Development Fund

Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) Developmental Funds, comprised of CCSG, institutional, and philanthropic funds, are instrumental to augment resources for DCI's strategic priorities, scientific initiatives, research programs, community involvement, and health disparities missions. In the current grant cycle, DCI Developmental Funds have supported innovative research projects of DCI members, trainee research projects, and strategic faculty recruitment. They have also funded collaborative, translational, community-focused, population science, survivorship, and novel high-impact pilot projects. DCI supports multiple Pilot Grant Programs which support innovative research projects across the full research continuum, that have the potential to be paradigm-shifting, practice-changing and/or policy impacting. Special emphasis is given to collaborative intra- and inter-programmatic projects that address population and implementation sciences, cancer health disparities, community-engaged research, and translational research projects focused on bringing laboratory discoveries into diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic applications. The applications are solicited through a series of broad “Request for Applications” throughout the year. Additionally, DCI has a number of targeted Pilot Grant Programs each year focused on strategic topics, which are supported by multiple sources, including institutional and philanthropic funds. Examples from the current funding period include: 1) Cancer Prevention and Control; 2) Cancer and the Environment; 3) Supportive Care and Survivorship; 4) Solid Tumor Brain Metastasis; 5) BRCA- associated cancers; 6) Cancer Immunotherapy, 7) trainee research projects and 8) collaboration between cancer and engineering research. All applications for DCI Developmental Funds are reviewed by the Scientific Review Committee, with strategic oversight by the DCI Steering Committee. Final funding decisions are based on assessment of the availability of funds and prioritization of strategic investments, with approval by the DCI Executive Director. Additional strategic investments are made for recruitment of new faculty whose research aligns with priority research areas as outlined by the DCI strategic plan; these recruits are eligible for Developmental Funds as part of their initial recruitment package. The recruitment funds are made available at any time throughout the year to maintain optimal flexibility in faculty recruitment. During this funding period 2018-2022, DCI Developmental Funds were used to support pilot and collaborative projects, and recruitment of faculty. The $2.68 million of CCSG Developmental Funds for pilot projects were augmented by additional $6.18 million of institutional/philanthropic funds across all categories, resulting in a 13:1 CCSG return on investment. In the next funding period, CCSG investments will continue to be augmented by institutional and philanthropic funds to advance DCI scientific discoveries, support collaborative scientific working groups and invest in shared resources to ensure DCI members have the necessary support, services and technologies to achieve the DCI mission and vision.