Lance Armstrong Foundation Request for Grant Proposals 2006 ISSUES OF CANCER SURVIVORSHIP General Research Awards and Young Investigator Awards Summary: Deadlines for 2006 Survivorship Grants
Letter of intent open for submissions Letter of intent deadline for submissions Invitations to apply/declines sent Proposals due Applicants notified of funding decisions Funding period begins March 1, 8:00 AM ET April 24, 5:00 PM ET May 19 June 30, 5:00 PM ET November 1 January 1, 2007
Intent: The intent of our survivorship research program is to fund projects that focus on the physical, psychological, and practical issues those affected by cancer experience due to cancer and/or cancer treatment. The LAF believes that survivorship starts at the point of diagnosis and defines survivors as those affected by cancer and/or cancer treatment, including not only cancer patients, but also their caregivers, family, and friends. Projects funded under this mechanism should focus on survivor-related activities that will yield broad and tangible benefits. Studies of issues common to many survivors and diseases that have been under-represented in survivorship research are of particular interest. Eligibility: The LAF awards survivorship research grants to both U.S. and international applicants. Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: 1. Applicants’ primary affiliation must be with a nonprofit institution. 2. Proposed research must be hypothesis driven. 3. Proposed research must focus on physical, psychosocial, and/or practical issues that cancer survivors experience due to cancer and/or cancer treatment. Please note that the LAF does not fund clinical trials of cancer treatment therapies. 4. Those wishing to apply for a Young Investigator award must meet the additional eligibility requirements on page 2 of this document. Grant Types: General Research Awards The LAF will grant Research Awards of up to $75,000 per year for 1-3 years (plus 10% indirect costs) to support research projects initiated by established investigators. This funding mechanism is intended to support the early stages of survivorship research projects in order to facilitate subsequent funding from other sources. Young Investigator Awards: The LAF will grant Young Investigator Research Awards of up to $50,000 per year for 1-2 years (plus 10% indirect costs) to support research dedicated to the study of cancer survivorship. Young Investigator Research Awards are intended to support career development in the field of cancer survivorship and foster experiences that lead to research independence. This mechanism is intended to protect young investigators from directly competing with established researchers for funding. Eligibility requirements for Young Investigator Research Awards are listed on page 2 of this document. Questions regarding this RFP should be directed to: Brandy Gazo Research Program Coordinator Lance Armstrong Foundation Tel: 512-279-8365 Email: brandy.gazo@laf.org
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ISSUES OF CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
General Research Awards and Young Investigator Awards Policies and Guidelines:
Intent of the survivorship research program: The intent of our survivorship research program is to fund projects that focus on the physical, psychosocial and practical issues those affected by cancer experience due to cancer and/or cancer treatment. The LAF believes that survivorship starts at the point of diagnosis and defines survivors as those affected by cancer and/or cancer treatment, including not only cancer patients but also their caregivers, family and friends. For more information about projects previously funded through the LAF survivorship program, please visit http://www.livestrong.org/research. Approximately two-thirds of the LAF’s research budget is dedicated to issues of survivorship – the remaining one-third is dedicated to basic and clinical testicular cancer research. LAF research awards are internationally recognized and highly competitive. Last year, 15% of proposals were funded. Since inception, the LAF has awarded over $14.4 million in research grants – over $9.9 million of this amount was awarded to fund research in the area of cancer survivorship. Eligibility: To qualify for a survivorship research grant under this mechanism, applicants must meet the following requirements: General Research Awards: 1. Applicants’ primary affiliation must be with a nonprofit institution. 2. Proposed research must be hypothesis driven – qualitative studies must have a deductive, hypothesisdriven component. 3. Proposed research must focus on physical, psychosocial, and/or practical issues that cancer survivors experience due to cancer and/or cancer treatment. Please note that the LAF does not fund clinical trials of cancer treatment therapies. 4. Applicants must not be currently receiving LAF research grant funding as of 1/1/07. Applicants whose LAF grant terms end by 12/31/06 may apply during the 2006 grant cycle for funding beginning in 2007. Young Investigator Research Awards: In addition to the eligibility requirements listed for General Research Awards, those wishing to apply as young investigators must also meet all of the following requirements. 1. Must have the support of a qualified mentor. Qualified mentors must be established investigators in the proposed area of study, and must be willing to commit to supporting the career development of the young investigator for the entire period of the proposed study. 2. Must be without current or past NIH RO1 support as a PI. 3. Must meet at least one of the following conditions: a. Post-doctoral fellow or assistant professor (or equivalent rank) within five years (excluding clinical training) of completing a terminal degree (see table below) or b. Assistant professor (or equivalent) within three years of initiating independent research in the field of cancer survivorship (Earliest date of initiation - Jan. 1, 2004). For the purpose of this RFP, January 1, 2007 will be used to calculate the timeframes listed in the eligibility requirements below. Please refer to the table below for additional guidance in determining your eligibility status. Young Investigator Qualifications – Condition a: Years of post-degree clinical Date of terminal degree: training: None After Jan. 1, 2002 3 years After Jan. 1, 1999 5 years After Jan. 1, 1997
