Developmental Funds

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PROJECT SUMMARY: DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS Shortly after assuming the Directorship of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (Sylvester) in 2012, Stephen D. Nimer, MD, initiated a center-wide effort to ensure that all cancer-relevant investments are strategically made. Nimer’s first goals were to systematically build needed research infrastructure, connect individuals and groups of investigators, build teams of scientists to create research programs for the center, and increase community engagement and outreach activities to gain a greater understanding of the diverse needs in Sylvester’s catchment area. In 2013, Sylvester leadership initiated a formal strategic planning process, resulting in the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. This plan prioritized addressing the needs of Sylvester members, including the need for better shared resources (SRs), more reliable support for conducting clinical trials and translational science, and more financial support of outstanding cancer research. Since 2014, a total of $5.7M has been awarded via the peer-reviewed Intramural Funding Program, which includes nine award mechanisms to encourage new areas of cancer research, bridge investigator’s grant funding, support junior faculty, and promote innovative clinical trials that match Sylvester’s strategic goals and promote collaborative team science. The return on investment, calculated based on results stemming from the direct support of research projects, has been $25.2M in new grant funding, 22 publications (of which 64% are collaborative), new research tools, and three applications with one patent approved. To fulfill the needs of the three research programs, Sylvester has also invested $14M in the development of the Flow Cytometry, Onco-Genomics, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, and Behavioral and Community-Based Research Shared Resources. Seventy percent of Sylvester members utilize services these shared resources provide. Additionally, Sylvester has invested $2.9M since 2016 in three highly translational developing shared resources: the Biospecimen, Cancer Modeling, and Molecular Therapeutics Shared Resources, for which CCSG Developmental Funds support is requested.