REQUESTFORAPPLICATIONS:MELANOMA,PANCREATICCANCER,GLIOBLASTOMA,
LUNGCANCER,OVARIANCANCER,METASTATICPROSTATECANCER,METASTATIC
BREASTCANCER,ADULTLEUKEMIARESEARCH,MYELODYSPLASTICSYNDROMES,
LEIOMYOSARCOMA,MULTIPLEMYELOMA,CACHEXIAINCANCER,CANCERSWITH
VIRALETIOLOGY(e.g.,Merkelcellcarcinoma),NEWTECHNOLOGIESFORTUMOR
MONITORING,AND–NEWTHISYEAR–PEDIATRICBRAINCANCERS(WITH
PREFERENCEFORGLIOMAS),METASTATICCOLONCANCER,AND
MECHANISM-BASEDMOLECULARCANCERPREVENTION.
BridgeProjectTeams:TeamsmustbecomposedofatleastonePrincipalInvestigator
fromtheKochInstituteatMIT(orMITfacultymember)andatleastonePrincipal
InvestigatorfromDF/HCC.
AwardAmounts:Therearethreetypesofawards.TheTraditionalBridgeProject
Grantis$400,000(totalcost)perteamperyearforupto2years($800,000total).
FundingfortheprojectshouldbeallocatedinequalamountstotheKochInstitute/MIT
andtotheDF/HCCinstitution(s).FootbridgeGrantsare$200,000(totalcost)perteam
peryearforoneyear.Theseareintendedtoallownewlyformedteamstostrengthen
theirfutureBridgeProjectapplicationandobtainnecessarypreliminarydata/proofof
conceptaswellasbecomea“true”team.ExpansionBridgeGrantsareupto$750,000
perteam(totalcost)foroneyearandintendedtosupportBridgeProjectawardeesto
continueintotheclinic(i.e.specificallydesignedforclinicaltrials).
Submissioninformation:
ProposalSubmissionDate:October20,2016by5pm
SubmissionProcess:
o Fullapplicationsshouldbesubmittedelectronicallyto:
[email protected]
o EmailNotificationisrequiredbySeptember30,2016ifyouplanto
submitaproposal(seebelow).
FinalistspresenttoBridgeProjectReviewTeam:Youwillbenotifiedifyourteamis
selectedforRoundIIreviewbeforeNovember24.Ifselected,yourteammustbeableto
present(asagroup)onDecember13,2016.DonotapplyifallPIsarenotabletobe
presentonthisday.
ProjectStartDate:Spring2017
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OverviewandGoaloftheBridgeProject
TheKochInstitute(KI)-Dana-Farber/HarvardCancerCenter(DF/HCC)BridgeProjectis
designedtohelpbringtheexpertiseofthesetwoCenterstobearoncomplex
translationalproblemsincancerresearch.Aparticularemphasisisplacedonfostering
jointapproachesbyengineersandcancerscientists,bothbasicandclinical/translational.
Thisisacallforapplicationsforcollaborativeresearchprojectsthatfocusoncritical
problemsinthefollowingcancerareas:Melanoma,PancreaticCancer,Glioblastoma,Lung
Cancer,OvarianCancer,MetastaticProstateCancer,MetastaticBreastCancer,Adult
Leukemia,MyelodysplasticSyndromes,MultipleMyeloma,Leiomyosarcoma,Pediatric
BrainCancers(withpreferenceforgliomas),MetastaticColonCancer,inadditionto
applicationsincancercachexia,viral-relatedcancers(e.g.,Merkelcellcarcinoma),new
technologiesfortumormonitoring,andmechanism-basedmolecularcancerprevention.
AdditionalinformationontheBridgeProjectincludingfacultypresentationsonunmet
clinicalneedsandtechnologycanbefoundat:http://ki.mit.edu/approach/bridge.
Eligibility
TeamsmustbecomposedofatleastonePrincipalInvestigatorfromtheKochInstituteat
MIT(orMITfacultymember)andatleastonePrincipalInvestigatorfromDF/HCC.All
applicantsmustbefacultymembersoftheirhostinstitutionandmustmeaningfully
participateintheproject.Preferencewillbegiventoteamsthatareemployingunique
andhighlyinnovativeapproaches,includingthedevelopmentofnewtechnologiesanda
strongclinicalconnection.Therehastobeastrongjustificationastowhythepairingof
thetwoinstitutionsmakessense,andithastofeellikearealteam.
EmailNotification
Pleasenotifyusbyemail([email protected])bySeptember30,2016ifyouplanto
submitaBridgeProjectproposal;provideatitle,thenamesofthePIsandtheiraffiliation
(mustbeMITfacultyoramemberoftheDF/HCC),andabriefdescriptionoftheproject,
indicatingthecancertypeand/orarea(cachexia/viralinduced/newtechnologyfor
tumormonitoring/mechanismbasedmolecularcancerprevention)andtypeofaward
(TraditionalBridgeProjectGrant,FootbridgeGrant,ExpansionBridgeGrant).
