Call for Applications — Cycle 14— 2008

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Table of Contents

    Introduction
    Application Deadlines
    Where to Start - Overview
    Previous Cycle Applications and Funding

CBCRP Research Priority Issues

CBCRP Award Types

Introduction

The California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) is pleased to present our 2008 Cycle 14 Call for Applications. We expect to have available at least $7 million to award new grants beginning July 1, 2008. The CBCRP funds research only in California.

In 1993, California breast cancer activists joined forces with scientists, clinicians, state legislators, and University of California officials to catapult the state into national leadership for breast cancer research. The activists, most of them women who had survived or currently had breast cancer, were impatient with the slow pace of progress against the disease. With their allies, they wrote and won passage of statewide legislation to push breast cancer research in new, creative directions. The California Breast Cancer Act, sponsored by Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman, increased the tobacco tax by 2¢ per pack, with 45 percent of the proceeds going to the CBCRP. We also receive support from donations from a designated line on state income tax returns and private contributions. The CBCRP has provided more than $181 million in research funds since 1994.

We hope the information below will encourage you to apply and to direct your research interests to match the priorities of the CBCRP. Our overall commitment is to fund research that will result in rapid advances in breast cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and cure.

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Application Deadlines

Applications, LOIs, and concept papers must be submitted online through proposalCENTRAL (https://v2.ramscompany.com/). Forms and instructions for all award types will be available by August 31. The CBCRP website will also contain the application forms/instructions and other helpful information.

Please note:

► The CBCRP has only one funding cycle per year with the submission deadlines listed in the Table below.
► The Translational Research Award, CRC (Pilot and Full), and IDEA-competitive renewal award types require either a letter of intent (LOI) or concept paper that must be approved prior to submitting a full application.
► The Dissertation, Postdoctoral Fellowship, and IDEA do not require a LOI or concept paper. For these award types the complete application is submitted by the January 9, 2008 deadline.

Award type
Application item
Due date
Translational Research Award only
LOI
October 15, 2007
CRC only
Concept paper
October 25, 2007
Dissertation, Postdoctoral Fellowship, and IDEA (regular and junior investigator)
Full application
January 9, 2008
IDEA-competitive renewal only
LOI
January 9, 2008
CRC (Pilot & Full), Translational Research Award & IDEA-competitive renewal
Full application
February 28, 2008
Joining Forces Conference Award
Full application
Anytime before
May 1, 2008

* Please contact us at least six months prior to your planned meeting. We now require submission of a LOI prior to a full application.

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Where to Start—Overview

Before applying to the CBCRP for grant funding, you should consider our program's background, funding philosophy, and existing portfolio. Our focus is specifically targeted to breast cancer, so researchers outside this field should develop preliminary data in breast cancer or establish collaborations to validate their interest and capacity in this topic prior to applying. Make sure our Priority Issues and Award Types presented in this booklet match your research interests, type of project (e.g., is it innovative?), and career level.

We encourage applicants to contact the CBCRP Research Administrators at 1-888-313-2277 to discuss any questions about the selection of priority issue and award type.

Inspect the CBCRP-funded portfolio on our website (www.cabreastcancer.org/research/) to get a feel for our funding interests. We are always interested in funding novel topics not yet represented in the CBCRP or other agencies' portfolios. It is especially important for applicants who have received prior CBCRP funding to distinguish the aims and topic of a newly submitted project from past projects. We also encourage you to inspect your topic area as displayed on the International Cancer Research Portfolio (ICRP) website: www.cancerportfolio.org/

Applicants should carefully consider our evaluation and funding process. The CBCRP has a two-tiered system that includes both a peer review rating for scientific merit and a programmatic review to establish responsiveness to our priorities. It is a combination of scientific merit and programmatic responsiveness that determines a decision to offer funding. Applicants will receive a detailed peer review evaluation summary with key points from the review committee discussion and information on the programmatic review/funding decision.

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Previous Cycle Applications and Funding

In the recently completed 2006-2007 funding cycle (cycle 13), the CBCRP received 220 applications and offered funding for 39 new grants.

Application volume and distribution: The innovative award type (IDEA) was the most numerous (103), followed by postdoctoral fellowship (48), community collaboration (27), dissertation (22), translational research award (10), IDEA-competitive renewal (8), and joining forces conference award (2) applications. In terms of research topics, over 80 percemt of our portfolio are in the basic science-to-translational areas, especially our Biology of the Breast Cell and Detection, Prognosis, and Treatment priority areas.

