American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award
Unparalleled opportunities now exist to detect, diagnose, prevent, and more effectively treat cancer due to the sequencing of the human genome, progress in systems biology, and the advancement of computer science and other technologies. Capitalizing on these opportunities often depends on the participation of researchers in specialties that include, but are not limited to, chemistry, physics, engineering, computational science, and nanotechnology. The integration of such specialties into cancer and biomedical research form the bases of interdisciplinary scientific teams.
This Award has been established by the American Association for Cancer Research and Eli Lilly and Company to acknowledge and catalyze the growing importance of interdisciplinary teams to the understanding of cancer and/or the translation of research discoveries into clinical cancer applications. Proactive interaction between academic and industry researchers is particularly crucial to continue progress and accelerate drug development.
In addition, through the presentation of this Award, the AACR and Eli Lilly seek to effect change within the traditional cancer research culture by recognizing those institutions that value and foster interdisciplinary team science. These institutions will have demonstrated their support of a team science environment by creating mechanisms to enhance the required infrastructure, such as through pilot funding, technology transfer offices, shared resources, etc., and by presenting awards, honors, appointments, and promotions to those who participate in interdisciplinary teams.
The AACR Team Science Award will recognize an outstanding interdisciplinary research team for its innovative and meritorious science that has advanced or likely will advance our fundamental knowledge of cancer or a team that has applied existing knowledge to advance the detection, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of cancer.
The team selected to receive the Fifth Annual AACR Team Science Award will collectively be awarded a prize of $50,000 and be recognized during the AACR Annual Meeting 2011 in Orlando, FL, USA (April 2-6 2011). The representative institutions will be cited at the AACR Annual Meeting for their leadership role in fostering team science.
Eligibility Criteria
* For the purpose of this Award, a team is comprised of independent faculty-level researchers providing complementary interdisciplinary expertise, each of whom have made separate substantive and quantifiable contributions to the research being recognized.
* Team members may be working within the same institution or at several institutions; however, if researchers are in the same institution, they must have clearly separate funding and research space.
* The research to be recognized should reflect work towards a specific scientific goal that otherwise would not be realized by any single component of the team.
* Candidacy is open to all cancer researchers who are affiliated with any institution involved in cancer research, cancer medicine, or cancer-related biomedical science anywhere in the world. Such institutions include those in academia, industry, or government.
* Teams comprising academic and industry researchers will be accepted.
Nomination Package
Nominations may be made by any scientist, whether an AACR member or nonmember, who is now or has been affiliated with any institution involved in cancer research, cancer medicine, or cancer-related biomedical science (corresponding nominator). Any member of a team may serve as the corresponding nominator.
Nominations must be submitted electronically to https://proposalcentral.altum.com, no later than 4:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time on Thursday, September 30, 2010. Paper nominations will not be accepted.
A complete nomination package must consist of the following:
* the contact information of the corresponding nominator;
* a list of all members of the team, their professional titles and affiliations, with a description of each member's substantive and quantifiable contribution to the team;
* indication of the primary concentration of research area;
* 50-word summary statement of the research accomplishment or accomplishments for which the team is being nominated;
* a narrative, of no more than 3,000 words, describing in-depth the research accomplishment or accomplishments for which the team is being nominated as well as the significance and impact of the research, with no more than twelve (12) relevant publications referenced within the narrative;
* a list of the publications referenced with the research narrative, with full citations (no more than 12);
* a narrative, of no more than 1,000 words, describing the value-added activities of the team and the coordination of the research across the multiple performance sites;
* a descriptive list of institutional support of the team, such as pilot funding, technology transfer offices, shared resources, etc.; and
* original signatures of all team members.
Biosketch for each team member with relevant references, written in English; and
Letters of endorsement from Dean, Department Head, or Director of all institutions represented by the team members, confirming support for the nomination and certifying contents of nomination package, written in English.
The original signature page of the nomination form must contain the original signatures of all team members. Photocopies are not acceptable.
The original signature page must be sent via mail, with a postmark no later than three business days following the nomination deadline, to:
American Association for Cancer Research
AACR Team Science Award Selection Committee
615 Chestnut Street, 17th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404
A nomination is not considered fully submitted until the corresponding nominator receives a confirmation e-mail from the AACR; confirmations will be sent within five business days.
Nomination Instructions
Will be available August 2010.
Selection
Nominations of teams will be considered by an Award Selection Committee of international cancer leaders appointed by the President of the AACR. After careful deliberations by the Award Selection Committee, their recommendations will be forwarded to the Executive Committee of the AACR for final consideration and decision. Selection of the Team Science Award winners will be made on the basis of the criteria listed above. No regard will be given to age, race, gender, nationality, geographic location, or religious or political views.
Questions?
Monique P. Eversley, Program Coordinator
+1 (267) 646-0576; awards@aacr.org
American Association for Cancer Research
17th Floor, 615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404
