The flexibility of CCSG Development funds provides the Director with the ability to support evolving opportunities that support the goals established by the leaders of UWCCC. There are three areas where Development Funds play a critical role: start-up support for new faculty; pilot project research funding and the development of new Shared Resources. The Director commits CCSG development funds for start-up support for faculty candidates who provide the most promising opportunities for significant contributions to the Scientific Programs of UWCCC. During the current grant period, UWCCC contributed $2.5 million towards the recruitment of 28 tenure track faculty. These faculty have been awarded approximately $43.4 million in grant funding for a 17 fold return on investment to date. In concert with the priorities established for future development, candidates will be chosen because of their promising potential to conduct laboratory cancer research leading to translation, or to contribute to applied research resulting from translation. Pilot projects are an important mechanism to support early explorations leading to research that will fulfill the discovery through translation mission of UWCCC. A coordinated process, similar to an NIH study section, ensures that the resources of UWCCC are used effectively. The process has evolved to align the goal of strengthening cancer-focused collaborative projects that include intra- and trans-disciplinary laboratory and clinical research with translational end-points. During the current grant period. UWCCC funded 85 pilots with $4 million which have generated approximately $23 million in grant awards and 66 publications to date. Shared Resources are one of the most important mechanisms that UWCCC uses to encourage investigators to take advantage of opportunities for collaboration and focus their research on cancer. Scientific opportunity is a powerful enticement, but when it is paired with fiscal benefit, the opportunity is magnified. We will allocate resources for new Shared Resources that will have a significant impact on the translational potential of our research efforts and support areas targeted for future development. Future Shared Resource development in the next grant period will focus on informatics and genomics.
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