Title:
Cooperative Planning Grant for Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership (Reissued RFA)

Contact:
Sanya A. Springfield, Ph.D.
Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch
Office of Centers, Training and Resources
ODDES, NCI
Telephone: (301) 496-7344
E-MAIL: ss165i@nih.gov

Objective of Project:
To help plan and develop comprehensive planning partnerships and initiate through a formal planning process comprehensive partnership activities between Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and NCI-designated Cancer Centers (or groups of centers). The pilot activities planned in the comprehensive partnership must clearly have the potential to become the foundation for submitting a Comprehensive Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership application (U54). Cancer research projects (a required component) and at least one program in cancer research cancer training and career development, cancer research education or cancer outreach must be proposed to achieve the following goals:(1) to plan and begin building collaborative cancer research and other related activities at the MSI; (2) to initiate potential long-term collaborative cancer research and related activities focused on the disproportionate incidence, mortality and morbidity in minority populations in areas accessible to NCI-designated Cancer Centers; and (3) to improve the effectiveness of NCI-designated Cancer Centers in developing and initiating cancer outreach and education programs designed to benefit minority populations in the region the Cancer Center serves.

Description of Project:
Cooperative Planning Grants for Comprehensive Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnerships will support the development of comprehensive planning activities that are mutually beneficial to the MSI and Cancer Center. Applicants are expected to develop a comprehensive planning process that would clearly lay out an initial planning stage (in which the participants establish appropriate means of communication and identifying areas of potential collaboration), a priority setting stage (in which a Program Steering Committee would be dedicated to setting priorities, changing directions, and identifying areas of new opportunity based on continued evaluation) and an initial implementation stage of pilot projects and pilot programs with co-leaders, one from the MSI and one from the Cancer Center, (in which preliminary data is acquired) for the purpose of enhancing the competitive potential of a Comprehensive Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership application (U54).

Applicants are also expected to establish cooperative seminar series, courses etc.; identify ways to merge existing programs (e.g., research training and career development); begin recruiting faculty in areas of opportunity; begin developing resources and shared facilities that represent critical infrastructure in areas of opportunity.