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Ineligible proposals: The LAF does not fund clinical trials of cancer treatment therapies. Proposals studying primary cancer therapeutic interventions will not be considered, nor will support for the development of databases. Proposals that solely provide services without clear-cut research are also not suitable for this mechanism of support but may be considered under the LAF’s Community Program guidelines. Please visit our website at http://www.livestrong.org/communityprograms for more information on the Community Grant Program. Applicants must not be currently receiving LAF research grant funding as of 1/1/07. Applicants whose LAF grant terms end by 12/31/06 may apply during the 2006 grant cycle for funding beginning in 2007. Types of research grants awarded: The LAF awards two types of research grants: General Research Awards and Young Investigator Awards. General Research Awards: General Research Awards are intended to support the early stages of survivorship research projects in order to facilitate subsequent funding from other sources. The LAF will grant General Research Awards of up to $75,000 per year to support research projects initiated by established investigators. Applicants may request 1-3 years of funding with a yearly budget not to exceed $75,000, plus 10% indirect costs. For multi-year grants, continued support after the first year is contingent upon a non-competitive LAF review and demonstration of satisfactory completion of proposed research objectives and appropriate budget expenditures. After completion of the project, proposals may be resubmitted for competitive renewal. Total funding may not exceed five years. Projects that have the potential to lead to subsequent funding from other sources are particularly encouraged. Young Investigator Awards: Young Investigator Awards are intended to support career development in the field of cancer survivorship and foster experiences that lead to research independence. This award mechanism is intended to protect young investigators from directly competing with established researchers for funding. Eligibility requirements for Young Investigator Research Awards are listed on page 2 of this document. The LAF will grant Young Investigator Research Awards of up to $50,000 per year to support research dedicated to the study of cancer survivorship to be carried out by investigators in the early stages of careers. Proposals may request 1-2 years of funding with a yearly budget not to exceed $50,000, plus 10% indirect costs. For 2-year grants, continued support after the first year is contingent upon a non-competitive LAF review and demonstration of satisfactory completion of proposed research objectives and appropriate budget expenditures. After completion of the entire grant award, proposal may be resubmitted for competitive renewal. Total funding may not exceed four years. How to apply: All interested applicants must first submit a letter of intent (LOI). Letter of intent application opens March 1, 2006. LOIs may be submitted from March 1, 2006 through April 24, 2006. Please refer back to our website at http://www.livestrong.org/research after March 1 for instructions on how to apply. Applicants with approved LOIs will receive invitations to submit full proposals by May 19, 2006. Full proposals will be due by June 30, 2006. Unsolicited full proposals will not be accepted. The LAF will only accept one proposal per principal investigator. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions no later than November 1, 2006, with funding beginning January 1, 2007. Overlapping funding from other sources will not be allowed. Individual applicants may hold only one grant from the LAF at a time. Applicants must not be currently receiving LAF research grant funding as of 1/1/07. Applicants whose LAF grant terms end by 12/31/06 may apply during the 2006 grant cycle for funding beginning in 2007. Applications are accepted only from non-profit organizations, including institutions located outside of the United States. The Letter of Intent should be a brief abstract of the project and must include the following: • • • A clear and concise statement of the specific aims of the project A clear and concise statement of the hypothesis (or hypotheses) that will be tested A brief statement of the background and significance of the project 3
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A brief description of the experimental design and methods that will be used
LOIs will be judged on the following criteria: • • Responsiveness to RFP – proposed research is in the field of cancer survivorship and is hypothesisdriven. Significance – proposed research has the potential to yield broad and tangible benefits to cancer survivors.
