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2010 IVY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

About the Ivy Foundation

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is a non-profit organization that funds Patient-Focused Research on gliomas leading to the development of better diagnostics and treatment that offer long-term survival and a high quality of life for patients with brain tumors. Since our inception in 2007,  the Foundation has funded $20.2M in glioma research.

Patient-Focused Research

Copyright © 2009. The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2009. The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. All rights reserved.

Patient-Focused Research is defined by:

  • the promotion of  bi-directional efforts between the lab and the clinic, whereby medical insights gained from the clinic are followed up in the lab for further exploration and, vice versa, findings from the lab are applied to identify promising directions to pursue in the clinic.         
  • the recognition of the need to develop diagnostics and treatments to address inter-patient variations that underlie differences in response to treatment.
  • a strong sense of urgency to change the outlook for patients.
  • collaborative efforts, either between institutions or disciplines.
  • the acknowledgement that patients play a key role in the brain tumor research landscape by providing tumor and other tissue samples for laboratory studies and by participating in clinical trials.
  • generating clinically relevant results by keeping the patient at the center of research goals.

Today's treatment decision-making for people diagnosed with glioma is largely based on trial-and-error and one-size-fits-all approaches. There are few options to select from and, moreover, the most effective treatments generally extend survival on the order of a few months at best.

Ivy funds PFR to help realize "Tomorrow's" optimal scenario in treatment decision-making for patients - one characterized by a broad panel of highly effective therapies and more predictive, patient-specific approaches to treatment and disease management. The "Tomorrow" scenario also integrates accurate and predictive real-time assessment of tumor status and response to therapy (Figure 1).

Copyright © 2009. The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2009. The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Ivy Foundation funds milestone-driven, single and multi-year research projects. Research funding programs are designed to catalyze improvements in research areas critical to realizing "Tomorrow's" scenario for people diagnosed with glioma. A description of 2008 and 2009 Ivy funded research projects is available on our website.

REQUEST SPECIFICS

Guided by its strategic plan and mission, the Ivy Foundation is interested in funding projects on the leading edge whose primary objective is to accomplish one or more of the following in a 12-month project period starting no later than July 2010:

  1. Enhance the output of a clinical trial for adults with GBM by performing correlative studies which significantly increase  understanding of the biologic impact of a candidate therapeutic and/or interpretation of clinical response data.
  2.  Identify or validate predictors of therapeutic responsiveness by GBM molecular subtype that could potentially lead to patient stratification for therapy selection.
  3. Determine preliminary efficacy of novel candidate therapies or validate novel therapeutic targets in GBM models.

Research proposals MUST:

  • Focus on one or more of the three objectives outlined above, AND
  • Generate definitive results that are actionable, AND
  • Focus on adult GBM, AND
  • Clearly delineate relevance of GBM model to patient tumor biology (if employing GBM model).

Successful applications will LIKELY:

  • Involve conducting studies in patients or in patient-derived tissue specimens.
  • Be collaborative, multi-institutional and/or multi-disciplinary efforts.
  • Have clinical outcomes data available very early on in project period if study is related to a clinical trial.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Date of issue of RFP: Tuesday, 02/23/2010.
  • Deadline for receipt of proposals: Monday, 03/22/2010 at 12 noon (Pacific Time).
  • Project period: 12 months.
  • Total funds to be distributed: up to $1M.
  • Total budget per project: up to $150,000 maximum.
  • Scientific review process: Two-step process comprised of an Intermediate Scientific Review followed by a Final Scientific Review.
  • Notification to all applicants of outcome of the Intermediate Scientific Review: May 2010.
  • Notification of outcome of the Final Scientific Review: June 2010.
  • Eligibility: Only early-career researchers who received their MD and/or PhD in the last 10 years (i.e., in 2000 or after) are eligible to apply as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI. Both the PI and co-PI must meet the eligibility requirements for early career researcher. Applicants must be affiliated with a non-profit institution or for-profit organization in the US or abroad. Joint applications between academic institution(s) and for-profit entities are accepted. There is no limit on the number of applications per PI or per institution. PIs of projects currently receiving Ivy funding are not eligible to apply as PI or co-PI.
  • Project start date: July 2010.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE 2010 IVY FOUNDATION APPLICATION

The research proposal must be submitted as a single PDF document in 12-pt font size, 1-inch margins and must conform to the page limitations, content and organization specified below under the heading “Required Content”.

Research proposals which do not conform to the specifications and requirements will not be considered for funding.

The PDF document must be titled exactly as shown with name of Principal Investigator and year of award cycle: Garcia_Sara2010. The name of the Principal Investigator and year of award cycle must be also included as a header on each page of the research proposal PDF.

If there is more than one PI on the proposal, use the name of the PI who is the "Contact" PI for correspondence with the Ivy Foundation during the grant submission and review process.

Research proposals must be submitted on-line by Monday, March 22, 2010 at 12 noon (Pacific Time).  In fairness to all applicants, proposals submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

REQUIRED CONTENT

Research proposals MUST be comprised only of the five segments highlighted below: (A) Project Concept, (B) Project Specifics, (C) Scientific References, (D) Biosketches, and (E) Budget.

A. Project Concept (1 page maximum): The Project Concept MUST contain the information requested below and be organized by section headers I-V as shown:

I. Overview

This section must include:

   - Name and affiliation of Principal Investigator (and Co-PI if applicable).

   - Project title.

   - Total budget requested (Total direct and indirect costs combined).

