2020 Request for Proposals

 

Key Dates

 

Request for Letters of Intent February 11, 2020
Letters of Intent Due March 17, 2020 (5:00 p.m. EDT)
Full Proposals Invited June 25, 2020
Full Proposals Due September 15, 2020
Funding Decisions Announced November 3, 2020
Anticipated Funding Start December 1, 2020

 

Funding Purpose

 

Harvard Medical School (HMS) is now accepting applications for the Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund (the “Fund”), available through a generous gift to HMS from the Bertarelli Foundation.

 

The Fund’s purpose is to support research projects that optimally advance our capacity to prevent, treat, and cure cancer with a focus on rarely occurring cancers.

 

Research will focus on the identification of underlying core pathways that are critical for tumor proliferation and survival. This includes investigations of genetic and epigenetic alterations that drive these phenotypes as well as tumor dependencies that will lead to identification of therapeutic strategies.

 

Preference will be given to research associated with clear cell odontogenic carcinoma or other closely related rare cancers.

 

Specific areas of focus will include:

  • the biology of clear cell odontogenic carcinoma and related rare cancers
  • therapeutic optimization for these cancer types
  • identification of predictive biomarkers for these rare cancers
  • individualized risk prediction for patients with these rare cancers

 

Eligibility

 

All faculty at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor at HMS or its affiliated hospitals or institutes are eligible to apply for funding as the Lead PI. There can be a maximum of one Lead PI per application.

 

A Co-PI collaborator who contributes to the intellectual development of the project, designs the study or a part thereof, and is involved with the study throughout the term of funding can also be included. Faculty members with appointments as assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor at HMS, other Harvard Schools, or HMS-affiliated hospitals and institutes are eligible as Co-PIs. Proposals are encouraged to include one or more Co-PIs, although inclusion of a Co-PI is not required. Instructors, Lecturers, and Trainees (e.g., students, clinical trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows) cannot serve as the Lead PI or Co-PI of an application. 

 

 

Award Amount

 

The Fund anticipates awarding up to six research projects with up to $500,000 total costs per project per year for up to three years, for a potential three-year total of up to $1.5 million total costs per project.

 

 

Evaluation Criteria

 

An Advisory Council will review all submitted proposals, including milestones and budget. Proposals will be evaluated based on their relevance to the biology and treatment of specific rare cancers and potential for impact. The Advisory Council anticipates announcement of all final selected awardees by November 2020.

 

 

Research and Budget Planning

 

Reporting and Milestones

 

Each award from the Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund will require a research plan with sequential milestones. An annual progress report demonstrating progress on the sequential milestones outlined in the project proposal must be submitted to brcf@hms.harvard.edu. The Fund may decide to terminate future funding for a given project if agreed-upon milestones are not met and satisfactory progress is not made. A final report summarizing the results of the research, including any intellectual property and purchased equipment, will be required following the end of the project period.  

 

Participation in meetings with other funded investigators will be required in order to coordinate research activities and benefit from cross-fertilization.

 

Allowable Expenses

 

A complete project proposal must include a detailed budget and justification for the duration of the award, which may not exceed three years. Budget items may include PI salary, research personnel salary, publication expenses, capital equipment, supplies, and project-related travel. Funding may be used only for research directly related to and budgeted under the project and may not be used for any other purpose.

 

Direct and indirect costs must be itemized, and budgeted within the award. Itemized indirect costs may not exceed 15% of direct costs. No additional funds to cover indirect costs will be provided. Pass-through awards are not allowed; a separate award will be made to each funded Lead PI and Co-PI at their respective institution. Unless included in the budget, HMS-affiliated research institutions may not purchase equipment without written approval from Harvard. Affiliates must submit a final report to Harvard of all equipment purchased through the funded project.

 

 

Additional Anticipated Terms and Conditions of the Award

 

Time and Effort

 

All personnel on funded projects must commit time and effort appropriate to their roles on the project. The Lead PI and any Co-PIs are expected to budget at least 1% salary and effort on the award. Faculty who are not permitted to budget salary on applications of this type (e.g., HHMI investigators) should budget effort but not salary. 

 

Intellectual Property

 

It is anticipated that intellectual property may be developed through work on projects funded by the Fund. Regardless of the location at which the work is performed (whether in facilities of Harvard or of an HMS-affiliated hospital or institute):   

 

If any PI or other individual (except for any individual enrolled as a full-time student at Harvard) employed by an HMS-affiliated hospital or institute creates intellectual property through work on a project funded by the Fund, the employing hospital or institute will own his or her interest in that intellectual property in accordance with the hospital or institute's intellectual property policy; and 

 

If any PI or other individual employed by or enrolled as a student at Harvard creates intellectual property through work on a project funded by the Fund, Harvard will own his or her interest in that intellectual property in accordance with Harvard's intellectual property policy.

 

Research Compliance

 

The PI, department, and research institution are responsible for meeting all compliance requirements associated with the award, including any IRB or animal research approvals. Any such required approvals must be submitted via email to brcf@hms.harvard.edu prior to disbursement of any award funds. 

 

Publications

 

The Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund must be cited in all publications that describe work supported by this award. Electronic reprints and/or links to an electronic version of all publications containing this acknowledgment should be submitted via email to brcf@hms.harvard.edu.

 

 

Application Format and Submission Deadline

 

Letters of Intent (submission deadline: March 17, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. EDT)

 

A two-page Letter of Intent must be received via email to brcf@hms.harvard.edu by March 17, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Only one Letter of Intent per applicant (lead PI) will be reviewed by the Advisory Council. Based on the Council’s recommendations, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.

 

Letters of Intent shall include the following sections: 

 

Section 1: Cover Page (not included in page limit)

  • Lead PI and Organization/School
  • Name of any Co-Investigators and Organizations/Schools
  • Project Title
  • Anticipated Budget Requested for Project Period of Performance
  • Anticipated Requested Period of Performance

Section 2: Letter of Intent (no more than two pages)

  • The Letter of Intent shall include the background, an outline of the research plan, and an outline of anticipated milestones. The background shall include at least one paragraph regarding the relevance to the biology and treatment of specific rare cancers.
  • References are limited to one page, and are not included in the page limit. Appendix material will not be accepted.

Full Proposals (submission deadline: September 15, 2020)

 

Full proposals must be received as one single PDF via email to brcf@hms.harvard.edu by September 15, 2020. The Advisory Council will review each proposal and announce funding decisions by November 2020.

 

Applicants invited to submit full proposals will be sent full proposal and budget templates at the time of the invitation to submit the full proposal. 

 

 

Contact

 

A PDF version of the Request for Proposals is available online. Applicants may email all inquiries regarding proposal submission, review and selection to brcf@hms.harvard.edu.