Administrative Core

The ROBIN Administrative Core (AC) provides administrative and communication infrastructure to the ROBIN grant. Led by the three P.I.s, the AC is supported by an executive committee, composed by the leaders of the Cores, of the Molecular Characterization Trial (MCT) and of the scientific projects. The AC has a prestigious External Advisory Board (EAB), with members who represent all the disciplines and expertise relevant to this ROBIN. A team of experienced patients advocates, completes the organizational chart. An Executive Director will be recruited if the ROBIN is funded, in charge of maintaining communication and coordination of all ROBIN activities. To this scope the ROBIN Tracker will be introduced, adapted from an IT tool developed at Weill Cornell Medicine for electronic communication of activities and tasks of large grants (like SPORE or PPG). An important role of the AC is to develop a semestral evaluation plan and share it with the EAB, and if necessary, at ad hoc meetings when important decisions need to be made. Metrics of success will include the timely achievement of completion of MTAs and other legal steps to enable transfer between academic institutions of research specimens in the US, and of research data both in the US and Europe. Planned accruals to the MCT, generation of preliminary data from the scientific projects, and successful integration of trainees within the ROBIN programs are additional metrics of success. The iterative nature of ROBIN will also be assessed, as it is expected that the results of the first MCT and the associated scientific projects (converged with the feedback and results from the other centers in the ROBIN network) will inspire the design of one or more new MCT, around year 3. These new MCT will be implemented during the last two years of the award through the existing Immunology and Radiation Oncology Network (IRON) that will run the proposed first MCT. Another important role of the AC consists of assessing the Cross Training Core (CTC). While metrics of success of the CTC are defined in detail in its planned self-assessment, the AC will monitor the CTC to ensure a harmonious integration of the different disciplines and expertise that characterize ROBIN and are indispensable to a cross training in Radiation and Immunity, the overarching theme of this ROBIN proposal. A central duty of the AC is to identify potential collaborations within and beyond the ROBIN network and participate in the process of actualizing the restricted fund pilot projects program of the ROBIN network. The ROBIN newsletter proposed in the CTC, with distribution across the network will advertise the RFA. In addition, each of the ten academic institutions involved in this ROBIN will use their internal communication mechanisms to solicit applications. We expect the applications to be evaluated by a committee formed by representatives of each funded ROBIN. The AC will select representation from this ROBIN, based on the need of the committee to ensure a balanced composition based on different expertise, seniority, etc. Finally, the AC leaders will participate in the executive activities of the ROBIN network and will be the link for bidirectional communication between this ROBIN and the rest of the network.