Developmental Research Program

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The Prostate SPORE Developmental Research Program operates under the direction of the Administrative Core. The SPORE sets aside $150,000 each year (plus Institutional support) to fund 4-5 feasibility projects to generate data that will enable the investigator to apply for extramural funds. In January of each year a request for pilot projects is sent out to all members of the Cancer Centers at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. There is an established process for peer review of pilot projects by an ad hoc review committee. The SPORE Executive Committee takes priority scores and makes the final funding decision. The process is flexible, in that pilot projects can be elevated to replace full SPORE projects and pilot projects can be terminated if progress is not satisfactory. For example, Project 4 (PI: Bergan and Catalona) and Project 3 (PI: Weichselbaum and Stadler) were both pilot projects that were elevated to full project status based on significant progress made. And Project 2 (PI: Crawford, Gapstur and Lee) has also been elevated from a pilot project. Additionally, an investigator may submit a pilot project at any time to the SPORE Director. It is reviewed by the ad hoc committee and if favorably reviewed and if adequate funds exist, it may receive funding. Therefore, the Developmental Research Program enables the Prostate SPORE to expand investigator participation to bring more investigators into the field to maximize our research efforts on prostate cancer. A detailed description of pilot projects is described in Section XII of the application