Developmental Funds

DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In the last funding cycle Development Funds were utilized for 1) pilot projects in which 10 were funded directly through the CCSG using an annual competitive call (two per year); 2) CCSG support for a developing shared resource; 3) two staff investigators who received CCSG funds to expand renal cell carcinoma research (Dr. Weiss) and to develop an Immuno-Oncology research initiative (Dr. Monjazeb); 4) facilitate the research of four faculty using CCSG funds, Dr. Yu (molecular pharmacology), Dr. Li (nano-medicine platforms), Dr. Wang (biomedical imaging) and Dr. Izumiya (viral and pathogen malignancies). Additionally, 100 pilot projects were funded by leveraging non-CCSG institutional support through a research initiative, a research program, interdepartmental collaborations, philanthropic contributions, or Director discretionary funds based on addressing the strategic needs for the Center. Seed funding support brought in $27M in new individual and team science grants to the Cancer Center. For the new CCSG grant cycle, Developmental Funds will be leveraged with institutional opportunities to continue the pilot projects initiative, support staff investigators to strengthen their roles in catchment area prioritized activities, and support early stage clinical investigators who will directly contribute to the Center's clinical trials portfolio. The value of Developmental Funds is they can be used to assist talented faculty and research scientists with high-risk projects that might be difficult to support through traditional extramural opportunities. The investigator's contributions directly impact the Center by generating new basic, translational, clinical, and population science discoveries that ultimately can be deployed to help mitigate catchment area issues.