Nigel Brockton
Earlier this month, 18 Grant Review Panel members met at the American Institute for Cancer Research office in Arlington, Virginia, to evaluate grant proposals addressing the effects of lifestyle choices on cancer risk and outcomes. These applications were submitted in response to AICR’s call for proposals to fund projects investigating the link between diet, physical activity, body composition, and cancer.
After opening the call for applications in late 2017, we received a diverse array of proposals from all over the Americas and a wide variety of research institutions. While the committee initially received more than 200 letters expressing interest in applying for the program and outlining the proposed projects, only 65 applicants were invited to submit full applications by myself, as Director of Research, and Drs. Chapkin and Lampe as Co-Chairs of the Grant Review Panel.
Due to the diversity of the applications that we received, the Grant Review Panel members must be equally diverse in their scientific backgrounds. In consultation with the Co-Chairs, we carefully selected a group of scientists who are independent of AICR for their help in determining which grants would have the greatest overall impact on the field of lifestyle choices in cancer research. The panel is constituted each year afresh with members from a wide variety of research institutions.
The Grant Review Panel strives to short-list proposals that are most relevant, innovative, and impactful. Only the strongest applications that offer the greatest potential to deliver new progress in the prevention of cancer, and improve outcomes through lifestyle modifications, will be funded to pursue their research. The process is highly competitive and rigorous. The Chair of Grant Panel, Dr. Robert Chapkin (Texas A&M University) talks here about the panel and its mission:
Over four decades, AICR has contributed more than 109$ million in supporting a pipeline of studies conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers. AICR’s latest grant cycle of awards will fund new research, scheduled to start in 2019.