Review and funding process: We assigned scientific merit scores in five peer review committees that met in San Francisco during March-April 2007. Each application was reviewed by three scientific and one advocate reviewer. Those applications in the upper 2/3 of scientific merit were then scored for program responsiveness across a seven item rating system by our 15-member advisory council. Unfortunately, we received far more outstanding applications than we could fund with our limited budget. In addition, there were numerous excellent applications in our more expensive award types- the Community Research Collaboration-Full Research Previous Cycle Applications and Funding award, IDEA-competitive renewal, and Translational Research award. This tended to weight the funded portfolio, such that IDEA applications were much less successful than in the past.

Preliminary outcome: The net result was that we were only able to offer 39 awards to our PIs-subsequently three of them were either declined or had research overlap. Thus, the overall success rate (36/220) was only 16%. The funding rate for various award types was variable. The IDEA-competitive renewals were funded at a level of (38%), followed by dissertation awards (36%), community collaboration research projects (22%), postdoctoral fellowships (15%), translational research (10%), and IDEAs (9%). Both of our applications for conference awards were funded.

Bottom line: this information is intended to give applicants a sense of the volume, distribution, and level of competition we anticipate for the upcoming cycle. The CBCRP's core funding and community collaboration efforts are becoming increasing more competitive with both an increase in volume and quality for submitted applications. We will publish the complete results for the 2006-2007 funding cycle in our Compendium of Awards by the end of August. This document will be posted on our website under the Publications link.

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CBCRP Research Priority Issues

The CBCRP priority issues represent the four broad breast cancer topics that define our key research interests. To be responsive and eligible for funding, each applicant must explain how their proposed research corresponds to one or more of these topics. The descriptions below are intended to provide examples and are not all-inclusive.

1. The Community Impact of Breast Cancer: The Social Context

Overview:
What are factors that contribute to the unequal burden of breast cancer among diverse communities? Are there policy alternatives that would contribute to reducing disparities in access to prevention, detection, treatment, support, and/or survivorship services for California's underserved populations? What is the influence of poverty, race/ethnicity, and environmental factors on breast cancer? What are the sociocultural, behavioral, and psychological issues of those affected by breast cancer and what services are needed to reduce the suffering caused by the disease? We encourage health policy; health services; and sociocultural, behavioral, and psychological research that address disparities and the burden of breast cancer among California's diverse communities.

Specific topics include:

Health Policy: Better Serving Women's Needs
We encourage research examining the impact of public and private health policy on issues related to prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer as well as research into the formulation of policy alternatives that would reduce disparities related to prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer.

Health Services: Better Serving Women's Needs
We encourage research examining the delivery of breast cancer-related services and how to most effectively deliver services, especially to the underserved.

Sociocultural, Behavioral, and Psychological Issues Relevant to Breast Cancer: The Human Side
We encourage research into the sociocultural, behavioral, and psychological issues of those affected by breast cancer or at high risk for the disease. Research that examines patient and practitioner interactions, enhancing quality of life, long-term survival, and participation in clinical research is encouraged, especially research addressing the needs of high-risk and underserved populations

Disparities: Eliminating the Unequal Burden of Breast Cancer
We encourage research that aims to reduce disparities in breast cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, access to prevention, treatment, and/or survivorship services based on factors related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, sexual orientation, ability, age, occupation, and/or other factors. Intervention research that reduces disparities is encouraged.

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2. Etiology and Prevention: Finding the Underlying Causes

Overview:
What environmental and biological factors interact to increase the risk of developing breast cancer? What approaches can be used to reduce or eliminate breast cancer risk? We especially encourage new California-based studies that seek an understanding of the environmental and lifestyle causes of breast cancer, and how these increase risk and impact different communities in California.

Specific topics include:

Etiology: The Role of Environment and Lifestyle
We encourage studies on breast cancer initiation that may be due to environmental exposures that subject women to agents that they, as individuals, cannot control. Other key topics of interest include breast cancer causes related to lifestyle (e.g., diet, exercise) and the underlying metabolic, hormonal, and environmental interactions. Studies on causative gene-environment interactions specific to breast cancer, especially those having the potential to lead to prevention strategies, are encouraged.

Prevention and Risk Reduction: Ending the Danger of Breast Cancer
Research exploring methods to prevent breast cancer or reduce risk, including elimination of external causative factors and the identification of surrogate markers for use in prevention trials are encouraged. Examples include nutritional factors, xenoestrogens, exercise, studies of genetic variation, and methods to modify known breast cancer genes and risk factors.

