New BMBF Initiative Supports Collaborative Research on Tumour Heterogeneity
As part of the overarching initiative National Decade Against Cancer, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF – Federal Ministry for Education and Research) has issued a new call for proposals for collaborative research projects on research questions in the field of tumour heterogeneity, clonal tumour evolution and therapy resistance. Projects must bring together multiple top-level research organisations in a consortium.
Funded consortia will consist of five to nine experimental, theoretical and clinical working groups which work on different thematic areas. This may include clinical oncology, cancer genomics, developmental biology, evolution biology, biochemistry, biophysics, biostatistics or bioinformatics. Working groups may span across multiple institutions and should ideally be interdisciplinary in nature.
To be considered for funding, consortia must address the following three aspects and develop a suitable framework which will link up the individual projects through a coherent research hypothesis:
Methods for the Investigation of Tumour Heterogeneity: Development, Refinement, Validation.
Mechanisms of Tumour Heterogeneity: Identification, Analysis, Evaluation from a Clinical Perspective.
Personalised Treatment Concepts: Development, Refinement and Evaluation.
For the current call, BMBF intends select one or two consortia for funding.
Eligible for funding are public and private institutions of higher education, non-educational research institutions and commercial businesses in Germany. The involvement of foreign research institutions is possible, however organisations outside Germany are generally not eligible for BMBF funding and will need to obtain local funding.
Funding is initially granted for a period of up to three years. This may be renewed following the evaluation of the project. The maximum overall funding period is five years. Institutions of higher education and research institutions are eligible for full funding of project-related costs.
To apply, interested parties are initially required to submit an outline proposal. The application process also includes oral presentations for shortlisted consortia. Finally, selected consortia will then be invited to submit a formal funding application to BMBF.
The deadline for the submission of proposals is 27 April 2021.
More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.