CRI Technology Impact Award

The most competitive applicants will address areas where technological innovation stands to benefit the field and cancer patients most, and that will ultimately lead to effective next generation cancer immunotherapies. These technologies may include but are not limited to:

• New bioinformatics methods or technologies that speed collection and analysis of large sets of patient-derived biological data
• Computer simulations for modeling biological systems and responses to immunotherapy
• Tools and methods that improve profiling of tumors to inform therapeutic strategies
• Real-time visualizations of molecular and cellular activity to improve tracking of responses to immunotherapy
• In vitro tissue culture systems that recapitulate the interactions between primary tumor cells and the immune system

CRI Technology Impact Awards provide up to $150,000 per year for two years. The funds may be used for salary, technical assistance, supplies, capital equipment, or scientific travel. CRI does not provide funds for indirect costs. Payments are made quarterly in U.S. currency to the host institution.

The process for applying for a CRI Technology Impact Award consists of two parts:

• Letter of Intent
• Invited Application

The deadline for the receipt of the Letter of Intent is November 15. Candidates will be notified by mid-February whether they have been invited to submit a full grant proposal. The full application is due March 15. If these deadlines fall on the weekend, applications will be accepted the following Monday. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on these dates. The earliest an award can activate is July 1. Awards activate on the first of the month.

• Applicants must hold a faculty appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor (or higher rank) at the time of award activation. If not, documentation from their institution must accompany the Letter of Intent indicating they will hold the position of assistant professor (or higher rank) by the time of award activation.
• The grant will be awarded to a scientist who describes an extraordinarily novel, yet practical research plan that is creative and technically sophisticated.
• Selected projects that meet their 12 and 24 month milestones may be eligible for follow-on funding that will enable the established proof-of-concept technology to be developed into a methodology that improves cancer immunotherapy research worldwide.

Letters of intent must be submitted electronically. Once you access the application, you will be asked to create a user account unique to you, which will catalogue all applications you submit to CRI. If you have submitted a grant application to CRI in the past, please login with your existing user account.

After you have filled out all required fields on the online form, you will be asked to upload the following five (5) items as individual PDF documents.

• An initial research concept (succinct description of the proposed research plan with specific aims and timelines, description of how the proposed technology platform has the potential to transform the field of cancer immunotherapy), not to exceed 3 pages.
• Brief description of your current research.
• Curriculum vitae and bibliography (limit bibliography to past 5 years or publications relevant to proposed research).
• If applicable, curriculum vitae for all group members, as well as a description of each member’s research focus.

Notes:

• Applications exceeding stated page limits will be disqualified.
• Only PDF documents will be accepted. All files must be submitted individually on the attachments page of the online application.
• When you have finished uploading the attachments, click “Submit.” You will receive a notice confirming that you have successfully submitted your Application Form. Immediately after, an automated notification from CRI will be sent to your email address, also confirming submission. If you encounter problems uploading your attachments, email them to [email protected]. Be sure to note the application number, which will be assigned to you at the time of submission.
• Online applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. If the deadline falls on the weekend, applications will be accepted until the close of business that following Monday. We strongly suggest submitting your applications as early as possible to provide ample time in case your application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Formatting Guidelines: Any documents you attach to your online application form must be typed single-space using a 12 point or larger font size.

All awardees must adhere to the terms of this award.

Please note: The Cancer Research Institute will not modify the terms of its policies at the request of individual institutions. Policies have been approved by our Board of Trustees, and we do not have the resources to negotiate separately with the many institutions that receive our support.