Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs)

In 1992, the NCI established the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) to promote interdisciplinary research and to speed the bidirectional exchange between basic and clinical science in order to move basic research findings from the laboratory to applied settings involving patients and populations. The ultimate goal of the SPORE program is to bring novel ideas that have the potential to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, improve survival, and to improve the quality of life to clinical care settings.

Laboratory and clinical scientists work collaboratively in planning, designing and implementing research programs that impact on cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and control. To facilitate this research, each SPORE develops and maintains specialized resources that benefit all scientists working on the specific cancer site, as well as SPORE scientists. An additional SPORE element is a career development program that recruits scientists both within and outside the SPORE institution to enlarge the cadre of laboratory and clinical scientists dedicated to translational research on human cancer. SPOREs meet annually to share data, assess research progress, identify new research opportunities and establish priorities for research most likely to reduce incidence and mortality and to increase survival.

In 1995, NCI funded a total of 12 SPOREs and 11 P20 Planning Grants for a total of $25,535,000. SPOREs are funded through both the P50 and P20 mechanisms. Twelve institutions received full support as P50 SPOREs. Eleven P20s were awarded to institutions as Type 5's to conduct feasibility studies to determine whether they would qualify to become fully funded SPORE institutions. In the upcoming years, NCI may increase the use of the SPORE mechanism to include funding for other major cancer sites.

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