Research Proposal Review and Collaborations

The two international partners of this project - the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Public Health Institute of Finland (NPHI) - have primary responsibility for project research management, coordination, and oversight. The Nutritional Epidemiology Branch (NEB) represents the NCI in this regard. Study proposals for collaboration are submitted to the NCI or NPHI Principal Investigators (Dr. Albanes and Dr. Virtamo, respectively), and are reviewed at both institutions.

A listing of current collaborators appears in Study Investigators and Collaborators. Timeliness, research priority and design, consideration of unique characteristics of the ATBC Study cohort, and judicious utilization of limited biospecimens are factors relevant to consideration of proposed research and hypothesis testing.

Approved studies must receive appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) review at the collaborating institutions (e.g., the project is under continuing Special Studies IRB review within NIH). Study progress reports are required every six months, reevaluated, and analyses not completed within one year of the proposed date may be reassigned.