ESUN

Funding Sarcoma Research:
a Call for Grant Application Submissions

By Bruce Shriver, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, ESUN

The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative funds "seed grants" in sarcoma research. We anticipate that results from these "demonstration" or "starter" grants will provide results that will allow the investigator to apply for funding for a larger study. We are interested in a wide range of research topics. Some examples are: understanding the molecular biology of sarcomas; exploring "molecular targets" for new sarcoma therapies; studying chromosomal translocations, the oncogenes they generate and their role in sarcoma development; translational studies; studying vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and mTOR inhibitors; studying the use of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcomas; understanding the basis of radiation-induced sarcoma; modeling of the process of metastases; exploring the differences in the development of sarcomas in children, adolescents, young adults and adults; and research directed at the early detection and diagnosis of sarcoma. Other areas of research will be considered. You might want to look at our Funded Research page to read summaries of the grants that we have already funded.

Grants are typically awarded for a period of one year in the amount of $50,000 or $25,000. Grants can be used for the development of models, conducting experiments, development of sarcoma tissue registries, and similar activities involved in support of research into the causes, origins, development, molecular biology, diagnosis, and treatment of sarcoma. While not funding clinical trials, proposals that undertake studies with patients undergoing treatment on who are participating in an investigational study are considered and supported. We will consider grant applications that span two years of funding ($100,000 or $50,000), but the need for two years to conduct the study must be clearly justified in the proposal.

As our grants are small, they are not intended to support the salary of the investigator nor do they support the indirect costs of the investigator's institution. Investigators must provide a letter from their institution indicating agreement with these requirements with their grant application. The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative awards research grants to both U.S. and international applicants. The applicant's primary affiliation must be with a nonprofit institution. Grant applications can be submitted at any time. Applications are peer-reviewed by four researchers in as timely a manner as possible. This process typically takes 4-5 months. We require a 2-3 page summary of the results of the work at the end of the year and request that the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative's grant be acknowledged in any article submitted for publication in which results obtained from the research study are presented. A signed copy of the grant application along with the letter of compliance with this paragraph must be sent to us in order to enter the application into the grant review process. Additionally, electronic copies of the application and the relevant NIH bio-sketches must also be sent to us.

Please contact me if you would like a copy of our application form and include a paragraph describing your research project. There are no deadlines associated with the submission of a grant application. Each grant is reviewed on its own scientific merit.