Note: Basic science research (e.g., using molecular, cell, and animal models) on the genetic, mechanistic causes of breast cancer (e.g., p53 and BRCA genes) should be submitted under the Biology of the Breast Cell topic.

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3. Biology of the Breast Cell: The Basic Science of the Disease

Overview:
Although basic science research in cancer is well-supported by other agencies, there remains a critical need to understand the pre-neoplastic, causative events of breast cancer at the tissue level, including the stroma. The genetic changes in disease progression and the tumor heterogeneity need clarification at the basic science level. Breast cancer stem cell research is especially encouraged.

Specific topics include:

Biology of the Normal Breast: The Starting Point
Research should explore aspects of normal breast biology (e.g., aging) that are linked to the earliest stages of breast cancer, and which could provide insights into new approaches to prevent, detect, or treat the disease.

Pathogenesis: Understanding the Disease
Research must specifically focus on breast cancer tumor and stromal biology, including: (1) studies of relevant proteins and genes with an emphasis on their relationship to the actual disease, and (2) elucidating key cell signaling, growth control, cell cycle, and apoptosis pathways. We especially encourage new research on the process of metastasis and the development of tools and models to better understand the key metastatic events that impact patient survival.

Note: We encourage basic science hypothesis-building projects. We welcome researchers from other cancer types and fields of biology to apply, but obtaining breast cancer data and establishing breast cancer relevance must be the primary aims of the project. The CBCRP is less interested in basic science research that involves (1) the incremental advance of an established basic science hypothesis, or (2) a lateral study from another cancer type. We discourage applications with an entirely reductionist rationale (i.e., the concept that the entire subject of breast cancer can be understood solely by analysis at the molecular level).

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4. Detection, Prognosis, and Treatment: Delivering Clinical Solutions

Overview:
Clinical advances for breast cancer will utilize novel imaging technologies, new biomarkers, and genomic/proteomic approaches for more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. We encourage projects whose aims are on the critical path for translation. We support research into less toxic and more individualized therapies, mechanisms of drug resistance, and studies to evaluate alternative medicines and natural products.

Specific topics include:

Imaging, Biomarkers, and Molecular Pathology: Improving Detection and Diagnosis
We encourage research into new, cost-effective technological and biological approaches for molecular imaging and new approaches for tumor analysis at the individual patient level. This includes advanced types of molecular classification, new biomarker development, and improved technologies for patient diagnosis and prognosis, especially using techniques to replace the current practice of screening mammography and biopsy.

Innovative Treatment Modalities: Search for a Cure
Promising leads from biology-based studies are encouraged to begin the critical path to clinical translation. Examples include immunotherapy, delivery technologies, gene therapy, new drug development/testing, and new approaches to clinical decision-making. Testing investigational anti-breast cancer agents for mechanism of action and identifying target patient populations are encouraged.

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CBCRP Award Types

1. Translational Research Award

For more information on this award type, visit www.CABreastCancer.org/apply/aboutAwards.php

  • 3 years maximum duration
  • Budget cap is $750,000 total direct costs. Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.

The CBCRP is committed to supporting research that is on a "critical path" for practical application. Translational research to be supported by the CBCRP should have the potential for major impact in the areas of: (1) prevention, detection, diagnosis, or treatment of breast cancer; (2) improved quality of life for survivors; (3) reduction in the community and social burden caused by the disease in California; or (4) advances in medical practices, health systems changes, health policies, or environmental modifications. To distinguish translational research from other types of research funding, the CBCRP will require the applicant to present a "critical path" that maps how the project fits along a defined research continuum leading to practical applications. We welcome applicants from all disciplines, including: basic/clinical sciences, behavioral/social sciences, public health/community-based health sciences, and health policy.

To qualify for full application a letter of intent (LOI) must be submitted by October 15, 2007.
The translational projects presented in the LOI must:

  • demonstrate translational potential and impact specific to breast cancer in the designated topic
  • involve the study of human subjects. Support for projects using cell or animal models is not allowed.
  • show evidence of PI qualifications and propose a project not fully supported by other funding

LOI decisions and invitations to submit a full grant application will be communicated to PIs by the end of November.

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2. Career Development

The CBCRP offers career development awards in two categories: Dissertation Awards and Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Dissertation Awards

Dissertation Award Details:

  • Maximum duration is one year (Masters level) or two years (Doctoral level).
  • Budget cap is $38,000 per year for stipend/fringe benefits, tuition/fee remission, supplies, and travel. No indirect (F&A) costs are allowed.

