Developmental funds are critical for meeting the goals of the SKCC IMPACT strategic plan. These funds, supplemented by the Director?s package and other institutional investments, have been vital to SKCC research advances and practice-changing discoveries during the last funding cycle. After the Director change in January 2015, the SKCC leadership immediately developed a definitive strategy for planning and allocation of developmental funds, aligned to the goals and vision of the center. As will be outlined, SKCC Developmental Funds have been prioritized since 2015 to support: 1) New, SKCC research directions through pilot award funding; 2) Early phase clinical research support; and 3) Innovations in Shared Resources. Developmental funds for a Staff Scientist (Dr. Mitchell [GIC]) were also utilized in the previous funding period to provide leadership support for disparities research and community outreach, and a subset of Developmental Funds prior to 2015 were utilized for recruitment. In the last funding period SKCC received a total of $0.23M(total)/$0.15 (direct) in Developmental Funds from the CCSG. Investments from 2013-14 were largely prioritized for the recruitment of a single faculty member with few pilot funds distributed. From the time of the Director change (Jan. 2015) and development of the strategic plan IMPACT through the end of the present reporting period (Dec. 2016), a total of $4.22M was allotted for developmental funding to enhance pilot studies, early phase clinical research support and core innovations. Strategic planning recognized the lack of prioritization in these areas and developed strategies to optimize funds for achieving SKCC goals. Post-planning allocations from the CCSG were distributed as follows; $0.56M in Pilot Funds, $0.75M in Early Phase Clinical Research Support, $0.49M in Institutional Funds, $0.39M from the ACS-IRG, $0.06M in SKCC Director?s Philanthropic funds and $2.57M to procure enhanced technologies within Shared Resources. These dedicated commitments have built a strong system and began to shape culture of the SKCC as an institution committed increasing the depth and breadth of cancer research focused on addressing the needs of the catchment area. Future plans will continue the strategy of Dr. Knudsen?s leadership team to align developmental fund allocation to the strategic plan and annual goals refined by the Executive Committee (EC). Developmental funding is proposed for: 1) Facilitating new and collaborative research directions for pilot studies addressing the needs of the catchment area; 2) Providing support for early phase clinical research that advances the pace by which SKCC discoveries are translated; and 3) Developing new and innovative technologies within the Shared Resources. Support for Dr. Mitchell is requested now under Senior Leadership, since she is the AD for Disparities. SKCC plans to utilize institutional funds rather than CCSG-supported Developmental Funds for recruitment.
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