October 26 2020
Date Issued: October 26, 2020
Submission Due Date: December 4, 2020
Reply to: fielde@nrgoncology.org
Summary
NRG Oncology NCORP solicits PILOT projects addressing NRG NCORP Health Disparities (HDC) Research priorities.
PILOT projects should generate preliminary data and feasibility issues to inform the development of a future NCORP concept. Specifically, researchers should use this funding to develop a competitive NCORP concept for rapid review by the NRG HDC/NCORP Steering Committee (and ultimately the NCI NCORP SC). HDC is tasked with generating research protocols to address the health disparities. The current focus of HDC is to move past simply documenting outcome differences to the development and testing of interventions to remedy them. NRG’s HDC Committee particularly welcomes applications that address our committee’s priorities including:
- Focus 1. Develop interventional studies to decrease health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities;
- Focus 2. Test interventional studies for optimal care of at risk elderly; and
- Focus 3. Identify optimal access to cancer screening, treatment, symptom management and surveillance of rural populations.
The overarching purpose of this pilot mechanism is to promote research to generate new knowledge to improve health care access, delivery, utilization and quality, and health outcomes of groups affected by cancer health disparities. Additionally, HDC protocols should be consistent with the priorities of the NRG NCORP Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC) priorities OR Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR) priorities.
CPC priorities for funding include cancer prevention research and cancer control investigation aimed at understanding and/or ameliorating the symptoms and toxicity related to:
- Neurocognitive function
- Gender specific symptom reduction
- Behavioral interventions
- Treatment dose alterations or delivery
- Cancer risk reduction
- Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy
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
- Implement evidence-based symptom management strategies addressing patients’ needs during both active adjuvant and palliative treatment
Funding can be requested for up to $50,000 and is contingent upon project review by NCORP leaders and NRG Oncology’s receipt of the Notice of Award from the Division of Cancer Prevention. One to two projects may be funded. Projects are to be implemented on January 15, 2021 and completed by June 30, 2022. No carry over funds will be issued. An interim progress report is due within 6 months of starting the project and a completed progress report is due at the end of the project period. Please work with your institution's Sponsored Research Office (SRO) in developing the project budget and ensure that the SRO has approved the application and budget. If your project is funded, a sub-award agreement with terms and conditions of the award will be issued to the institution. Funds will be reimbursed upon receipt of invoices with subsequent payments upon approval of first 6 months of the project. Applications from institutions that are able to waive indirect costs and/or provide cost sharing, while not mandatory, will be prioritized. Applications from junior investigators with qualified mentors and those from minority backgrounds will also be prioritized.
Instructions for Applicants
If you have an interest in this application, please submit a 3-4-page proposal to fielde@nrgoncology.org by 5pm ET, Friday, December 4, 2020. This opportunity is open to all investigators. Proposals should include:
- 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 description of the project, including summary of specific aims, expected outcomes, sufficient methods to assess feasibility, and how this pilot project will lead to an NCORP concept (include brief design).
- A detailed description of how the project will help lead to a Phase II or Phase III NCORP concept
- An outline of NRG Oncology resources requested (i.e. biospecimen materials, statistical support, etc.) Any expenses related to these resources should be outlined in the budget
- One page letter of support signed with the department chair specifically stating they will or will not wave F&A and cost share [not included in the 5 page limit]
- Timeline for the project [not included in the 5 page limit]
- NIH biosketch of PI [not included in the 5 page limit]
- A detailed budget [not included in the 5 page limit]
Submit applications to NRG NCORP Administrator:
Erica Field, MPH, MHA
fielde@nrgoncology.org
Direct scientific questions to NRG NCORP PI and HDC Chairs:
Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, FAAN, NCORP PI
deborah.w.bruner@emory.edu
Joan Walker, MD, NCORP PI
Joan-Walker@ouhsc.edu
Kate Yeager, RN, PhD, FAAN, HDC Chair
kyeager@emory.edu
Chanita Hughes Halbert, PhD, HDC Vice-Chair
hughesha@musc.edu
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