RADIATION ONCOLOGY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (RADONC TCE) 

SOLICITATION FOR PILOT FUNDING PROPOSALS 

 

The Radiation Oncology Center of Excellence (RadOnc TCE) was established in 2016 within the Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine. Its broad mission is to provide the necessary infrastructure and mechanisms to harness the unique talents, expertise, and technology present within the Penn community to develop innovative, paradigm-shifting approaches to maximize the benefits of modalities which include radiotherapy for cancer patients. 

 

To achieve its mission, the RadOnc TCE leadership announces a 3rd round of funding to spur new projects with direct translational relevance in areas aligned with its mission (see below). These projects will also catalyze interactions between faculty in Radiation Oncology and faculty in other Departments throughout the Penn community. Up to 4, two-year projects ($120,000 each) will be funded during FY21. Successful completion of specific milestones and submission of a major grant (>$200k total costs) could extend the funding period to a third year and an additional $60,000. 

 

These projects are expected to generate the necessary preliminary data or test proof-of-principle ideas that will lead to highly competitive grant applications to major funding agencies by the end of the two-year period. 

 

The two current thematic areas of focus for the RadOnc TCE are: 

1. Ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) Radiation Therapy 

2. Radiotherapy for the management of Cardiac Ventricular Arrhythmias 

 

These two areas are considered to be at the forefront of innovation and to have immediate translational implications. We are particularly interested in applications which are focused on the mechanistic underpinnings of these modalities, understanding and leveraging their interactions with immune or inflammatory pathways, and in applications proposing novel uses of imaging modalities or bioengineering approaches to maximize their clinical potential. 

 

Please follow the application requirements and details below. 

 

Deadlines. The deadline is Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 5pm EST. Applications should be submitted by email as a single pdf to Ms. Andrea Rycroft, Research Administrative Coordinator of the TCE at andrea.rycroft@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

 

Eligibility and requirements. 

• All UPenn faculty (Assistant to Full Professors) in all tracks are eligible to be Principle Investigators (PIs). Instructors cannot be PIs but can be co-Investigators (co-Is). Each application should include at least 2 co-PIs: One PI with a primary appointment with the Department of Radiation Oncology and one PI outside the RadOnc Department. Additional co-PIs are allowed but not required. 

• Salary support for the PIs or other faculty is not allowed, but support for other personnel (e.g., postdocs, students, research specialists) is allowed. 

• All projects should be completed within two years from the time of award. No-cost extensions will not be allowed. By six months following the end of the funded period the PIs are expected to apply for a major extramural grant (>$200,000 total costs) from governmental or non-governmental entities (e.g., industry, foundations, etc). A final progress report is expected at the completion of the studies. 

• Only one submission is permitted from each PI. 

 

Format. The proposals should be succinct with a limit of 3 pages (excluding Cover page and Appendix material-see below), typed with 0.5 in. margins. The pages should be typed in Arial or Times font size 11. The following section limits are recommended: 

• Cover Page: Full project title; Name, Title, Department/Division affiliation of each main co-PI; Names of other co-PIs and co-Investigators. 

• Specific Aims: ½ page 

• Preliminary data and significance: ½ page 

• Study design and expected outcomes: 1 ½ page 

• List of specific scientific milestones to be reached in the first 2 years and statement of how research will lead to submissions for major funding within 6 months of the conclusion of the studies: ½ page 

• Appendix should include only: References (<20), NIH Biosketches for PIs and a detailed budget. 

 

Review process and scoring criteria. The review of these applications will be completed within one month of the deadline and the release of the award funds will be immediate. The review committee will consist of faculty from the RadOnc TCE Scientific Advisory Board and Ad-Hoc members, based on required expertise who are not in conflict with the particular applications. The primary criterion for scoring the applications will be scientific merit. This includes innovation, translational potential and likelihood of receiving major funding. The NIH scoring scale (1-9) will be used and specific comments will be included in the reviews. 

For any additional information, please contact: koumenis@upenn.edu

 

Dr. James Metz 

Pancoast Professor and Chair, 

Co-Director, RadOnc TCE 

Dept. of Radiation Oncology 

University of Pennsylvania 

 

Dr. Costas Koumenis, 

Chamberlain Professor and 

Director of Research Division 

Co-Director, RadOnc TCE 

Dept. of Radiation Oncology 

University of Pennsylvania