Developmental Funds

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY Developmental funds provide an essential resource to support the strategic initiatives of the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI). During the current funding period, the SCI used Developmental Funds to support innovative research through a robust pilot project program and for the recruitment of new investigators, including a number of senior leaders. Funds from the CCSG were leveraged by substantial institutional resources and directed philanthropy to support both faculty recruitment and pilot projects. The pilot project program has been significantly expanded to encompass funding for the development of multi-investigator collaborations and to support new initiatives directed at pancreatic, lung, and women’s cancers, three areas of research that are highly relevant to meeting the needs of our catchment area. In addition, a new seed grant program initiated in 2020 will be dedicated to fulfilling the needs of the community. A standing committee, consisting of SCI senior leaders and the SCI Director, participates in allocating these resources with input from the SCI program leaders and relevant SCI members. All projects are reviewed for innovation and relevance to the SCI mission under the direction of the Associate Directors for Basic Science and Community Outreach and Engagement, and all recommendations for funding are provided to the SCI Director, who makes the final funding decisions. During the current funding period, the SCI used Developmental Funds to support a total of 73 pilot awards, amounting to $451,676. These were supplemented by $3,523,324 provided by the SCI from philanthropic or other funding sources. This funding was spread across the seven research programs and resulted in 21 new grants totaling $24,497,567 (including $16,058,932 from the NCI) and 53 publications (31 publications in high- impact journals). The return on investment is 6:1. Developmental funds were also used in the recruitment of 14 new faculty members, including 6 junior faculty and 4 new Associate Directors. The SCI requests $500,000 per year in developmental funds from the CCSG for the next funding period to be used for additional pilot awards, faculty recruitment in SCI priority areas, and 2 new staff investigators—one who will further expand the reach of SCI clinical trials and one who will lead a new SPORE application in lung cancer.