METAvivor Research and Support Inc. is a charitable organization whose mission includes funding basic, translational, and clinical research with the goal of eradicating death due to metastatic breast cancer by relegating it to a chronic manageable disease. METAvivor’s research program was established in 2009 to specifically fund research focused on treating established breast cancer metastases to improve outcomes for stage IV metastatic breast cancer patients. This does not currently include Quality of Life studies, although we acknowledge these studies are important. METAvivor is led by volunteers, many of whom are living with metastatic breast cancer, and patient review is a critical part of our research program.
METAvivor is offering awards of up to $100,000 over two years to early career investigators (investigators within 10 years of their professional degree award date and within 6 years of starting their first non-tenured faculty position if they have started one, see eligibility). This amount includes direct costs (including up to $1500 for travel), and indirect costs of up to 5% of the total award. We anticipate that approximately 30% of early career applicants that submit the required Letter of Intent (LOI) will be invited to submit a full application following the LOI review process. Only invited applications will be considered for funding.
Application Portal Opens: February 18, 2020 at https://metavivor.infoready4.com/
Required Letter of Intent Due: by 11:59 PM ET on March 17, 2020
Invitations to Submit Full Application Sent: on or by May 22, 2020
Invited Applications Due: by 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2020
Announcement of Awardees: on or by December 4, 2020
The Early Career Investigator Award is meant to support novel, high-quality research in metastatic breast cancer performed by the most promising up-and-coming investigators.
The goal of this RFP is to provide a supporting foundation for basic, translational, and clinical research designed to address critical problems or barriers to progress in the field of metastatic breast cancer. METAvivor ONLY funds research that has clear potential to benefit those who are living with metastatic breast cancer (i.e. the already-metastasized or stage IV patient). Preference for funding will be given to research with potential to lead directly to improved clinical outcomes, or that is meant to provide a clear conceptual foundation for improving the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in the future, as in the case of mechanistic or pre-clinical animal studies for example. Applications focused on the prevention of or diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer or improving Quality of Life will be administratively withdrawn. Strong applications must have a clear focus on and rationale for studying established breast cancer metastases.
The applicant’s expertise may represent diverse fields such as genetics, chemistry, or oncology. It is important for applicants to identify their clear qualification to perform the proposed aims in their biosketches in conjunction with support from their qualified mentor or mentoring/advisory committee (when applicable) and possible collaborators. Please note that METAvivor also strongly encourages the incorporation of experienced patient advocates in the application and review process for all grants.
Examples of research areas that could be supported by this RFP include, but are not limited to:
1. Applicants must be from a United States sponsoring academic, nonprofit or governmental institution. US citizenship is not required. Proof of permanent resident status or a valid a work visa is required if the applicant is not a US citizen. All research must be conducted within the US.
2. Treatments and therapies that are a result of the research funding received from METAvivor may require profit sharing of up to 3%.
3. Applicants must be within ten years of completing their professional degree (MD, PhD, MD-PhD, MPH, or equivalent) at the time invited applications are due (August 22, 2020). Applicants may hold a nontenured faculty position, but they must be within six years of obtaining their first faculty position. Applicants that are outside of these eligibility requirements due to unplanned leave may justify their qualification as described under ‘Instructions for Submitting Required Letter of Intent.’ Applicants may hold the title of Postdoctoral Fellow, Instructor, Research Associate, Assistant Professor or equivalent. At the time of the start of the grant, the applicant cannot hold the title of Associate Professor or hold a tenured position.
4. Applicants who do not hold a faculty position must have a mentor within or approved by the sponsoring institution. The mentor must assume responsibility, ensure protected research time and provide guidance for the research. Applicants who wish to have a mentor from an outside institution must submit a letter of approval from this institution (i.e., Office of Sponsored Research).
5. Sponsoring institutions must provide the necessary facilities and infrastructure for the research. This will be evidenced through a required Letter of Support from the institution or Department Chair (or equivalent) as described under “instructions for submission of invited applications.”
