Community Site Awards

Full RFA Document

Link to submit LOI on InfoReady will be added in mid-December.

These awards aim to broaden the depth and reach of clinical trials offered to cancer patients in Greater Minnesota. For 2025-26 funding cycle up to two grants will be awarded, each with a maximum award amount of $125,000 per grant. MNCCTN intends to award one grant each for Version A and Version B of the Community Site Awards, but may award any combination of versions as applications warrant. Awardees will be expected to work in partnership with the MNCCTN HUB team on development and implementation of the study. 

Proposed trials should be written specifically to be implemented across all MNCCTN’s community sites in Minnesota. 

• Version A is open only to applicants from MNCCTN clinical partners. 
  • Essentia Health
  • Sanford Health
  • Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium (MMCORC)
  • Mayo Clinic Health System
  • M Health Fairview
• Version B is open to all MNCCTN partners; research or clinical. 
  • Clinical partners as listed above
      and
  • Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
  • Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
  • The Hormel Institute

Proposal Requirements

Proposed projects must be cancer-related.

• Trials can involve any point in the spectrum of cancer care including prevention, screening, cancer control, and survivorship. Therapeutic trials proposed should be Phase 2 or Phase 3.

Proposed projects must be interventional. 

• Both treatment interventional and non-treatment interventional trials will be considered
• Data/specimen registries or observational only studies will not be considered
• Projects that could be considered Quality Improvement will not be funded. Proposed projects should not be oriented to site-specific operations to develop local administrative or logistical capabilities. 

Proposed projects must consider and leverage the unique characteristics of MNCCTN.

• Specifically, enroll Greater Minnesota residents.

Proposed projects are expected to be able to be implemented across all MNCCTN Partner sites. 

• Single site or single Partner projects will not be considered for this Community Site Award regardless of any future broader implementation. (Consider applying for the Single Site Pilot award.)  
• Awardees are expected to work with the HUB team and MNCCTN sites to ensure the project can be implemented as broadly as possible across network sites.
• Projects that are centrally conducted by study teams without significant involvement of the research personnel at MNCCTN sites are unlikely to be funded. MNCCTN prioritizes studies that make full use of the skills and local capabilities at our sites. Questions about what meaningful engagement looks like or the capabilities of MNCCTN sites can be addressed at the Informational Sessions or with the HUB team well in advance of application deadlines. 

Projects that are currently enrolling or are in the process of being funded will NOT be considered. 

Application Process & Deadlines

Letter of Intent. A letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted electronically via InfoReady. Letters of Intent are mandatory and due by Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM. Applicants may submit only one concept proposal as the PI. There is no limit on the number of proposals for faculty as collaborators. Applicants may not submit the same concept proposal to more than one MNCCTN funding mechanism. The LOI may reference planned collaboration(s) with other institution(s); however, none of the awarded funds will be transferred to these institutions.

LOI will be reviewed by the MNCCTN HUB team. Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent by early February 2025.

For more information on proposal requirements, timeline, review criteria, and more, view the full RFA document.

DEIJ Award

Full RFA Document

Link to submit LOI on InfoReady will be added in mid-December.

The DEIJ award funds a research project that is designed to address the cancer burden in a population or community historically underrepresented in cancer clinical research within the state of Minnesota. This funding is intended for researchers, collaborations, clinical sites, etc. that already have a well-developed research idea and plan.

For the 2025-26 cycle, one grant will be awarded, with a maximum award amount of $125,000. 

The MNCCTN HUB team is available to provide a variety of support to awardees and their study teams as needed. Awardees will be expected to work in partnership with the MNCCTN HUB team on development and implementation of the study as the project necessitates.

Applicants to this award are not required to be MNCCTN Partners. This RFA is open to current MNCCTN research and clinical partners as well as unaffiliated applicants. If an applicant would like to be paired with an academic investigator, please indicate so in the Letter of Intent.

Proposal Requirements

Proposed projects must be cancer-related.

• Trials can involve any point in the spectrum of cancer care including prevention, screening, cancer control, and survivorship. Therapeutic trials proposed should be Phase 2 or Phase 3.

Proposed projects must be interventional. 