Purpose/Requirements:
To support the completion of dissertation research for Masters or Doctoral-level graduate students. The applicant (PI) is the student, who must prepare the application and should have advanced to the appropriate degree candidacy level by the award start date (July 1, 2008). The mentor must be an independent, full-time faculty (or equivalent) at the institution The mentor should either be experienced and have published in breast cancer or collaborate with a breast cancer researcher. All applications must include a training plan focused on breast cancer.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Details:

  • Three years maximum duration
  • Budget cap is $45,000 per year. No indirect (F&A) costs are allowed.

Purpose/Requirements:
To support individuals with doctoral degrees to obtain postdoctoral training under a designated mentor. The mentor should either be experienced and have published in breast cancer or collaborate with a breast cancer researcher. The mentor must include a training plan focused on breast cancer. The research project can be supported in part by the mentor's existing funding, but should incorporate innovative aims tailored to the skills and career development of the applicant. We encourage applicants recently awarded a doctoral degree, physicians continuing research activity, or those individuals in transition to breast cancer research from another field. The combination of proposed CBCRP fellowship grant funding and all prior total postdoctoral fellowship training cannot exceed five years. The applicant must be employed as a postdoctoral fellow to qualify for the award.

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3. Innovative Research

To inspire creative new approaches in breast cancer research, the CBCRP will continue to offer the IDEA funding mechanism. Both established researchers and "junior investigators" (see below) are welcome to apply.

IDEA (Innovative, Developmental, and Exploratory Awards)

IDEA details:

  • 18 months maximum duration
  • Budget cap for total project direct costs is either $100,000 or $150,000 (higher cap is for projects using animal or human subjects). Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.

Purpose/Requirements:
To support speculative, exploratory, high-risk/high-reward projects with a primary focus on breast cancer. Applications for this award type should challenge existing paradigms, represent a new direction for the PI, and encourage innovation by the incorporation of techniques and approaches not yet well represented in mainstream breast cancer research. We encourage researchers to attempt breakthroughs that, if successful, could be leveraged into more substantial funding.

Examples of research not responsive to the IDEA are projects that: (1) propose incremental advances for the underlying topic, (2) duplicate the aims of completed or funded research to the PI derived from non-breast cancer studies without incorporating detailed breast cancer-specific justification, (3) overlap in topic and aims with current grant support to the applicant, or (4) represent portions of existing grants or are derived from cut-down larger, R01-type projects.

To be maximally responsive to the IDEA funding mechanism, the applicant must either be previously trained and have published in breast cancer or collaborate with an established breast cancer researcher. IDEA applicants will be required to explain how the research project is on a "critical path" to substantially advance the topic under investigation.

IDEAs for "junior investigators": Researchers at a career level beyond postdoctoral training and less than three years as in independent investigator, or entering research from another field, are encouraged to apply for IDEA grants. During the peer review process the applicant's prior research history and accomplishments will be rated less stringently than for IDEAs from established investigators.

Note: Only individuals who submitted IDEA applications that were not funded in 2007 (Cycle 13) are eligible to submit revised applications. Previously-funded PIs are eligible to apply for new IDEA projects with project aims distinct from their prior CBCRP grants.

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IDEA-competitive renewals

IDEA–Competitive Renewal award details:

  • Two years maximum duration.
  • Budget cap for total project direct costs is either $200,000 or $250,000 (projects using animal or human subjects). Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.

Purpose/Requirements:
To allow for additional support for especially promising projects supported by recent CBCRP IDEA funding. To compete for a renewal, the PI must achieve expected milestones in the initial IDEA and satisfy proof-ofprinciple for the central topic under investigation. The competitive renewal IDEA submission will consist of a shorter application containing a progress report with revised aims. These will go though the same two-step process of peer and advisory Council review to qualify for funding.

Note: Recipients of CBCRP IDEA grants having received initial funding disbursements after January 1, 2006, and having not previously applied for an IDEA-competitive renewal are eligible to apply for a competitive renewal in 2008. A letter of intent (LOI) for IDEA-competitive renewals by January 9, 2008, is required.

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4. Collaborative Research and Conference Awards

Community Research Collaboration (CRC) Awards

Purpose/Requirements:
To support a research partnership between community organizations/members and experienced, traditional researchers. The breast cancer-related research issues should be: (1) important to specific communities in California; (2) use methods that are relevant, acceptable, culturally sensitive, and appropriate to the community; and (3) likely to produce results that are meaningful to the community.