IMPORTANTNOTE:Weaskforthenotificationtohelpusanticipatethenumberof
proposalsandthenumberofreviewerswewillneed.Youwillnotreceivean
invitationtosubmitafullproposal-ALLcansubmitaproposalbefore5pmon
October20,2016.
ProposalSubmissionInformation(dueOctober20,2016before5pm)
Theresearchproposalmaynotexceedfivepagesincludingfiguresandtables.Thecover
page,biosketches,andonepageofliteraturecitationsdonotcounttowardsthepage
limit.
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Format
• ThefullproposalshouldbesubmittedasasinglePDFdocument
• 12-pointCambriaor11-pointArialfontandmarginsof0.5inchesorgreater
• Requiredcomponents(pleasefollowthisorder):
o CoverPage:includethetitleoftheproject,PInames,andalaysummary
Coverpageshouldalsoincludetheemailaddressesofallteammembers
o ResearchPlan:includeBackgroundandSignificance,SpecificAims,andthe
ResearchPlan(nottoexceed5pages,inclusivefiguresandtables)
o NIHBiosketchesforeachPI,includePartA(PersonalStatement)
o LiteratureCitations
o Budgetswillberequestedlater
Theresearchproposalshouldclearlyarticulatethefollowing:
•Whatistheprimaryunmetmedicalneedyouareaddressing?
•Whatapproachesdoyouintendtouse,andwhyaretheynovel?
•Whataretheanticipatedexperimentalchallenges?
•Whataretheshort-andlonger-termgoalsoftheresearch?
•Whatcanbereasonablyaccomplishedwithinthefundingperiod?
•WhyistheMIT-DF/HCCpairingcritical,andhowwillthisbeatrueteam?
•Whatclinicallytranslatableapplicationsmightemergefromthisworknoworin
thenearfuture?(Clearlydemonstrateaclinicalconnection.)
ResourcesandBudget
BudgetsforBridgeProjectproposalsshouldbeallocatedinequalamountstotheKoch
Institute/MITandtotheDF/HCCinstitution(s).BudgetsforTraditionalBridgeProject
proposalsarenottoexceed$400,000totalcosts(sharedequallybetweentheKIandthe
DF/HCCPI’s)perprojectperyear.Fundingmayberequestedforuptoatwo-yearperiod,
buttherenewalattheendofyearoneissubjecttoperformancereview.Footbridge
grants:oneyear,$200,000totalcosts(sharedequallybetweentheKIandtheDF/HCC
PI’s).ExpansionBridgeGrants:oneyear,upto$750,000,toenableaPhaseIclinical
trial.
YouwillbenotifiedifyourteamisselectedforRoundIIreviewbyNovember24.Ifyour
teamisselectedforRoundIIreview(whichrequiresateampresentationon
December13,2016)adetailedbudgetandjustificationwillberequired.Please
contactthefollowingBridgeProjectgrantadministratorsIMMEDIATELYfor
additionalinformationaboutapplicableF&Aratesandforhelpwithdetailedbudget
preparation:
• DF/HCCadministrationforDF/HCCinstitutions:DeborahGoff,Deputy
AssociateDirector,ProgramandOperationsSupport,DF/HCC,Dana-Farber
CancerInstitute,[email protected]
• KochInstitute/MITadministrationforKI/MIT:MaryEllenAcone,Koch
Institute’sSeniorFinancialOfficer,[email protected]
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WerequestthatallapplicantsselectedforRoundIIreviewemailtheirdetailed
budgetstoDeborah(DF/HCC)orMaryEllen(KI/MIT)fortheirfinalreviewby
December6(youwillthusonlyhaveabouttwoweekstoprepareyourbudget).
ForRoundIIreview,detailedbudgetrequestsandjustificationsmustbesubmittedusing
PHS398formpagesforeachinstitution.Fundsmaybeusedforresearchexpenses,which
mayincludesalaryandbenefitsforPIsandotherresearchstaff,supplies,andequipment.
MITandDF/HCCwillapplyF&Aratesaccordingtotheirestablishedpolicies.
ProgressReports
GranteesmustsubmittwoProgressReportsperyear:oneafter6monthsoffundingand
oneattheendofthefirstyearoffunding.Secondyearfunding(forTraditionalBridge
Projectawardeesonly)willbecontingentuponsatisfactoryreviewoftheProgress
Reports.Progresswillbemeasuredagainststatedmilestonesandtimelines;an18-month
ReportandaFinalProgressReportarealsorequired.Allteamsshouldemail
[email protected],whenmanuscriptsareaccepted,and
whenfilinganinventiondisclosure.
OtherRequirements
•Theteammustbeabletopresent(asagroup)onDecember13ifselectedforRoundII
ofreview.DonotapplyifallPIsarenotabletobepresentonthisday.
•Membersofthewinningteamswill/maybeaskedtoattend/presentatseveralother
BridgeProject-relatedoccasions(donorevents)aswellasparticipateinthenextreview
cycle(2017).
•BridgeFundingmustbeacknowledgedinpublications,presentations,andinvention
disclosures.
ContactInformation
Pleasedirectquestionsto:[email protected]
or
AnneDeconinck([email protected])
LenyGocheva([email protected])
TylerJacks([email protected])
DavidLivingston([email protected])
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