6. METAvivor will not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, age or any other factor irrelevant to the quality of the application.
7. Applicants may serve as the primary investigator on only one Letter of Intent/application. Applicants serving as the primary investigator on one application may also serve as a co-applicant on one other application (limit two applications). A person may serve as a co-applicant on multiple applications if they are not also a primary investigator on a submission. METAvivor will only contract with one institution, that of the primary investigator. METAvivor does not limit the number of co-applicants per application, but does require a letter of support from each co-applicant listed.
8. Funded applicants can request to keep their award upon transfer to a different US institution pending approval by METAvivor’s board.
METAvivor does not currently differentiate resubmitted applications in our review process and we do not provide a space to address previous reviewer concerns. Each application is treated as an initial submission and is not likely to be reviewed by the same previous reviewers. If an application scored strongly in a previous year, but was not funded, the applicant may choose to note this in the Letter of Intent. Instructions for Submitting the Required Letter of Intent **Failure to adhere to RFP instructions (for both the Letter of Intent and invited application) will result in administrative withdrawal**
Interested applicants who meet award eligibility requirements above must submit a letter of intent (LOI) to apply for the Early Career Investigator Award before 11:59 PM ET on March 17, 2020. The LOI with a cover page must be uploaded as one PDF file named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECLOI_2020 and submitted via the grant portal (https://metavivor.infoready4.com/). Applicants of the most competitive LOIs will be invited to submit a full proposal following a scientific and patient review process described under ‘Review Process.’
Components of a Competitive LOI:
(format: size 11 Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica font with .5” margins)
**Note: If an applicant is greater than six years past their initial faculty position start date and/or more than ten years past their professional degree award date by August 22, 2020, due to unplanned leave, they can submit an up to 1-page letter of explanation for this noting why they should still qualify for the award. If including this letter, please add it to the end of the LOI in the same PDF file with the same formatting.
Only applicants invited to submit a proposal following the LOI review process by June 23, 2020 will be considered for funding. Invited applicants must submit their full application using the METAvivor Grant Portal (https://metavivor.infoready4.com/) by 11:59 PM ET on August 17, 2020. Invited applications accepted for review will be reviewed by one patient advocate and two independent peers as described under ‘Review Process.’
Submission Contact information in the online grant portal should be that of the submitting primary investigator. Please format all required documents to size 11 Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica font with .5” page margins and include page numbers.
Using language readily understood by lay persons, please clearly address the rationale and goal of the research proposal. Explain anticipated clinical applications or benefits for stage IV metastatic breast cancer patients that could result from the proposed work. If the research is basic, explain the interim outcomes and how the research is significant to persons with established breast cancer metastasis. The public abstract will be published on the METAvivor website if the grant is awarded. Please upload this file as a PDF named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECPublicAbstract_2020.
The proposed research plan must be submitted as a single PDF document named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECResearchPlan_2020 and must contain the following components in order:
The METAvivor Early Career Investigator Award is for up to $100,000 for up to two years. This amount includes direct costs (salary, materials and supplies, and travel up to $1500), and indirect costs of up to 5% of the total award. METAvivor funds cannot be used for the purchase of equipment or tuition remission. A detailed explanation justifying the budget for these categories is required. Please use the budget with justification format template that is available for download in the portal and upload this completed template as a PDF file labeled as applicantlastname_ECBudgetandJustification.pdf.
The applicant, mentor (if applicable), and co-applicants (if applicable) are required to submit one PDF file named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECOtherSupport_2020 that lists all current and pending support and a brief summary of overlap with the proposed project for each individual. Support includes all financial resources, whether Federal, non-Federal, commercial or institutional, that directly supports the applicant’s research. Examples include, but are not limited to research grants, contracts, and/or institutional awards. Applicants are welcome to upload an NIH Other Support page for this if they have a current one (available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/othersupport.htm). If awarded a METAvivor research grant, you will be required to disclose other funding for the same research project and submit a new budget if awarded after METAvivor announces awards.
