Funding Opportunities

Re-Issuance of Program Announcement “Developmental Projects in Complementary Approaches to Cancer Care” (PA-06-400)

In an ongoing effort to help promote dialogue and collaboration between CAM practitioners and conventional cancer researchers, as well as promote research focusing on complementary approaches in cancer, program announcement (PA-06-400) “Developmental Projects in Complementary Approaches to Cancer Care” has been re-issued for a second time.

Originally released in December 2001, this program announcement soliciting grant applications was generated by OCCAM and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to encourage and support the development of basic and clinical complementary cancer research. The support for exploratory/developmental projects through these R21 grants is intended to provide the basis for more extended research projects by establishing the methodological feasibility, strengthening the scientific rationale for these projects, and allowing the collection of data. This announcement is also intended to attract the entry of promising investigators into research of these topics.

Examples of applicable complementary approaches include, but are not limited to nutritional approaches, natural products, mind-body approaches, energy therapies, herbal medicines, and interventions based on medical systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurvedic medicine.

For additional information including topics of programmatic interest and contact information for inquiries, please view the complete announcement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-400.html.

Looking for Non-NIH Funding?

OCCAM Builds Cancer CAM Research Funding Database

One of the biggest obstacles associated with the field of cancer CAM research is in finding funding. Although there exists a recognized process for applying for federal funds, there is a plethora of non-federal funding sources that are not as easy to locate or identify. The difficulty in finding non-federal funding can then, in turn, be a barrier to obtaining federal funding for foundational or exploratory research. Non-federal funding is often needed to back preliminary research that aids in providing proof of concept required to acquire larger-scale grants from NIH.

To assist cancer CAM researchers in identifying potential funding sources for their proposed projects, OCCAM has developed a directory of non-federal funding sources, which will eventually be converted into a database called the Cancer CAM Research Funding Database. Both the directory and database will contain contact information, organizational characteristics, an overview of the organizations funding programs/processes, and the particular CAM funding interests of a growing number of foundations, advocacy groups, non-federal government organizations, and private sector organizations.

To be included in this new funding resource, organizations must meet two criteria:

• Open Grant Application Process- accepts investigator submitted grant applications
• Interest in cancer and/or CAM research- accepts grant applications for cancer CAM research

“When we ask researchers what we can do to help them, grant funding is always at the top of the list. Often, even fairly small amounts of funds can allow a researcher to get critical data which can improve the quality and competitiveness of an application to NIH. Investigators of large, research-intense institutions may have access to information about a range of funding sources, but for smaller centers, this information may not be as easy to come by. This database will provide unique information for researchers looking to have their cancer CAM research financially supported,” Dr. Jeffrey D. White, OCCAM Director said of the new database.

The Cancer CAM Research Funding Database will replace the directory upon completion of design and construction. To access this temporary directory, please visit the OCCAM Web site at http://cam.cancer.gov/research/funding_opportunities.htm.