San Francisco State University (SFSU) and
University of California, San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC)
Partnership Program
Call for Collaborative Proposals to be Submitted
with a U54 Application
Key Information
Call for pre-proposal:
1-2 page pre-proposal for project ideas to be expanded
into pilot or full project application to be submitted as part
of a collaborative grant to the National Cancer Institute
Areas of interest:
Any project that potentially addresses cancer disparities
among minorities or the underserved from the basic,
clinical, socio-behavioral, and population sciences
Support for writing of proposal:
Funding is available to prepare the final application
Duration of proposed project:
Up to 36 months
Direct annual budget:
$120,000 for pilot projects and
$275,000 for full projects
Deadline for pre-proposal:
Deadline for final application:
Anticipated start date:
March 30, 2006
January 12, 2007
December 2007
Introduction
In 2002, San Francisco State University (SFSU) and University of California, San Francisco
Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCSF CCC) were awarded a planning grant (U56) from the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) to build a partnership between a Minority Serving Institution
(MSI) and an NCI Cancer Center to address cancer disparities. The planning grant has been
successful in producing collaborative research, training, and outreach pilot projects between the
2 institutions. Information on currently funded U56 projects is available at http://cc.ucsf.edu/u56.
The next phase of the collaboration is an application due in February 2007 for a comprehensive
grant (U54) to expand the partnership.
The U54 program goals are to:
1. Build and stabilize the independent competitive cancer research capacity at the Minority
Serving Institution (MSI);
2. Improve the effectiveness of the NCI-designated Cancer Center in conducting activities
specifically designed to address the cancer disparities in underserved racial and ethnic
minority populations and among the socio-economically disadvantaged;
3. Create stable, long-term collaborative relationships between MSIs and Cancer Centers
in all areas of cancer research, training, and education; and
4. Export successful approaches and new models to other MSIs and NCI-designated
Cancer Centers, as well as other key networks supported by the NCI.
Proposals supported by the U54 mechanism may work toward any of these goals, but must
involve 2 collaborators, one from UCSF and one from SFSU working to create stable, long-term
collaborative relationships in one or more of the following areas: 1) cancer research, 2) cancer
training, 3) cancer outreach, and/or 4) cancer education.
Eligibility
UCSF and SFSU faculty eligible for Principal Investigator status in the basic, clinical, behavioral,
or social sciences can apply. Minority investigators are encouraged to apply.
Proposal Details
Proposals may be for a full or pilot project. Maximum budget for a full proposal is $275,000
direct cost per year for up to 3 years. Maximum budget for a pilot proposal is $120,000 direct
cost per year for up to 3 years. Principal Investigators of a pilot from the U56 may submit a full
proposal, but not another pilot. Other investigators may submit a pilot or full proposal.
It is anticipated that there will be 1-3 full projects and 3-5 pilot projects, but the final number of
projects accepted for a U54 application will depend on the quality of the proposals and the need
to balance between the three main areas of cancer research, training, and outreach.
Upon approval for inclusion in the U54 application, Principal Investigators of accepted preproposals may receive seed funding to prepare the final application. The length of the final
application is a maximum of 15 pages for pilot and 25 pages for full projects.
Review
All pre-proposals will be peer-reviewed by members of the U56 Internal Advisory Board and ad
hoc reviewers. Scoring will be modeled on the NIH Scoring system. Research projects will be
reviewed for scientific merit (including innovation and importance) and feasibility. Training and
outreach projects will be reviewed on the qualification of the leaders and the objectives and
design of the program. All proposals will be reviewed for the collaboration plan and the degree
to which the proposal meets the U54 program goals, as well as the likelihood of publications
and becoming sustainable through other funding mechanisms (e.g., successful projects will go
on to R01 or other appropriate level of funding).
Timeline
Proposals are due on March 30th, 2006. Decision on the inclusion of proposals in the U54
application will be announced on June 1st, 2006. A draft of the final application will be due on
November 3rd, 2006 and the final application to be included in the U54 application will be due on
January 12th, 2007.
For Further Information
Investigators who are not sure if their proposals are appropriate for the U54 Program or who
have further questions are encouraged to contact the U54 Principal Investigators:
UCSF: Tung Nguyen, MD at tung@itsa.ucsf.edu or Tung.Nguyen@ucsf.edu or (415) 502-1539
SFSU: Leticia Márquez-Magaña, PhD at marquez@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-3289.
Application Materials
Description of the proposed project (not to exceed 2 pages)
 For research projects, use a standard format for your discipline including specific
aims, hypotheses, background and significance, and research methods.
 For outreach or training projects, describe specific aims and objectives, the
institutional environment, program design, relationship of the program to the
goals and priorities of the partnership, and program evaluation.
Description of the plan for collaboration (not to exceed 1 page)
Preliminary Budget (not to exceed 1 page)
Principal Investigators’ Curriculum Vitae or NIH Biosketch
Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted by 5 pm, March 30, 2006. Please send your application
materials by email to Maral Cingoz (mcingoz@sfsu.edu) Tel: 415-405-3562/415-405-3767