects must have appropriate IACUC approvals prior to the release of funding. Budgets Awards are limited to $40,000 of total direct costs. As these are gift funds, no indirect costs will be awarded. Applications are limited to one year of support for Track 1 projects and 2 years of support for Track 2 projects. Unallowable costs: PI salaries (salaries for project staff are allowable), large equipment (e.g., >$5K), travel, and indirect costs. Co-funding is allowable and may be described in the application. However, co-funding is not a requirement of this RFA. Funds should be fully spent within the award period, as no-cost extensions will be granted in limited circumstances and are limited to 6 months. All no-cost extensions must be requested in writing and will be reviewed by the Cancer Center Director. Any post-award changes to Key Personnel require prior approval from Cancer Center Administration. Reporting & Donor Engagement Progress reports are due 12 months from the start date of the award. For awards exceeding one-year, annual progress reports are due until the project has finished. Additionally, Cancer Center Administration will track the outcomes of each award for a period of 5 years to determine the return on investment (which is a requirement of federal and philanthropic funding). Awardees may be asked to meet with donors and provide updates at philanthropic events. Awardees have the option to present a 15-20 minute “chalk talk” to a peer-colleague committee at the CFCCC Annual Scientific Retreat held in September of each year. Chalk talks are intended to help grantees prepare for extramural research grant submissions.