Developmental Funds

PROJECT SUMMARY – DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS The OSUCCC has provided seed funding for faculty recruitment and shared resource development. During the current grant cycle, 17 faculty were recruited, 8 of which were at the associate or full professor level. These faculty were strategically recruited to all 5 research programs and most focus on research relevant to the OSUCCC catchment area. They span 5 different colleges, 10 different departments across the colleges, and include Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Developmental funds used to support these faculty was $1,937,467. These investigators received $32,567,789 in NCI funding and $35,813,889 total peer-review funding, yielding a return on investment from CCSG developmental funds of 18:1. For the current funding cycle, we also established two developing shared resources (permitted under the prior CCSG guidelines), which were the Solid Tumor Translational developing Shared Resource (STTdSR) and the Veterinary Clinical Research Support Developing Shared Resource (VCRSdSR). The STTdSR has matured and is now called the Clinical-Translational Science Shared Resource (CTSSR) to reflect more broad use to include investigators focused on hematological malignancies and population science, in addition to those doing solid tumor research. Funding for this shared resource is requested in the current CCSG application. The VCRSdSR remains a developing shared resource; however, this will be supported from institutional funds and no CCSG funding is requested. The Specific Aims for Developmental Funds are: 1) to expand innovative and high-impact science focused on our four strategic priorities: immuno-oncology, cancer engineering, translational genomics, and cancer prevention and survivorship; 2) to identify and recruit senior, midlevel and early career faculty whose scientific expertise targets relevant needs in the OSUCCC strategic plan and catchment area (CA); and, 3) to use a robust evaluation process and provide seed funding for research projects that are inter-programmatic collaborations and/or are community focused, leading to NCI funding at the R01- or P01-equivalent level. To achieve these aims, for the current application, funds are being requested for the recruitment of investigators (n=18) matched to the OSUCCC research priorities and programmatic and catchment area needs. The OSUCCC also is requesting funding to leverage our highly successful Pelotonia-funded pilot awards program, called the Intramural Research Program. This is an externally peer reviewed mechanism that prioritizes projects for funding based on scientific merit and research focused on our catchment area, with additional consideration for early stage investigators. CSSG pilot funding will specifically target synergistic projects spanning two or more research programs representing inter-programmatic collaborations, and/or or projects developing community partnerships (funding for new shared resources are requested in the Shared Resource Management budget). Developmental funds and the CCSG review process are a critical way that our university evaluates the impact of the OSUCCC and allows us to substantially leverage our ongoing and substantial institutional commitments.