Developmental Funds

PROJECT SUMMARY – DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS Our strategic plan re-envisions a road map for developmental fund investments, which will further advance our current trajectory of NCI funding (>30% increase), peer-reviewed training and education project funding (21% increase), treatment intervention accrual (44% increase), and productive and impactful membership recruitments (10% increase in members). Successful investments in the prior grant period led to $8.3M ($740K CCSG) towards the recruitment of 42 faculty. New UWCCC recruits have been awarded a total of approximately $103M in sponsored research funding. Among the new UWCCC recruitments; 29 focus on center disease priorities; 35- 40% are underrepresented minorities (URMs), 21 hold peer-reviewed cancer funding; 11 hold NCI funding; 23 filled active leadership roles; 25 are placed in UWCCC space; and 30 are active Shared Resource users. CCSG developmental funds will provide the Director with an ability to fiscally underwrite opportunities that further strategic goals, which includes recruitments in immunotherapy; transdisciplinary theranostics; population science, specifically in prevention; clinical informatics big data; and genomics translational science. UWCCC CCSG developmental funds provided resources of $1.8M for 75 pilot projects that aligned with our prior strategic plan goals. Going forward, pilot projects will be essential to catalyze inter- and intra-programmatic discovery. Building on the success of an increase in P and U mechanism awards (133% increase), we anticipate CCSG pilot funds focusing on cancer opportunities for additional program projects or SPORE applications. In addition, an emerging critical mass of researchers in cancer immunotherapy might eventually lead to a new program in this area. Therefore, pilots and start-up investments in immunotherapy are necessary for this goal in the UWCCC strategic plan. As a promotion of institutional authority, Dr. Bailey and the cancer center now (2022) have the authority to initiate (with a departmental partner) 1-2 tenure track faculty searches per year based on UWCCC priorities. Our center commits CCSG developmental funds for start-up support for faculty candidates who provide the most promising opportunities for significant contributions to the scientific programs, our catchment, our community, and to trainees. Our center actively recruits candidates who foster and promote the values of diversity and inclusion. UWCCC’s predominant catchment diseases, and subsequent priority investments, include the following: prostate, breast, head and neck, and blood cancers, including leukemia and myeloma. Going forward the center will place greater emphasis on inter-programmatic activities, disease specific pilot opportunities, and scientific retreat programming meant to stimulate research opportunities in disease priorities.