CLINICAL SCIENCE -
Funding for collaborative research, for innovative research and for a drug development institute
1. Obtain pilot funding to develop new collaborative and multi-disciplinary research programs ($600K per year) with teams of technicians, investigators and researchers who will gather enough preliminary data to apply for more grants and encourage larger funding from National Cancer Institute and other sources. If these new programs and researchers can obtain such funding, the programs can grow exponentially. Essentially, funding needs to support basic science so it translates successfully into clinical application.
2. Provide seed grants for innovative research rather than only funding research that has a high probability of success. More funding is needed to allow investigators to apply different strategies that show potential for solving the cancer problem. The goal is to obtain bridge funding for at least ten projects per year to keep researchers moving forward until federal funding or alternative monies becomes available. Part of the long-term plan is to continue to fund researchers who have submitted grants but have not received a fundable score from federal sources. This will enable scientists to keep their projects going until they become competitive for funding.
3. Obtain funding to develop a drug development institute within the University of Colorado Cancer Center. The discoveries of funded investigators will successfully translate to clinical researchers who design and test new drugs using patients. The University of Colorado Cancer Center needs the dedicated space, equipment and continued support for drug development.
