Development Funds

Dartmouth College, Hanover NH

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

SUMMARY: DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS The Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) has a diverse set of means to invest seed funding in individual researchers, teams of collaborating investigators, research service centers, and supportive study infrastructure. The key mechanisms for distribution of CCSG Developmental Funds are external faculty recruitment start-up packages and support of collaborative pilot projects. In the evaluation of opportunities for investment, a prerequisite for consideration continues to be the underlying scientific merit of novel investigator-initiated ideas, coupled with preference for work that demonstrates key desired attributes, including alignment with: designated priorities in the DCC Strategic Plan, innovation, team science, and translational research; relevance to the catchment area; and bi-directional engagement of the community in the research. Given the breadth of the DCC Research Programs, we typically seek a set of investments that spans basic, clinical, and population-based research. These investments have seen considerable returns on investment, in terms of garnering follow-on external funding. The sole recipient of CCSG-funded new investigator funds ($150,000), Dr. Mark Sundrud, PhDICI, has had a 7:1 return on investment ($1,120,120). The 17 recipients of non-CCSG new investigator seed funding ($9,860,9721), including those in the past year, already in 2020-2023 have a 2:1 return on investment ($20,752,660). Developmental Funds also support a rigorous pilot project selection process, as exemplified by 124 applications in the current award period leading to 55 project awards (44%). In the current reporting period, 13 pilot project applications received a total of $293,736 in CCSG Developmental Funding. For the 11 awards that have completed their one-year seed funding period, 10 publications have resulted and $6.9M in peer- reviewed subsequent direct cost funding has been secured, a 23:1 peer-reviewed direct cost return on investment. For the larger portfolio of CCSG, ACS, and philanthropic-funded pilot projects, with 49 awards in the review period ($2,182,480) that have completed their one-year seed funding period, 42 publications have resulted and $23.6M in peer-reviewed subsequent direct cost funding has been secured, representing an 11:1 return on investment. DCC has a Strategic Plan in place for the coming five-year period and a history of effective investment in key seed-funding mechanisms. Given the current level of activity in DCC-led faculty recruitment at both Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Health, and the building of center-wide collaborations around four cross-cutting themes identified within the 2023–2027 updated DCC Strategic Plan, there will be a strategic focusing of CCSG Developmental Funds on new faculty recruitment and mentored and/or collaborative pilot projects. New faculty recruitment will align with strategic initiatives, and COE and CRTEC leadership will participate in the selection of pilot projects, ensuring that the full DCC membership has access to Developmental Funds, and that funded projects will have maximal impact in our catchment area community.