All applicants and co-applicants are required to upload biosketch(es). You may also include biographical sketches of additional important project supporters including collaborators. Please combine all of these biosketches into a single PDF file, starting with the applicant’s biosketch. Name the file: applicantLastname_firstinitial_ECappbio_2020.
Postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows or equivalent: Please upload your mentor’s biosketch as a PDF named as mentorlastname_firstinitial_ECmentorbio_2020. If there is more than one mentor, please combine mentor biosketches into one PDF file named after the primary mentor.
Those holding early faculty positions: You do not need a mentor to apply. In addition to your biosketch, and in lieu of a postdoctoral mentor’s biosketch, please upload a list of those serving on your faculty advisory/mentoring committee. Please include the name, title, and affiliation for each. Upload this as a PDF file named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECadvisors_2020.
Institutional Letter of Support: All applicants are required to upload a Letter of Support from the sponsoring institution or Department Chair (or equivalent) of the primary investigator (i.e. applicant). This letter should clearly indicate that the sponsoring institution is able to provide the necessary facilities and infrastructure for the proposed research. Please upload this letter as a PDF named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECinstitutionLOS_2020.
Mentor/Co-applicant/Collaborator Letters of Support: We require letters of support from mentors and co-applicants when they are listed as part of an application. All applicants are encouraged to include letters of support from any other collaborators including those providing key reagents/equipment access. Please upload one letter of support PDF file with all letters combined named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECLOS_2020.
Patient Advocate Letter of Support: A letter of support from a patient advocate is strongly encouraged, but not required. This letter should be uploaded as a separate PDF file named applicantlastname_firstinitial_ECadvocateLOS_2020.
The following additional documents may be required prior to funding approval:
Any LOI or invited full application that does not meet the requirements of this RFP will be administratively withdrawn and will not enter the review process. Applicants will be notified as to whether their LOI and/or invited full application has been accepted or rejected for review by an administrator.
LOIs accepted for review will be peer reviewed for overall impact, taking into account the proposed project’s significance, anticipated impact, rationale, and approach. Patients will review LOIs for significance only. Approximately 30% of applicants that submit LOIs will be invited to submit a full application based upon results of the review process. Applicants will not receive review comments back on their LOIs, and the LOI will not enter into the review of a subsequent grant application.
Invited applications that have been accepted for the review process will be reviewed by one patient advocate and two qualified peers based on the criteria below. Applicants will be notified of whether or not they have been accepted for award in December of 2020 following discussions amongst METAvivor’s board and scientific advisors.
Patient advocates will evaluate invited applications based upon impact. Specifically, they will assess the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, or to be a foundation for future treatments in the already-metastasized metastatic breast cancer patient. Written support from a patient advocate for an invited application is not required, but patient support that underscores the potential impact of the proposed project is strongly encouraged in the form of a Letter of Support. These letters, if submitted, will be provided to patient advocate reviewers.
Two independent qualified peers will evaluate applications based upon 1) Overall Impact, 2) Significance, 3) Investigator(s), 4) Innovation, 5) Approach, and 6) the Development Plan. Reviewers will also assess the appropriate use of vertebrate animals and/or human subjects when applicable and carefully review the budget and budget justification. Potential overlap with other funded awards not be allowed, and will be carefully assessed based on the ‘Other Support’ document.
Anonymous scores and comments from patient and peer reviewers will be provided back to invited applicants whose full proposals entered the review process.
Awarded applicants must submit a progress report at 6 months, 12 monrha, 18 months, and 2 years after funding begins. Reporting requirements will be specified in the award contract. Continuation of support for the proposed research plan will depend upon satisfactory review of progress reports by the Scientific Review Officer and METAvivor leadership. Awarded grants can follow an applicant if they move to a new institution within the US, but this requires approval from METAvivor on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
© 2020