Applicants with approved LOIs will be invited to submit full proposals. Only proposals that are complete and submitted by the deadline will be considered for funding. Proposals must include the following: • Technical Abstract and Lay Abstract (limit one page each) • Proposal Narrative (ten page limit) – Specific Aims – Background and Significance – Preliminary Studies – Experimental Design and Methods • Literature Cited (not included in ten page limit) • Budget and Justification (must use LAF template) • Biosketches of all key personnel in NIH Format • Mentoring plan for Young Investigator Awards • Mentor letters of support for Young Investigator Awards Review process: The LAF utilizes an external peer-review process for all research proposals. This process includes both scientific and LiveSTRONG™ survivor/advocate reviewers. LiveSTRONG™ survivor/advocate reviewers evaluate proposals from a survivor’s perspective. Scientific reviewers evaluate proposals using the following criteria: Significance: The extent to which the project, if successfully carried out, will make a significant and meaningful contribution to the field of survivor care. Approach: The extent to which the conceptual framework, design (including as applicable the selection of appropriate subject populations or animal models), methods, and analyses are properly developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project. Feasibility: The likelihood that the proposed work can be accomplished by the investigators, given their documented experience and expertise, past progress, preliminary data, requested and available resources, institutional commitment, and (if appropriate) documented access to special reagents or technologies and adequacy of plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects. General terms and conditions that apply to all LAF research grant awards are listed below. Grant proposals that are incomplete or do not adhere to the application guidelines will not be considered for funding. Non-electronic documents must be scanned and submitted as electronic files. Questions regarding the LAF’s Research Program and this RFP can be directed to: Brandy Gazo Research Program Coordinator Lance Armstrong Foundation Tel: 512-279-8365 Email: brandy.gazo@laf.org
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GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Following are the General Terms and Conditions that apply to all Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) research grants: • Animal Use and Human Subjects Whenever animal use or human subjects are a part of an LAF-funded project, a copy of the institution’s IRB or IACUC approval must be provided to the LAF before funding can be released. Annual confirmation of IRB or IACUC approval is required. • Budget Changes Grantees may make transfers between or among line items within budget categories without prior written approval, provided that (a) the total dollar amount of all changes of any single line item within budget categories (individually and in the aggregate) is less than 10% of the amount in that line item; (b) the transfer will not increase or decrease the total budget or the LAF’s total monetary obligation under the grant agreement; (c) the transfer will not materially change the nature, performance level, or scope of the project; and (d) grantees submit a revised budget to us no later that the due date of the next progress report. All other budget changes require the LAF’s prior written approval. • Contracts All grants are subject to the terms and conditions of the LAF’s standard research grant agreement, a specimen of which is available by request. All 2006 research grant recipients will be given until December 15, 2006 to execute and return a grant agreement to the LAF; otherwise funding will be withdrawn. All contract related questions may be directed to Amy Nunn, Grants Coordinator, at amy.nunn@laf.org. • Equipment and Supply Purchases Any equipment and supplies purchased within the scope of the project that remain at the conclusion of the grant become the property of the institution in which the work was done. Any exceptions require prior written approval from the LAF. • Funding The LAF anticipates making annual payments to grantees at the beginning of each calendar year, although we may vary the timing and frequency of the payments to accommodate actual rate of expenditure of prior payments. Any project income (for example, interest earned on the funding we provide) must also be used for the project. Grantees must account for all monies received pursuant to their grant agreement separately from other funds. For multi-year grants, after the first year, the LAF’s ongoing obligation to provide funding for the project is subject to our receiving and approving the required progress reports. Overlapping funding from other sources is not allowed. The LAF must be notified of any overlapping funding immediately. Requests for carry over or grant extension require prior approval by the LAF. Please contact Amy Nunn, Grants Coordinator, to obtain a copy of the appropriate form. Written requests for carry over and/or extensions must be received by the LAF 30 days prior to the grant’s official termination date. Forms to request a carry over or extension are available from the LAF. Only one no-cost extension of up to one year in duration will be permitted. At the conclusion of the grant period, the LAF requires a complete financial report covering the entire grant period. Unspent funds must be returned to the LAF. • Key Personnel Grantees must designate the key project personnel for the project in their respective RFP responses. Key Personnel are defined as any individual who contributes in a substantive way to the scientific development or execution of the project, whether or not compensation is paid. All grantees must present any changes in key personnel to the LAF for its prior approval. • Progress Reports Interim and final progress reports are required and other periodic progress reports may be requested. Progress report forms are available from the LAF. • Publicity and Publications
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The LAF may release non-confidential information regarding its research grants to the general public. Publications based on any study or research done during the period of a LAF grant must acknowledge the support of the LAF. A reprint must also be sent to the LAF, to the attention of Amy Nunn, Grants Coordinator. Grant recipients must submit all project-related promotional materials, press releases, and other statements to be made by the research award recipients or their employers, agents or spokespersons, to the Foundation for approval prior to printing, distribution, publication, display or use. Materials should be submitted to Jennifer Long, Public Relations Manager, Jennifer.long@laf.org. • Transfer of Grants Transfer of an LAF grant from one institution to another requires prior approval by the LAF. All requests must be in writing and directed to Amy Nunn, Grants Coordinator.
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