   - Primary objective(s) of proposed research. Specifically, indicate one or more of the following:

  1. Enhance the output of a clinical trial for adults with GBM by performing correlative studies which significantly increase understanding of the biologic impact of a candidate therapeutic and/or interpretation of clinical response data.
  2. Identify or validate predictors of therapeutic responsiveness by GBM molecular subtype that could potentially lead to patient stratification for therapy selection.
  3. Determine preliminary efficacy of novel candidate therapies or validate novel therapeutic targets in GBM models.

II.   Summary Description of Research Project.

III. Clinical Significance of Project and GBM Models.

IV. Main Challenges to Achieving Objectives.

V.   Major Accomplishments and Deliverables Expected over the 12-Month Project Period.

B. Project Specifics (5 pages maximum)

This section of the research proposal is a narrative that contains the following headers in the order indicated below:

I.      Background and Scientific Rationale.

II.     Specific Aims.

III.    Methodology.

IV.   Supporting Preliminary Data.

V.    Potential Project Pitfalls and Back-Up Plans.

VI.   Other Potential Funding in Support of Project (i.e., applications planned, in process, or submitted; private and public sources).

VII. Status of Drug Procurement (applicable only if proposal includes testing of agents).

VIII. Status of Approvals Required by Insitution(s) (applicable if proposal includes pre-clinical testing in animals or clinical testing in human subjects;  the Foundation will accept proposals with approval pending or planned, providing the anticipated date of approval is indicated and does not negatively impact project Start Date and End Date).

C. Scientific References (1 page maximum)

D. Biosketches for PI and Co-PI only (NIH format accepted)

E. Budget (1 page maximum).

The project budget must itemize the following:

   - Personnel. Name, role, % effort, base salary (use the PI’s actual salary and not NIH salary cap), salary requested, fringe benefits, total. (If required personnel is not yet hired, indicate "to be hired" and planned time of hiring.)

   - Project expenses (supplies, animals, travel, other).

   - Total direct costs.

   -  Total indirect costs. Must not exceed 10% of the total direct costs. (10% is the maximum for indirect costs and is not negotiable.)

   - Total Budget. The total budget, including direct and indirect costs, must not exceed $150,000.

OPTIONAL CONTENT

F. Appendix (2-page maximum)

- May include additional figures or preliminary data.

DO NOT submit the following: cover sheets, letters of support, copies of relevant publications by PIs, and a full copy of clinical protocol(s).

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Instructions to Apply On-Line

To apply for a 2010 Ivy Award, applicants must complete the following 4 steps:

Step 1: Sign in on-line to register a new account or if you have already registered, sign in using your password.

Step 2: Complete the Cover Sheet form on-line. Requested information includes:

  • Name and contact information.
  • Proposal title, project start date, and funds requested.
  • Summary of proposal in lay terms (250-word maximum).
  • Name and contact information for head of grants & contracts department.
  • Name and contact information for head of legal department.

Step 3: Upload research proposal in PDF format (see Instructions for Completing the 2010 Ivy Foundation Application).

Step 4: Click the TRANSMIT button to send your completed application to the Ivy Foundation.

The on-line application process does not need to be completed all at once. Applicants may save their work and return to complete the requested information at a later time. Receipt by the Ivy Foundation of the completed Cover Sheet and Research Proposal will be confirmed by email. If you do not receive a confirmation email after clicking the TRANSMIT button, please contact the Ivy Foundation by email at info@ivyfoundation.org. Research proposals submitted in paper format will not be accepted.

TO SIGN-IN AND INITIATE THE ON-LINE APPLICATION PROCESS, CLICK HERE. 

SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

Intermediate Scientific Review

There is an Intermediate Scientific Review of all proposals by Ivy Foundation staff and the Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer Network (SRN). 2010 SRN members will be posted on the Ivy Foundation website in May 2010.

The Intermediate Scientific Review is focused strictly on the content of the "Project Concept" page of the research proposal. Evaluation of the “Project Concept” is based on the strength of following parameters:

  1. Scientific rationale.
  2. Clinical significance.
  3. Accomplishments and deliverables expected.

All applicants will be informed by email of the outcome of the Intermediate Scientific Review in May.

Final Scientific Review

Research proposals advancing to the Final Scientific Review are primarily evaluated on the basis of strength in the following parameters:

  • Medical and scientific rationale.
  • Specific aims.
  • Methodology and experimental design.
  • Likelihood of obtaining definitive and actionable results.
  • Potential impact of findings.
  • Principal Investigator's assessment of potential pitfalls and suggested back-up plans.

All applicants whose proposals advance to the Final Scientific Review must be available for a phone interview on the date of SRN review meeting. The review meeting will take place at the beginning of June 2010. Applicants advancing to the Final Scientific Review will be informed in May of the specific date of the review meeting.

AWARDEE REQUIREMENTS

Recipients of a 2010 Ivy Award are required to:

  1. Provide two written progress reports and two verbal progress reports.
  2. Attend an annual in-person meeting with Ivy Foundation awardees, staff, Board Members, Strategic Advisory Team and Scientific Reviewer Network members.
  3. Work with Ivy Foundation staff to develop a project milestone-driven timeline.
  4. Sign a milestone-based agreement by 06/30/2010.

If you have any questions about the RFP, please email the Ivy Foundation at info@ivyfoundation.org.  The Foundation does not set up meetings or phone calls to discuss the specifics of any  research project.

Thank you and we look forward to reviewing your proposal.