Call for New Promising Projects: Apply for LCCC Developmental Funds

Posted in DEI Funding Opportunities  |  Tagged

Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center announced new grant opportunities for developmental funds for the initiation of promising new cancer-related projects with the following description:

  • Leading to Multi-PI (MPI) peer-reviewed funding and high-impact publications
  • With an emphasis in cross-consortium collaborations and/or inter-programmatic collaborations

Important dates:

  • Proposals are due by January 6, 2025
  • Projects must begin no later than April 1, 2025, and be completed by March 31, 2026

Grants are funded by CCSG, BellRinger, and other gifts as available, as well as institutional funds. The following opportunities are available.

Below read the available opportunities, important dates and details. Questions and requests for additional information should be directed to Sharon Levy (SGL5@georgetown.edu).

Large multi-project pilots that will lead to a P01, SPORE or U grant (1-year award at up to $100,000, with the option of renewal dependent on progress)

Important Details:

  • Projects must be cancer-relevant research focus, including basic, clinical, translational, or population sciences
  • Teams must include projects led by R01 funded investigators (per P01 and SPORE requirements)
  • Where appropriate, the proposals should link to LCCC strategic priorities based on disease or process:
    • Prioritized diseases include, but are not limited to hematologic malignancies and cancers of the lung, colon/rectum, prostate, liver, pancreas and breast
    • Prioritized processes include, but are not limited to DNA damage/repair, signaling, immunobiology and immunotherapy, cell therapy, tumor: microenvironment interactions, obesity, aging, survivorship, genomics, and tobacco control
  • Projects that include community engagement are encouraged
  • Proposals from up to 3 teams will be selected for funding and leaders of those teams will be invited to attend a retreat with LCCC Senior Leadership in February or March to develop their idea and refine their budget
  • Projects that span the consortium and/or are inter-programmatic will be prioritized

Important Dates: All applications are due January 6, 2025, to Sharon Levy (SGL5@georgetown.edu).

Format Specifications:

Use the format outlined below and submit as a single pdf:

  • Title page that includes:
    • Names of proposed project
    • Leaders
  • A maximum of 3 pages proposal describing:
    • Larger MPI grant you are aspiring to submit
    • Smaller pilot projects that you are requesting funding for
    • Proposed deliverables
    • Timeline
  • Initial budget and budget justification, explicitly stating how the funds are broken up among the investigators
  • Biosketches of proposed project leaders

NOTE:

  • Applications must be submitted electronically as a single, low-resolution PDF file
  • Incomplete and non-electronic applications will be returned without scientific review
  • Notifications are anticipated to go out by the end of January

Smaller pilots that will lead to an MPI R01 submission (1-year award of up to $50,000)

Important Details:

  • Cancer relevant research focus, including basic, clinical, translational, or population sciences
  • Cross-consortium and/or inter-programmatic projects will be given the highest priority
  • Where appropriate, the proposals should link to LCCC strategic priorities based on disease or process:
    • Prioritized diseases include, but are not limited to the hematologic malignancies and cancers of the lung, colon/rectum, prostate, liver, pancreas and breast
    • Prioritized processes include, but are not limited to DNA damage/repair, signaling, immunobiology and immunotherapy, cell therapy, tumor: microenvironment interactions, obesity, aging, survivorship, genomics, and tobacco control
  • Projects that include community engagement are encouraged
  • Projects related to grant applications that scored well (i.e. 20th percentile or lower) but need further preliminary data for resubmission will be given the highest priority. 
  • Funding is not renewable and the below priorities based on the LCCC 2021-2026 strategic plan will be considered

Proposals can be:
a. Projects that aim to achieve Cancer Center strategic objectives and focus on one or more of the following areas of research:

  • Cancer-related health disparities and issues within the LCCC catchment area and/or underrepresented minorities
  • Cancer and aging
  • Survivorship research
  • Correlative science associated with an investigator-initiated clinical trial derived from cancer center science
  • Global oncology
  • Advancement of a target/biomarker along the translational pipeline (from bench to bedside or vice versa)
  • Intersection of Cancer and Infection

b. Projects must aim to be completed on time. If your project is tied to a clinical trial, the trial should have IRB approval, FDA approval, and funding (except for the correlative science you are requesting funding for)

Important Dates: All applications are due January 6, 2025, to Sharon Levy (SGL5@georgetown.edu).

Format Specifications:

  • Arial font and no smaller than 11 point
  • Margins at least 0.5 inches (sides, top and bottom)
  • Single-spaced lines
  • Consecutively numbered pages
  • Submit as a single pdf document

Application Components

  • Title Page
  • Project Summary/Abstract (30 lines of text)
  • Specific Aims (1-page limit)
  • Research Strategy (3-page limit)
    • Significance
    • Innovation
    • Approach
    • Future Plans
  • References/citations
  • Budget and Budget Justification
  • NIH Biographical Sketch for all Key Personnel

Review Criteria and Process

Each proposal is:          

  • Reviewed based on scientific impact and scored according to the system used by NIH study sections
  • Assigned a primary and secondary reviewer
  • All committee members will score each proposal after discussion
  • All funded investigators will be asked to submit progress reports annually

Selection

  •  Each submission will be reviewed and scored based on current NCI review processes by a peer-review committee
  • Committee is chaired by the Deputy Director for Translational Applications and members will be chosen based on areas of expertise (dependent on proposals submitted) and avoidance of conflicts of interest (i.e., an applicant may be on the committee but will be recused during discussion of his/her grant and cannot vote on his/her application)
  • All scores will be submitted to the Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) for review and discussion. The SLC will submit recommendations to the LCCC Director for review and final decision on funding
  • Director has discretion to fund projects from other sources of developmental funds
  • Final decisions will be reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee while the Director has ultimate authority
  • Top scored projects will be funded

NOTE:

  • All applications must be submitted electronically as a single, low-resolution PDF file
  • Incomplete and non-electronic applications will be returned without scientific review
  • Notifications are anticipated to go out by the end of February
  • Questions and requests for additional information should be directed to Sharon Levy (SGL5@georgetown.edu)