February 14 2020
Date Issued: February 14, 2020
Submission Due Date: May 1, 2020
Reply to:fielde@nrgoncology.org
Summary
NRG Oncology NCORP solicits PILOT projects addressing NRG NCORP Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR) priorities.
PILOT projects should generate preliminary data and feasibility issues to inform the development of a future CCDR concept.Specifically, researchers should use this funding to develop a competitive CCDR concept for rapid review by the NRG CCDR Steering Committee (and ultimately the NCI NCORP CCDR SC). CCDR is a multidisciplinary science that seeks to improve clinical outcomes and patient well-being by intervening on patient, clinician, and organizational factors that influence care delivery. Competitive pilot applications address/affirm study implementation feasibility and portability to diverse community-based practices (e.g., seamless study integration into pre-existing clinical workflows).NRG’s CCDR Committee particularly welcomes applications addressing/prioritizing health disparities, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, and rural residents.Additionally, the application must include an NRG rostered clinician as a study team member; the rostered clinician affirms the study’s clinical relevance/impact to cancer care delivery or patient outcomes. Consistent with our core grant objectives, CCDR funding priorities are:
- Implementation and dissemination interventions related to guideline based care:
- Use of tumor DNA sequencing prior to prescribing targeted therapies(<1/4 of CCDR practices report routine use);
- Integrating patient-reported outcomes into clinical practice (extends survival);
- Enhance access to proven survivorship and palliative care strategies optimizing survivor and family quality of life;
- Optimize screening strategies based on disease risk including patients in the post-treatment surveillance phase of care; and
- Implement evidence-based symptom management strategies addressing patients’ needs during both active adjuvant and palliative treatment.
- Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) related to symptom management:The CCDR committee will prioritize proposals including the PRO-CTCAE in NRG NCORP trials, and improve compliance and data capture. The CCDR committee also encourages studies employing technology or apps to standardized PRO variables across EHR, registry, and claims data systems.
The committee caps study budgets at $50,000 contingent upon NRG Oncology’s receipt of the Notice of Award from the Division of Cancer Prevention. The committee may award up to two projects, and awarded projects should commence not later than September 1, 2020 and conclude December 31, 2021. Fifty percent of the funds will be distributed during the first year of the project and the remaining funds will be distributed in year two. The CCDR Committee will not issue carry over funds and requires an interim progress report within 6 months. Principal Investigators are also required to complete progress reports at the end of the project period.Applications from institutions that are able to waive indirect costs and/or provide cost sharing, while not mandatory, will be prioritized.
Background
The NCI prioritizes the following conditions when reviewing CCDR concepts and studies (Please refer to the guidance provided by NCI Healthcare Delivery Research Program):
- It included a well-articulated primary focus and related scientific question.
- It addresses challenge in community oncology practice
- It has the potential to improve clinical outcomes and patient well-being
- Can be an Interventional or observational study
- Observational studies must include intervention targets that will be identified
- Interventional studies must generate evidence of benefit or dissemination of beneficial intervention
- Opportunity to include aim addressing the unique needs and circumstances of minority or underserved populations.
Additionally, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis provides a conceptual framework for NRG Oncology’s CCDR program. Thus, the NRG Oncology NCORP seeks pilot projects testing improvements in quality, access, and value-for-money in cancer care delivery.
Instructions for Applicants
Interested investigators should submit a 5-page proposal with all documents included in one PDF to Erica Field (fielde@nrgoncology.org) by 5pm ET, Friday, May 1, 2020. Proposals should include:
- A one page overview of the project, includingspecific aims
- Please include a title page (not part of the page limit) that indicates the title of the proposal, the lead investigator and all co investigators to include institutional affiliations and contact information
- A clear description of how the project will advance a subsequent CCDR concept.
- An outline of requested NRG Oncology resources (i.e. biospecimen materials, statistical support, etc). Any expenses related to these resources should be outlined in the budget
- Identification of project Investigators and their affiliation
- A project timeline [not included in the 5 page limit]
- The PI’s NIH biosketch [not included in the 5 page limit]
- A detailed budget [not included in the 5 page limit]
- Include funds to be paid to NCORP sites for participation, if any
Submit applications to:
Erica Field
NCORP Administrator
fielde@nrgoncology.org
215-940-8824
Direct scientific questions to NRG NCORP PI and CCDR Chairs:
Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, FAAN
deborah.w.bruner@emory.edu
Mary Cooley, PhD, RN, FAAN
Mary_Cooley@dfci.harvard.edu
Matthew Hudson, PhD, MPH
Matt.Hudson@prismahealth.org
PDF Version of CCDR PILOT Application Call