• All full-time faculty are eligible to apply to the Basser External Research Grant Program.
• The proposed research cannot be funded through an existing or prior peer-reviewed national research grant (e.g., NIH, ACS, DOD or other equivalent funding sources).
• Non-faculty (e.g., residents, fellows) are not eligible.
• Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania are not eligible.
• International applications are welcomed.

To ensure a competitive and efficient review process, this RFA will include a mandatory, competitive Letter of Intent (LOI) phase. All prospective applicants must submit an LOI.

The LOI should include:

• Brief project description and objectives
• Target population or focus area
• Organizational capacity and experience
• Estimated budget range
• Alignment with RFA priorities

LOI must be a maximum of two pages, single-spaced, 11-point font, 1-inch margins. LOIs will be competitively reviewed, and only applicants invited through this process will be eligible to submit a full application. There will be no feedback provided during this review process.

Instructions:

1. Applicants must use the Basser Center for BRCA Application Form.
    
2. Only one application will be accepted per investigator. Investigators may not be Co-PI on more than one application.
    
3. Applications must be submitted through the online portal.
   • Under the “Basic Info” tab, please provide the information requested. Standard NIH formatted Biosketches are sufficient.
   • Please provide the name of your Co-PI(s), if applicable.
     • EACH PI NEEDS TO BE REGISTERED IN THE ONLINE SUBMISSION SYSTEM, OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ENTER THEM INTO THE DATA FIELD.
   • Under the “Documents” tab, please upload your Research Proposal as one single PDF file, using the Basser Center for BRCA Application Form. 
      
4. Applications must include:
   • Abstract
   • Specific aims, not to exceed one page
   • Significance*
   • Background*
   • Research Plan*
   • References
   • Budget with justification
   • Facilities/Resources, not to exceed one page
   • Data sharing plan 
      
5. Formatting requirements: 11 font, single spaced, no less than ½ inch margins all around.
    
6. Page numbering is recommended, and should use sequential numbers, e.g., do not use 2a and 2b, etc.
    
7. Supplemental/Appendix material is limited to letters of support/collaboration and PDFs of papers in press and not yet publicly available. Any other additional material will be discarded.

*Note: Significance, Background and Research Plan must not exceed five total pages.

1. Awards will be administered through the Basser Center for BRCA, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

2. Total award amounts listed above may include up to 10% indirect costs.

3. Grant contract agreements will require sharing of any income resulting from the licensing of any invention(s) resulting from the work supported by these grants. The sharing of income will be proportional to the level of financial support provided by the Basser Center to the work that resulted in the licensed invention(s), and any income received will be re-invested in the Basser Center and related cancer research at Penn.

For questions relating to this RFA, please contact Heather Symecko, MPH, Basser Center for BRCA Executive Director of Administration, at basserinfo@pennmedicine.upenn.edu