The Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center (Massey) has a rolling call for pilot research funding for Massey investigators who apply to the NCI and receive a promising score but miss funding pay line; mechanism is key strategy to continuing to grow the cancer focus within the VCU community of scientists. The requirements are outlined in this NOFO.

Letters of Intent (LOI) are accepted on a rolling basis.

Purpose

• Provide pilot funding for new concepts in cancer-related research, including but not limited to: discovery, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control, and survivorship.
• Address the most immediate cancer needs of Massey’s catchment area (central and eastern Virginia) including the cause or reversal of cancer disparities.
• Catalyze discoveries by fostering transdisciplinary and translational collaborations among researchers and clinicians.
• Produce preliminary data to provide a basis for future applications to the NCI, other NIH institutes, or other peer-reviewing agencies or foundations. 

Investigator Eligibility

This award is for Massey Research Members who apply to the NCI which receives a promising score but not recommended for funding. These applications have a high probability for funding in an A1 submission.  Criteria for funding includes:

• NCI R01 Renewal (Type 2) Applications with a percentile of 25 and lower will be considered for funding up to $50,000 based on the strength of the plan to address the critiques.
• NCI R01 New applications (Type I) Applications with a percentile of 25 and lower or a score of 30 or lower for special study sections will be considered for funding up to $50,000 based on the strength of the plan to address the critiques..

Award Information

• Total awards are dependent upon available funding. The number of awards and the award  amount may increase or decrease each year dependent upon the Massey budget and philanthropic funding available in any given year.
• The number of awards and the award amount may  increase or decrease each year dependent upon scientific merit of the projects submitted for review and the priorities established for any released NOFO.
• Projects are expected to be completed within the specific budget period.  No cost extensions will only be granted in highly exceptional circumstances. Projects will be monitored quarterly for scientific progress and expenditures, and the PI will be expected to account for any inactivity in any given quarter.
• Projects must have compliance approvals (e.g., IRB, IACUC) in place within 90 days of receipt of the Notice of Award or funding may be rescinded.  The official start date of the award and the release of funding will begin once the compliance approvals have been submitted. 

Funding Limits

• Applicant(s) can request up to $50,000 for their project, but may be asked to amend their budget if the budget requested is not fully justified.
• Sub-contracts to institutions not affiliated with Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

Award Period

• The award period for the Massey Catalyst Award is 12 months.

Review Process

• The Colorectal Cancer Summit Organizing Committee will review the LOIs and will determine which potential applications will be invited for a full submission. This LOI vetting process ensures the applicant is eligible and in good standing within Massey and the project truly aligns with Massey's goals and priorities.
• Two reviewers with NIH-funded track records – either external or internal – with expertise in the content area of the proposals and without conflicts of interest are invited to review each submitted application. The reviewers utilize NIH review criteria and the NIH scoring scale, and they provide bulleted lists of strengths and weaknesses for the proposal that are shared with each applicant team. Additionally, the Massey Biostatistics Shared Resource examines each application and verifies that the study has been appropriately designed with an acceptable statistical analysis plan.
• The Summit Organizing Committee, along with the external (virtually) and internal reviewers, will meet to discuss and calibrate the reviews and make the final recommendations to the Massey Director as to which project(s) should be awarded. The Massey Director makes the final decision.
• The Summit Organizing Committee will monitor the project’s progress and review the annual progress reports. Awardees may be asked to present the progress and/or outcomes of their pilot projects in Massey program meetings/retreats, center retreats, or at an Massey Scientific Steering Committee meeting.