There are three levels of CRC support:

  • Pilot award: To support developmental and pilot work necessary to lead to an application for a full award. The maximum duration is 18 months, and the direct costs budget cap is $150,000. Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.
  • Full Research award: To support scientifically rigorous research project performed in partnership. The maximum duration is 3 years, and the direct costs budget cap is $600,000. Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.
  • Implementation and Dissemination (I&D) Award: Teams must have successfully completed their CRC Full award research to be eligible. The I&D award funds research into the implementation, dissemination, and translation of successful results. The maximum duration is 18 months, and the direct costs budget cap is $150,000. Indirect (F&A) costs are allowed, but only for non-UC institutions.

Note: CRC awards are fully described in a separate CRC Call for Applications. Concept papers for CRCs are due by October 25, 2007.

Joining Forces Conference Awards

Purpose/Requirements:
To support a conference, symposium, retreat, or other structured meeting to link breast cancer researchers, non-breast cancer investigators, and community members for the purpose of stimulating new ideas and collaborations. The budget cap is $25,000, and no indirect (F&A) costs are allowed. Funding decisions for these awards are made directly by the CBCRP's advisory council. Contact the Program at least six months prior to the planned meeting to schedule the submission of a letter of intent and full application.

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General Information

Note the following eligibility requirements and conditions for receiving grant support from the CBCRP.

Who May Apply

1. Any individual or organization in California may submit an application. The research must be conducted primarily in California. We welcome investigators from community organizations, public or privately-owned corporations and other businesses, volunteer health organizations, health maintenance organizations, hospitals, laboratories, research institutions, colleges, and universities.

2. We encourage researchers new to breast cancer to apply. We recommend that applicants who have limited experience in scientific research or in scientific grant-writing collaborate with established breast cancer researchers in order to maximize specificity and impact on breast cancer.

3. Re-submissions and previously funded PIs: Resubmissions. Individuals who submitted "not funded" applications in 2007 (Cycle 13), except for IDEA-competitive renewals, are eligible to submit revised applications in 2008 (Cycle 14). The CRC awards are open to re-submission from any previous grant cycle. Previously-funded PIs are eligible to apply for new projects with distinct aims from the previous CBCRP grants.

4. IDEA-competitive renewal eligibility: Recipients of CBCRP IDEA grants having received initial funding disbursements after January 1, 2006 and having not previously applied for an IDEA-competitive renewal are eligible to apply for a competitive renewal in 2008.

5. Multiple applications and grant limits: A PI may submit more than one application, but each must have unique specific aims. For Cycle 14 a PI is limited to a maximum of two (2) grants either as PI or co-PI, and these must be in different award types (new for 2008!).

Conditions of Awards

1. All grant recipients must satisfy the standard requirements or receiving an award or modified requirements, if appropriate, as determined by the University of California. These requirements include fiscal management, accounting practices, liability insurance, bonding, indemnification of the UC Regents, non-discrimination in employment, and assurances regarding the treatment of animal or human subjects. Applicants do not have to meet these requirements at the time an application is reviewed, but no grant will be awarded until they are satisfied. Also, before an award is disbursed, a prospective grant recipient must satisfy certain stipulations (see application information packet). The CBCRP staff will provide information to assist prospective recipients in satisfying these stipulations.

2. Grant recipients are required to attend a biennial CBCRP Research Symposium (planned for 2009) and must include travel costs for this in the grant budget. In addition, grant recipients may be asked to present their work at other CBCRP-related functions.

3. Intellectual Property: The CBCRP does not retain rights to a funded grant's intellectual property. Patentable inventions or discoveries conceived or reduced to practice shall belong to the grant recipient. Copyright works are the property of the recipient. Other discoveries made or reduced to practice which may not be protected by patent or copyright, such as biological materials, plasmids, and cell lines, remain the property of the recipient to be licensed in the public interest. The recipient shall use reasonable efforts to achieve expeditious practical application of the patents, copyrights, and tangible research results.

Support the CBCRP!

We need your support because our principal source of revenue from the State tax on tobacco decreases every year.
Here's how to help:

  • Donate Online. Go to our website: www.CABreastCancer.org/ and select the Donate Online link.
  • California State Income Tax Return. Use the appropriate line on Form 540 to contribute to the California Breast Cancer Research Fund.
  • Other donations. Send checks payable to "The Regents of the University of California" with a letter designating the funds for the California Breast Cancer Research Program to:

California Breast Cancer Research Program
University of California, Office of the President
300 Lakeside Drive, 6th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-3550

We encourage you to participate in events that designate the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) as a featured beneficiary.

 

The CBCRP appreciates your generous contributions!

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