March research redesign update

March 17, 2011

Dear Research Community Colleagues,

Over the past 10 months, the CCSRI has been undergoing an in-depth evaluation and redesign of our research programs to ensure we continue to fund excellent, innovative research. We know that making an impact in the fight against cancers is as important to the research community as it is to the Canadian Cancer Society.

As we get closer to finalizing the new research portfolio, we would like to share the following important update with you.

• The current research program is being evaluated and redesigned in order to:

        o align with the goals of the new CCS strategic plan

        o be more fiscally flexible and sustainable within current revenue projections

        o respect the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) pan-Canadian cancer research strategy

• The redesign of the CCSRI research portfolio has been a very consultative and iterative process, involving critical advice and input from the following:

        o Advisory Committee on Research

        o Working groups of expert scientists from across Canada

        o Leadership from research institutions, CIHR and other funding agencies

        o Research Cabinet (composed of Executive Leadership Team and ACOR subgroups)

        o Executive Leadership Team

        o National Board of Directors

• The new core research portfolio will be designed around the three organizational Ends, or long-term goals, of the CCS which are to

        1. Reduce cancer incidence

        2. Reduce cancer mortality

        3. Improve the quality of life for those living with and beyond cancer

• Additional flexible program elements will be developed and prioritized to take advantage of revenue-generating opportunities as they arise
• A key message from our consultations with the three broad research communities that serve those three Ends was that they are in different stages of development and maturity, and have different needs and priorities:

        o End 1 (risk reduction and prevention research): build capacity

        o End 2 (basic biomedical and translational research): sustain excellence and support innovation

        o End 3 (quality of life research, QOL): bring focus to have impact

• The new research portfolio will therefore have a larger diversity of programs to address these specific priorities
• The primary goal of the End 1 research strategy is to create a more cohesive and coordinated national risk reduction and prevention research program. This program will:

        o incorporate the CCSRI Prevention Initiative, CCSRI major research initiatives  and regional Division activities

        o emphasize building Canadian capacity in important gap areas of risk reduction research

        o facilitate the research-policy-practice continuum

        o include an expert scientific oversight committee with linkage to our high-level strategic advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Research (ACOR)

        o establish a CCS leadership position in risk reduction research, facilitating partnerships where appropriate

• The primary goal of the End 2 research strategy is to build on the considerable strengths of the biomedical/translational research community by continuing to support open investigator-initiated research. The new program is designed to support a scientific idea “pipeline” with a two-tier grant system that brackets the traditional operating grants offered by CIHR:

        o Innovation grants

            - support more innovative, creative problem solving in cancer research (high risk/high reward)

            - smaller and shorter than traditional operating grants

            - emphasize strong scientific excellence and innovation

        o Impact grants

            - support paradigm-shifting research programs in the continuum from basic discovery to clinical application

            - longer term and larger size than traditional operating grants

            - emphasize strong scientific excellence, program progression, and potential impact (short or long term) on patients and populations

• The primary goal of the End 3 research strategy is to have targeted, investigator-initiated competitions in QOL research that will address priority areas determined in consultation with the research community. This program will:

        o establish a scientific oversight committee with linkage to ACOR to help determine research priorities and recommend specific programs

        o initially focus on survivorship research

        o emphasize knowledge translation by providing an evidence base to support delivery of the most effective programs to enhance the QOL of cancer survivors and their families

Next Steps

•  The CCSRI plans to stage the implementation of this new core research portfolio over the next two years
• Draft program descriptions providing more detailed descriptions of the proposed Innovation and Impact grants will be posted on the CCSRI website in mid-April
• It is anticipated that final Innovation and Impact grant program announcements will be made in June 2011, with initial funding to begin in 2012 (Innovation) and 2013 (Impact)
• As the new research program will supersede the current CCSRI research program, the October 15th research grants competition will no longer be offered, and is not planned for 2011
• All current grant commitments will be honoured throughout the transition from the current program to the new program

Our new research portfolio will be more innovative, it will build on our strengths as an organization and as a country, it will differentiate the Canadian Cancer Society within the cancer research environment and among cancer charities, it will excite the public and help us raise more money for research, and above all it will have an impact on cancer patients and populations.

Armed with this new research portfolio we hope to continue to engage you as scientists, but also as volunteers, spokespeople and donors.

As we finalize the new research portfolio and program descriptions, we will continue to post updates on our website, and communicate directly to you through emails.  As details are posted, we encourage you to provide us with feedback, and to use our website to post comments or suggestions. Our connection and engagement with all of you is a critical part of the success of CCSRI and something we strongly value.

The CCSRI would welcome feedback from the research community on our upcoming research program redesign. Please contact the CCSRI at ccsri_queries@cancer.ca or provide comments below.

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November research redesign update - November 17. 2010

Open letter to the research community - June 28, 2010

Last modified on:  28 June 2011

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