For Your Health
For Your Health

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

Call for applications from the DaCCoTA Professional Development Core

The goal of the Dakota Cancer Collaborative on Translational Activity (DaCCoTA) is to stimulate growth of expertise and engagement in cancer-related clinical and translational research (CTR) in the Dakota region.

The Professional Development Core is currently seeking proposals for the following funding mechanisms:

1) DaCCoTA Scholars Program – The purpose of this award is to stimulate the development of new CTR investigators.  Awardees will receive salary support (50% FTE plus fringe) that guarantees a minimum of 50% protected research time for the project and up to $50,000 in annual research support for up to 5 years. The DaCCoTA will provide the first three years of funding, and the final two years will be funded by the applicant’s home institution (contingent on adequate progress). The DaCCoTA Scholars Program offers both a basic and community engagement track, and early career faculty are encouraged to apply.

2) Clinical Research Opportunities Program – This program provides 20% release time (up to NIH cap) to community-practicing, hospital-based clinicians to allow for participation in training activities and collaboration in cancer-focused CTR. The goal of the program is to begin to shift translational cancer research in the Upper Midwest to an enterprise informed by the patient.

Although these awards are intended to provide 20% support for 2 years, the duration can be shortened or extended, and the % effort will be adjusted accordingly. It is not intended that supported individuals will become full-time, independent investigators with funding for their own research projects. However, it is expected that providing an understanding of CTR and tools for identifying unmet medical needs will allow trained clinicians to become effective collaborators. Individuals may collaborate with both clinical and non-clinical scientists to help identify unmet clinical needs that can become the focus of translational research efforts.

Applications for each program 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.

Letters of intent are due April 15, 2020. Full applications will be invited from selected applicants and will be due May 27, 2020.

The full RFAs are available on the Professional Development Core website.

For additional information, please contact Kristina Beiswenger at kristina.beiswenger@UND.edu or 701.777.6875.

DaCCoTA is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54GM128729.