Call for Proposals

Do you have a wild idea that just might be revolutionary but won’t get funded by regular mechanisms? Our new Impact Grant scheme is your opportunity!

We will make one award of up to $250,000 over two years to support a high-risk, high-reward research project. We encourage novel, impactful studies to address a key problem in cancer that would be unlikely to be supported through conventional mechanisms. No supporting or preliminary data will be required, and any area relevant to cancer will be considered.

The Impact Grant will be reviewed in a two-step process:

Step 1: Anonymous Idea Submission

Applicants will remain anonymous to the review panel during the first round. The initial submission will consist of a two-page proposal outlining the key question, why it is important, and how it will be addressed. A basic budget delineating how the project would use the $250,000 is required, but will not impact the reviewers’ decision. An additional one page of figures (including legends) and one page of references will be permitted.

Step 2: Idea Pitch

After initial review and triage, finalists will be invited to pitch their ideas in a 20-slide 5-minute public UCSF presentation with Q&A. The review panel, which will be in the audience and will remain anonymous, will be instructed to embrace risk and support innovation to fund studies that may make a genuine impact on cancer. The panel will convene directly following the pitch session in order to make a final decision. The announcement will be made at a reception event immediately following the presentations.

Any member of UCSF staff (including non-Cancer Center members, post docs, staff scientists, etc.) may apply for this award. Individual and team applications will be considered.

The deadline for applications is April 7, 2017.

Contact: Meredith Donnelly,

Application Instructions

Step 1: Applications are limited to two pages (11-pt Arial font, ½-in margins, single spaced), with an additional one page for figures and legends, one page for supporting references and one page for budget (PI salary support is not allowed). Preliminary data are not required. To ensure anonymity, no part of your application (including title) should contain any identifying information for you, your department, or any other affiliations. Any information disclosed on the required cover page will be for administrative purposes and not passed to the review panel. No CV or biosketch is required for the initial review.

Any member of UCSF staff (including non-Cancer Center members, post docs, staff scientists, etc.) may apply for this award, although non-faculty staff members should seek the agreement of their supervisor before applying. Individual and team applications will be considered.

Ideas will be judged on the following criteria:

·  Cancer relevance

·  Novelty of approach

·  Impact

·  Unlikely to be funded through conventional mechanisms

Step 2: Detailed instructions will be provided to finalists at the time of selection. Presentations will be 5 minutes in length, with no more than 20 visual slides. There will be an additional 15-minute Q&A session, in front of a public UCSF audience, including anonymous reviewers.

Impact Grant

Application Cover Sheet

Principal Investigator Name:
E-mail: / Telephone:
Administering Dept.:
Contact Name:
E-mail: / Telephone:

Proposal Title:

Did you apply to last year’s Impact Grant (Y/N)? If yes, was it with the same idea?

Research Area (Highlight all that apply):

Basic / Epidemiological / Pathway Analysis / Rare/Orphan Disease
Biomarker / Imaging / Patient Care / Survivorship
Clinical / Metastasis / Population / Technology Development
Computational / New Animal Model/PDX / Precision Medicine / Translational
Detection/Diagnosis / Novel Target Identification/Validation / Prevention / Treatment
Other: (Please describe)
The following are required materials to include with this cover sheet:
Project Summary (2-pg. max with 1 figure page and 1 reference page)
Letters of Support/Collaboration from Co-Investigators (and PI, if non-faculty staff)
Brief budget (1 page general budget)
Principal Investigator Signature:
Signature / Date
Department Chair:
Signature / Date
Supervisor (required for students, non-faculty staff):
Signature / Date

The deadline for applications is April 7, 2017. Please submit applications to Meredith Donnelly, Programs Analyst, .


Impact Grant

Project Summary

Please outline the key question, why it is important, and how it will be addressed. Applications are limited to two pages (11-pt Arial font, ½-in margins, single spaced), with an additional one page for figures and legends and one page for supporting references. Preliminary data are not required. To ensure anonymity, no part of your application (including title) should contain any identifying information for you, your department, or any other affiliations. Any information disclosed on the required cover page will be for administrative purposes only and not passed to the review panel

Ideas will be judged on the following criteria:

·  Cancer relevance

·  Novelty of approach

·  Impact

·  Unlikely to be funded through conventional mechanisms

.

Impact Grant

Project Budget

In a single page, please provide a general budget and justification that captures the scope of the activities. PI salary support is not allowed. A detailed budget will be finalized upon award.