DoD Prostate Cancer, Health Equity Research and Outcomes Improvement Consortium Award

Description

The FY21 PCRP Health Equity Research and Outcomes Improvement Consortium (HEROIC) Award supports a synergistic, multi-institutional collaboration incorporating innovative and translational approaches that have the potential to make a major impact on specific FY21 PCRP Overarching Challenges. Therefore, all applications are required to address one or both of the following FY21 PCRP Overarching Challenges:• Improve quality of life to enhance outcomes and overall health and wellness for those impacted by prostate cancerApplications should aim to understand the impact of prostate cancer on quality of life for the cancer survivor, their family, caregivers, and their community with the goal of improving and enhancing quality of life and overall health and wellness. Studies should consider both short- and long-term quality of life outcomes. Areas of particular interest include:o The mental and emotional health of patients and their families/caregiverso Impact of quality of life considerations on decision-making after diagnosis and/or treatmento Identification of vulnerable groups of men and their families at great risk of quality of life detrimentso Translation of factors or interventions that improve quality of life outcomes and overall health and wellness• Advance Health Equity and Reduce Disparities in Prostate CancerApplications must be directly relevant to the better understanding and/or reduction of inequities and disparities that impact a person, their family, or their caregiver's ability to prevent, detect, manage, and survive prostate cancer.Inequities may arise from socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity, geography, environment, lifestyle, sexual and/or gender identification, access to care (in rural or urban settings), or other factors.Health inequities may include physical, mental, or emotional health differences, as well as social and financial differences experienced primarily in high-risk or underserved prostate cancer patients.High-risk populations include, but are not limited to, people of African descent (including Caribbean), genetically predisposed populations, Service Members, and Veterans.Underserved populations include, but are not limited to, men with limited access to clinical care and resources (in rural or urban settings), and sexual and/or gender minorities.Each application must outline and identify all key members of the consortium, which must include four to six Research Teams total; one Research Team will be led by a Consortium Director, and the remaining three to five Research Teams will be led by Research Team Principal Investigators (PIs). A minimum of three institutions must be represented. The consortium must include leading scientists and/or clinicians who have specific expertise related to prostate cancer, health disparities, and/or survivorship research or other areas of expertise related to addressing the overarching theme of the proposal. All consortia must include at least one prostate cancer consumer advocate that has an active role in every aspect of the proposed consortium’s work.Consortia funding will be offered in two phases. Phase 1 of the HEROIC Award will enable the consortium to lay the groundwork for the research effort, including the conduct of preliminary research projects to demonstrate proof of concept of the proposed central hypothesis. Phase 2 of the HEROIC Award will enable the execution of the full research effort, including multiple, parallel projects supported by the preliminary data generated in phase 1, which approach the research problem from a variety of perspectives. Phase 1 awardees will be eligible to compete for phase 2 funding in FY23 pending availability of funds. It is the program’s intent that all phase 1 recipients will receive phase 2 funding pending successful achievement of phase 1 goals.Phase 1 HEROIC Award: The first phase of funding is intended to provide the initial support necessary to establish the infrastructure of the consortium and conduct pilot studies that will generate preliminary data and demonstrate feasibility for achieving the aims of the completed project in phase 2. Key aspects of phase 1 HEROIC Award applications include the following:• Personnel: The HEROIC Award mechanism requires a multi-PI partnership between one Consortium Director and three to five Research Team PIs. The Consortium Director will be responsible for the majority of the administrative tasks associated with application submission. All PIs should contribute significantly to the development of the proposed research project, including the Project Narrative, Statement of Work (SOW), and other required components. If recommended for funding, each PI will be named to an individual award within the recipient organization. For individual submission requirements for the Consortium Director and Research Team PIs, refer to II.D.2.b.i Step 2: Full Application GuidelinesThe Consortium Director is expected to have experience in successfully leading the design, administration, and management of multi-institutional research projects. The Consortium Director should create an environment that facilitates the advancement of translational research efforts while also fostering and supporting innovation and creativity, with consistent, intensive interaction with the Research Teams in a way that engages all members of the consortium in all aspects of the research projects. Research Teams in this consortium should be comprised of scientists and/or clinicians who have made significant contributions to the field of prostate cancer or who have specific expertise related to health disparities or survivorship or other areas of expertise related to the research project. All team members should be integrally involved throughout the planning and implementation of the research project.This award encourages the establishment of new collaborations. If support for a pre-existing consortium is proposed, then it should be apparent why the Research Teams collectively represent the best group to address the proposed research question. Each Research Team is encouraged to consider including promising Early-Career Investigators (within 5 years of their last postdoctoral research position [Ph.D.], clinical fellowship [M.D.], or equivalent), scientists from nontraditional disciplines, and/or Epidemiologists/Public Health Experts, where appropriate, to enhance the consortium’s efforts.• Consumer advocate involvement: The consortium must include at least one prostate cancer consumer advocate. The consumer advocate(s) are expected to represent the perspective of the patient population(s) that are most relevant to the consortium’s proposed research, and therefore should be from a recognized advocacy organization or have demonstrated prior contributions toward efforts to address prostate cancer issues in the populations of interest. The prostate cancer consumer advocate(s) must have an active role in every aspect of the proposed consortium’s work, including consortium conception and design, ongoing discussion, decisions and oversight, program evaluation, and dissemination of information to the public. The consumer advocate(s) must be integrated into and play an active role in the leadership and decision-making committees for the consortium. Examples of appropriate integration include membership on advisory board(s) and steering committee(s), participation in project/aim teams, and attendance at all consortium-related meetings.• Infrastructure development: Support must be utilized to develop key infrastructure elements necessary for successful conduct of collaborative, multi-institutional projects by the end of phase 1, including but not limited to:o Develop the infrastructure of the consortium (e.g., building appropriate collaborations, outlining an administrative and management plan, developing a research and communication plan, and devising an intellectual property plan) and a multi-institutional research team inclusive of scientists, clinicians, and prostate cancer consumer advocate(s).o Acquire research resources, patient cohorts, and/or datasets that will be needed for current or future consortium projects.o Develop a plan to disseminate information regarding the procurement and distribution of data and/or biospecimens to the non-consortium prostate cancer research community.o Prepare documents for obtaining approvals from local Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), as applicable.o Develop informed consent forms, as applicable.• Pilot projects: Applications must outline and describe the pilot projects that will be conducted during the phase 1 award. Proposed pilot projects are intended to demonstrate proof of concept and provide preliminary data that will demonstrate the feasibility of achieving the aims that are planned for phase 2 funding. Additional pilot projects to explore innovative approaches to address the hypothesis may also be included. Preliminary data to support the feasibility of the research hypotheses and research approaches and/or the clinical relevance of the idea may be included, but are not required. Clinical trials are not allowed. Applicants must submit a statistical plan that includes a preliminary power analysis that reflects sample size projections that will answer the hypothesis and/or objectives of the proposed project (if applicable). It is expected that the research and statistical plan and power analysis will be updated based on the pilot study data for the FY23 phase 2 HEROIC Award application.Note: An invited oral presentation is a requirement for review of phase 1 HEROIC Award applications at the programmatic review level, as described in Section II.D, Full Application Submission Content.Phase 2 HEROIC Award: The following is an initial description of the scope and intent of the planned phase 2 HEROIC Award, which may be offered by the PCRP in FY23 to further support these research efforts. The i

Eligibility

Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 99. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.

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