• Both treatment interventional and non-treatment interventional trials will be considered
• Data/specimen registries or observational only studies will not be considered
• Projects that could be considered Quality Improvement will not be funded. Proposed projects should not be oriented to site-specific operations to develop local administrative or logistical capabilities. 

Projects must specifically address a cancer burden in a population or community historically underrepresented in cancer clinical research. 

Projects must take place within Minnesota and intend to recruit Minnesotan residents. 

• Projects funded by this award are not limited to a rural setting.
• Projects do not have to be available to open at current MNCCTN sites. 

Projects that are currently enrolling will NOT be considered. Projects that have not yet begun, but may have additional/complementary funding sources, may be considered.

Application Process & Timeline

Letter of Intent. A letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted electronically via InfoReady. Letters of Intent are mandatory and due by Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM. Applicants may submit only one concept proposal as the PI. There is no limit on the number of proposals for faculty as collaborators. Applicants may not submit the same concept proposal to more than one funding mechanism. The LOI may reference planned collaboration(s) with other institution(s); however, none of the awarded funds will be transferred to these institutions.

LOIs will be reviewed by the MNCCTN HUB team. Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent by early February 2025.

For more information on proposal requirements, timeline, review criteria, and more, view the full RFA document.

Single Site Pilot Award

Full RFA Document

Link to submit LOI on InfoReady will be added in mid-December.

This award aims to develop a research concept specifically developed for, or originating from, a community site from the planning and development through the piloting phase. Projects should have the intent to develop into a multi-site clinical trial and successful projects will be eligible for additional funding. 

For the 2025-26 funding cycle, up to one will be awarded with a maximum award amount of $50,000. 

This award is open to applicants from MNCCTN clinical partners only:

• Essentia Health
• Sanford Health
• Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium (MMCORC)
• Mayo Clinic Health System
• M Health Fairview

Please reach out to the HUB with any questions regarding whether you are eligible to apply for this award.

Proposal Requirements

Proposed projects must be cancer-related.

• Trials can involve any point in the spectrum of cancer care including prevention, screening, cancer control, and survivorship. Therapeutic trials proposed should be Phase 2 or Phase 3.

Proposed projects must be interventional.

• Both treatment interventional and non-treatment interventional trials will be considered.
• Data/specimen registries or observational only studies will not be considered.
• Projects that could be considered Quality Improvement will not be funded. Proposed projects should not be oriented to site-specific operations to develop local administrative or logistical capabilities. 

Proposed projects should consider and leverage the unique characteristics of MNCCTN.

• Specifically, enroll Greater Minnesota residents

Proposed projects are expected to be implemented at a single MNCCTN site, or across a single Partner’s sites only, and must be designed with the intention of future implementation network-wide.

Projects that are currently enrolling or are in the process of being funded will NOT be considered.

Application Process & Deadlines

Letter of Intent. A letter of Intent (LOI) must be submitted electronically via InfoReady. Letters of Intent are mandatory and due by Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM. Applicants may submit only one concept proposal as the PI. There is no limit on the number of proposals for faculty as collaborators. Applicants may not submit the same concept proposal to more than one funding mechanism. The LOI may reference planned collaboration(s) with other institution(s); however, none of the awarded funds will be transferred to these institutions.

LOIs will be reviewed by the MNCCTN HUB team. Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent by early February 2025.

For more information on proposal requirements, timeline, review criteria, and more, view the full RFA document.

Discovery & Planning Grant

Full RFA Document

Link to submit proposal on InfoReady will be added in mid-December.

This award offers funding to develop a community-driven research concept by partnering with an identified community to learn about their cancer-related needs and, working collaboratively with the community, develop potential strategies to address those needs. The completion of the project should result in a collaboratively developed research proposal that could be pilot tested with the identified community. Successful projects may employ many strategies including local data collection, background research, and coalition building. 

For the 2025-26 funding cycle, up to two will be awarded, each with a maximum award amount of $20,000 per grant. This award is open to applicants from all of MNCCTN’s clinical and research partners.
 

