Collaborative Cancer Research Grant

Call for Applications

Joint Funding from UMass Amherst & UMass Medical School

Collaborative Cancer Research Grant

Overview

Collaborative UMass Amherst (UMA) and UMass Medical School (UMMS) faculty teams are invited to apply for joint Translational Pilot Grants for Cancer Research.   These awards are to advance collaborative translational and applied R&D efforts from faculty groups, leading to follow-on extramural translational research funding.

Funding

Pilot grants are up to $75,000 per year. Funds are to support collaborative cancer research projects involving UMMS and UMA faculty members. Projects may be eligible for second-year funding pending submission of a progress report documenting significant progress during the first year. There is no indirect cost associated with this award.

Significant funding for this opportunity comes from the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), the Center for Bioactive Delivery (CBD), and University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) Cancer Center.

About IALS: IALS is an interdisciplinary Institute established to catalyze the translation of fundamental research into innovative product candidates, technologies, and services that deliver benefits to human health and well-being. The institute contributes to the creation and advancement of new ventures and product candidates based on discoveries from students, faculty mentors and their collaborators from more than 250 faculty-led research labs across 29 academic departments. IALS also seeks to establish collaborations with health centers, industry, and government partners.  UMass Medical School faculty are welcome to join!

About CBD: Bioactive delivery is a multi-dimensional challenge that remains a critical and often unsolved issue in product development. At the heart of CBD are organized multidisciplinary teams focused on solutions to this complex landscape. The long-term objective is to develop reliable, predictive models for optimized drug/carrier systems. This focus on synergies between the bioactive compound and its delivery for a suitable carrier solution creates a new paradigm for drug and nutrient delivery.

About UMMS Cancer Center: The UMMS Cancer Center seeks to promote basic, translational and clinical cancer research at UMMS and other UMass campuses.

Eligibility

Faculty teams must contain at least one (1) UMA PI, and one (1) UMMS PI. UMass Amherst faculty PIs must be an active member of IALS, with a history of tagging grant proposals. UMass Medical School faculty are encouraged to join. To become an IALS member, please visit: https://www.umass.edu/ials/joining-ials

Key Deadlines

• Cover Sheet Application (In Lieu of a Letter of Intent) Deadline: December 1, 2019
• Application Deadline: December 15, 2019
• Expected project start date: February 1, 2020

Application Information

Applications will be reviewed for the potential to advance translational research. Applications are a maximum of five pages (excluding appendixes) and should include:

1. Cover sheet (PDF Form) - In lieu of a letter of intent, please submit this cover sheet application to ialsfunding@umass.edu by December 1, 2019.  It should also be included in the full proposals as the cover page.
    
2. Research Proposal
   
   • Background and rationale for the project
   • Specific aims
   • Proposed experiments and preliminary data
   • Expected milestones/deliverables
   • Clear description of the roles of the UMMS and UMA investigators
3. Appendices:
   
   • Bibliography and/or Patent Information
   • Budget: Detailed budget, expenses and brief justification (up to 1 page) - see below for budget guidelines.
   • Other Support:  List other funding by source, grant number, amount, start/stop dates, and a summary sentence on specific aims.  A statement about whether there is scientific/budgetary overlap with the proposed project should be included.
   • Biosketches:  1 paragraph summary of research program, up to 5 key research articles, positions/honors/awards, etc.  Up to 1 page for each principal team member.

Budget Guidelines

Up to $75,000 direct costs may be requested. There is no indirect cost associated with the award. Allowable expenses include:

• Postdoctoral/Graduate student stipend
• Laboratory supplies and consumable materials
• Core Facilities usage
• Other expenses will be considered on as case by case basis

Funding for faculty salary and capital equipment are not allowable expenses.

Formatting

Full proposals must be submitted as a single file formatted to print on 8 ½” X 11” paper with >0.5” margins in Calibri or Arial 11 or 12-point font. Proposals should be submitted as a PDF file to ialsfunding@umass.edu. 

Questions

This is a new program. We expect there will be questions. Please contact Michael Green, michael.green@umassmed.edu at UMass Medical; or Peter Reinhart, ialsdirector@umass.edu at UMass Amherst with questions.