For Your Health
For Your Health

News from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences

DaCCoTA Pilot Projects Program releases new RFAs for pilot grant awards

The DaCCoTA Pilot Projects Program has released new RFAs for the following pilot grant awards:

Feasibility Pilot Grants – These awards of up to $40,000 (direct + indirect costs) are intended to provide support to allow a clinician/non-clinician team to form around a novel cancer-related hypothesis. Applications can consider the multilevel manifestations of cancer (e.g. neurological, psychiatric), demographic risks and social impact. Applications should focus on T2-T4 translational research, although T1 studies will be considered if there is a clear plan to progress to T2-T4. The primary goal is to allow a team to form and connect with the DaCCoTA Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design Core; Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core; Community Engagement and Outreach Core; and Pilot Projects Program to generate competitive proposals for the DaCCoTA Ready-to-Go Pilot Award mechanism.

Ready-to-Go Pilot Grants – These awards of up to $75,000 (direct + indirect costs) are intended for those projects with significant existing preliminary data in support of a novel clinical/translational cancer-related hypothesis. Applications can consider the multilevel manifestations of cancer (e.g. neurological, psychiatric), demographic risks and social impact. Applications will focus on T2- T4 translational research, although T1 studies will be considered if there is a clear plan to progress to T2-T4. Successful completion of these proposals should lead to a collaborative extramural grant submission and peer-reviewed manuscript submission.

Community Engagement Pilot Grants – These awards are intended for projects addressing priority areas determined by key stakeholder groups. Proposals should address cancer disparities in either:

  • Colorectal cancer screening, stage and diagnosis, treatment, and mortality
  • Tobacco-related cancers (Lung, CRC, etc.)
  • Breast cancer screening, stage at diagnosis, and mortality

Pilot awards should focus on compiling existing data and published manuscripts or propose an original study regarding these areas of cancer disparities in the Dakotas. Applications can consider the multilevel manifestations of cancer (e.g. neurological, psychiatric), demographic risks and social impact. Applications will focus on T2-T4 translational research, although T1 studies will be considered if there is a clear plan to progress to T2-T4. Successful completion of these proposals should lead to an extramural grant submission and peer-reviewed manuscript submission. A maximum budget of $100,000 (direct + indirect costs) is allowed of which up to $50,000 in salary, fringe, and corresponding indirect costs may be used for well-justified salary support.

Deadlines for all three awards: Letters of intent (1-page maximum) are due Jan. 24, 2020. Full applications will be invited from selected applicants and will be due March 16, 2020. Awards will be announced by Sept. 2020. Expected award period will be Sept. 2020 to Aug. 2021.

Visit https://med.und.edu/daccota/pilot-projects-program.html to download the RFAs for these peojects. Contact Jessica.craig@und.edu with any questions.

2020 Annual DaCCoTA Symposium poster competition

Also, DaCCoTA is currently soliciting abstracts for the 2020 Annual Symposium poster competition. Posters are expected to address cancer-related clinical and translational research. Posters can consider the multilevel manifestations of cancer (e.g., neurological, psychiatric), demographic risks, and/or social impact. Posters that focus on T2-T4 translational research will be given priority, although T0-T1 studies will also be considered. The deadline is April 1, 2020.

The DaCCoTA is also seeking small group (tabletop) discussion topics and moderators for the 2020 DaCCoTA Annual Symposium. The intent of these discussion groups is to promote collaboration amongst scientists, researchers, and community liaisons across the DaCCoTA network that will lead to the development of scholarship in the area of discussion. Conceptually, a team emerging from such a tabletop discussion could then consider submitting an application for DaCCoTA funding. Topics can consider the multilevel manifestations of cancer (e.g., neurological, psychiatric), demographic risks, and/or social impact. Tabletop discussion groups are scheduled for one hour and will coincide with lunch. The deadline is Feb. 10, 2020.

The symposium will be held in Fargo, N.D., on June 15, 2020. Visit https://med.und.edu/daccota/symposium.html to download the calls for abstracts. Contact daccota@und.edu if you have any questions.