Developmental Funds

University Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS: PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Wilmot Cancer Institute (Wilmot) has a long history of strategic investment in faculty career development and research programs to build a foundation for sustained growth and high achievement. Developmental funds have led to a significant return on investment as measured by leadership expertise and accomplishments, organization and growth of collaborative research programs, mentoring and training of early career cancer researchers, and dissemination of research findings. Using its newly updated 2023-2028 strategic plan as a roadmap, Wilmot proposes to direct developmental funds to support (1) collaborative seed grants and (2) early-stage clinical investigators. Collaborative Seed Grants. Wilmot’s seed grant program incentivizes members to pursue innovative and collaborative research projects that will lay the foundation for successful program-relevant extramural grant applications. Specific priorities emerging from the strategic plan include intra- and inter-programmatic collaborative grants; multiple principal investigator grants; research at the intersection of aging and cancer; and catchment area-relevant research, especially involving direct interaction with community members and organizations. Early-Stage Clinical Investigator (ESCI) Program. Wilmot supports training and career development of early-stage clinical investigators, achieving a number of priorities articulated in Wilmot’s strategic plan. Specifically, Wilmot’s ESCI program supports competitively selected early career faculty, allowing them to devote 2.4 calendar months over the course of a year to participate in didactic and experiential training, laying the foundation for a career as a clinical investigator and simultaneously building institutional expertise and capacity in clinical research. The Wilmot Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Office will lead the program in collaboration with the Rochester Network Lead Academic Participating Site of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network and the University of Rochester NCI Community Oncology Research Program Research Base. Wilmot Cancer Institute Director Jonathan Friedberg, MD, MMSc, leads the developmental funds program with the input and advice of the Executive Committee. Wilmot Administration supports, manages, tracks progress, and evaluates the program annually and works with senior leadership to ensure that the program achieves its objectives. The Wilmot Community Outreach and Engagement Office disseminates information about catchment area needs and works with investigators to address those needs.