Cancer Grand Challenges, a funding initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), brings together a community of diverse, world-class researchers to tackle cancer’s toughest challenges. Researchers, patient advocates and the public are invited to submit ideas to shape its next round of funding and to help drive vital progress against cancer.
“Cancer Grand Challenges aims to identify challenges that truly capture the imagination of the research community and then, to make progress against them. But we need input and ideas from across the world,” said Professor Sir David Lane, Chair of the Cancer Grand Challenges Scientific Committee. “Issuing this public call for submissions for ideas around the toughest challenges in cancer research, will help to shape our next round of funding.”
Cancer Research UK has been funding Cancer Grand Challenges since 2015, and they have seen teams make incredible discoveries. This will be the second round of teams to be funded under the new NCI partnership, which has taken the initiative to a completely different scale, increasing the scope, depth and breadth of research undertaken.
Empowering the global research community
The challenge consultation aims to identify a selection of challenges which, if solved, could revolutionize how we approach the disease. This is a unique opportunity to shape cancer research funding on a global scale. In addition to Cancer Research UK and the NCI, other partners for round three of the initiative include The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.
“Cancer Grand Challenges is about partnership, innovation and worldwide collaboration. Bringing together investigators from around the world will generate new approaches and perspectives across the cancer research continuum that should yield major advances in our understanding of cancer,” said Dinah S. Singer, Ph.D., NCI Deputy Director for Scientific Strategy and Development. “Cancer Grand Challenges takes us beyond what can be supported through more traditional mechanisms. We now look to the global cancer research community for their insights to help identify new challenges that can further our knowledge.”
Submission details
The submission portal opened October 24, 2022, and closes November 28, 2022. For more information and to submit a challenge through the portal, visit https://cancergrandchallenges.org/Challenge-Consultation .
The final shortlisted challenges will be announced in March 2023, with teams invited to apply for $25 million in funding.
About Cancer Grand Challenges
Co-founded in 2020 by two of the largest funders of cancer research in the world: Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges supports a global community of diverse, world-class research teams to come together, think differently and take on some of cancer’s toughest challenges. These are the obstacles that continue to impede progress and no one scientist, institution or country will be able to solve them alone. With awards of up to $25M, Cancer Grand Challenges teams are empowered to rise above the traditional boundaries of geography and discipline to make the progress against cancer we urgently need.