Proposal Requirements

• Proposed projects must be cancer-related and based in Minnesota.
• Proposed projects must identify intended community groups, organizations, or other stakeholders for the planning.  Outline a clear plan for meaningful partner engagement in the project, including the development of the research proposal.
• Proposed projects must include a letter of support from the community partner(s).
• Proposed projects will result in the development of a research proposal that can be piloted with the identified community.
• Proposed projects must include a plan for sharing planning and project findings with key community partners and stakeholders.
• Proposed projects that are currently underway will not be considered. Projects that have not yet begun, but may have additional/complementary funding sources, may be considered. 

Application Process & Deadlines

Proposal Submission. Full proposals are due by Sunday, March 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM. Proposals will be submitted electronically via InfoReady. Budgets must be submitted in the template provided in InfoReady. Applicants may submit only one concept proposal as the PI. There is no limit on the number of proposals for faculty as collaborators. The proposal may reference planned collaboration(s) with other institution(s); however, none of the awarded funds will be transferred to these institutions.

Proposals will be reviewed by MNCCTN’s Trial Review Subcommittee who will make recommendations to the MNCCTN Steering Committee. Applicants will have a chance to review feedback from these groups and potentially address it in an application revision. The MNCCTN Steering Committee will make the final funding decision. All applicants will be notified of their funding status by mid-June 2025.

For more information on proposal requirements, timeline, review criteria, and more, view the full RFA document.

Literature Review Scholarship

Full RFA Document

Application

This award aims to provide access to the scholarly journals and background materials needed in order to:

• Develop a clinical trial protocol,
• Develop a research project proposal or guidelines,
• Develop a community project proposal or guidelines, or
• Deepen knowledge about a specific area of cancer clinical trials in order to improve ongoing work through MNCCTN.
   

MNCCTN will award up to 5 Literature Review Scholarships (Scholarship) on an ongoing and as needed basis to:

• MNCCTN team members at our Partner and site locations,
• Individuals working with MNCCTN in another long-term capacity, or
• Individuals at non-MNCCTN organizations that are providing clinical services serving Minnesotans.

The scholarship will provide the awardee with a 12 month “Person of Interest” account at the University of Minnesota which provides access to UMN Library resources. Library resources include online books and journals and in-person library access on all campuses.
 

Application Requirements & Process

Research concepts must be cancer-related and can involve any point in the spectrum of cancer care including prevention, screening, cancer control, and survivorship. Applicants must not already have access through their work to comprehensive scholarly journals and resources.

Applications are open and will be reviewed and awarded on an on-going basis. No more than 5 awards will be awarded at any given time. Applications consist of: 

• Letter of Interest (1 page max.)

  • Describe the cancer-related topic and need for library access

  • Outline the trial protocol concept, project proposal, or how the new information will be used 

  • Define the short and long-term goals of the project

• Letter of Support (1 page max.)

  • Demonstrating knowledge of and support for the protocol concept from either 

    • Applicant’s MNCCTN Operations Committee member or site Principal Investigator 

    • A stakeholder or partner in the proposed project who is not a member of the MNCCTN HUB Team

  • Contact Information: Full name, address, phone number, date of birth, and email

For further details and information, view the full RFA document.

Except for the Literature Review award, all Letters of Intent and Applications will be entered through UMN's InfoReady system. The Literature Review application is via SmartSheets. Links to submit for each award are available in the award descriptions above.

Maybe, but it depends on the award. Funding is available only for studies enrolling in Minnesota. Reach out to us for more information.

Applications will be judged based on applicant experience and not on credentials. All qualified and appropriate applicants will be considered.

Five studies have been funded so far. More information on each study is available in the section below.

Depends on the grant, the full RFA documents for each award (linked in the award descriptions above) should explain this. If there are questions, reach out to us at [email protected].

Awards will be offered semi-regularly, but some may not be offered every year.

Each RFA document has more information. No strict definition, but expectation is that these studies are community-driven and awards will be reviewed on the plan for the engagement of the community.

Generally, this is considered by us to be those who are historically underrepresented in cancer clinical research. This is relatively broad, but the application should include significance of the study to the intended population.

Quality improvement or administrative-related studies will not be funded. If your idea is in a grey area, email us to discuss details at [email protected].

Resources and support can be provided. Reach out to us at [email protected] if this will be required.