The fate of the CRN has been decided by a study section panel that was convened by NCI in late June. We are excited to report that we will be funded for four more years. Many changes are on the horizon, and plans are already under way for implementation of these changes.
Overall, our application received a qualitative rating of "Excellent," and a priority score of 171, which is in the fundable range. The critiques were generally very thoughtful, and give us clear messages about what we need to do to bolster the CRN as a research program during the next cycle. The next step will be to respond to the major criticisms and suggestions that emerged from the study section review. We will submit a so-called "best and final offer" to NCI, along with revised budgets, in early November.
The "take-home messages" from the Summary Statement are described below for our Infrastructure. Future issues of this newsletter will provide comprehensive features on each of the new projects.
CRN Infrastracture
We were commended for achieving a successful collaborative model, and for the great potential generated by the size and diversity of this network. Reviewers took note of the several new projects that have taken root in the CRN, and commended us on assembling a well-credentialed multidisciplinary team. Several times throughout the infrastructure critique, the evidence of our synergy and integration was highlighted. Most importantly, the CRN was recognized as having significant potential to advance scientific knowledge and research on cancer care.
Glowing compliments aside, we have a great deal of work ahead of us in the next four year cycle. Our two major shortcomings were lack of data standardization, and insufficient connectivity between the Infrastructure and the Research Projects. We did emphasize these facts in the application, (perhaps giving them too much emphasis). Nevertheless, since we recognize these
weaknesses and the reviewers recognize them as
