At Susan G. Komen®, we are committed to ending breast cancer forever by empowering people, energizing science to find the cures and ensuring quality care for all people, everywhere. Our Research Program is an essential driving force for achieving this mission.
Komen has sustained a strong commitment to supporting projects and programs that will identify and deliver cures for breast cancer. This commitment has resulted in important progress that has contributed to major advances in breast cancer over the past 30 years. We began with a single grant for $28,000 in 1982. With increasing investments over time, now totaling nearly $755 million, Komen is the largest non-government funder of breast cancer research.
Our research focus has evolved over the years. In the beginning we focused on understanding the basic biology of breast cancer. As we learn more about the factors that make cancer cells grow and spread, we are able to invest more in the translation of this knowledge into treatment, early detection and prevention, with the goal of supporting work that has significant potential to lead to reductions in incidence and mortality within the decade.
As the global leader in the fight against breast cancer, we strive to identify the best science around the world. We are proud that we have funded research in the United States and 17 other countries. Applications are welcome from investigators anywhere across the globe.
Funding Opportunities
2013-14 (FY14) Requests for Applications
Thank you for your interest in the Komen Research Program. Komen anticipates announcing the availability of RFAs in July 2013 – our focus this year will be on grants for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career/junior faculty. Komen is committed finding and funding the most meritorious research that aligns with our mission to reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality within the decade.
2012-13 (FY13) Requests for Applications
Challenge Grants: Breast Cancer and the Environment
Seek to address key research needs in the field of environmental contributions to breast cancer risk. Susan G. Komen for the Cure and its Scientific Advisory Board requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) review the current evidence on environmental risk factors for breast cancer, consider gene-environment interactions in breast cancer, explore evidence-based actions that might reduce the risk of breast cancer, and recommend research needed in these areas. The full text of the IOM report may be downloaded here: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Breast-Cancer-and-the-Environment-A-Life-Course-Approach.aspx. At the conclusion of their report, the IOM issued 13 recommendations for further research, of which three have been chosen by the Komen Scientific Advisory Board as the subject of Challenge Grants.
Scientific Focus:
Studies of Occupational Cohorts and Other Highly Exposed Populations
New Exposure Assessment Tools
Minimizing Exposure to Ionizing Radiation
Challenge Grants - Investigator-Initiated Research
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
$1,000,000 combined direct and indirect costs; ($250,000 per year for up to 4 years)
IIR Grants seek to stimulate exploration of new ideas and novel approaches in breast cancer research and clinical practice that have the potential to lead to reductions in breast cancer incidence and mortality within the next decade.
RFA Released: August 6, 2012
Application system open date: August 6, 2012
Pre-Application Submission deadline: September 10, 2012
Challenge Grants - Career Catalyst Research
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
450,000 combined direct and indirect costs; ($150,000 per year for up to 3 years)
CCR Grants are open to scientists who have held faculty positions for no more than six years at the time of full application to achieve research independence.
RFA Released: August 6, 2012
Application system open date: August 6, 2012
Pre-Application Submission deadline: September 10, 2012
Investigator-Initiated Research (IIR)
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
$1,000,000 combined direct and indirect costs; ($250,000 per year for up to 4 years)
IIR Grants seek to stimulate exploration of new ideas and novel approaches in breast cancer research and clinical practice that have the potential to lead to reductions in breast cancer incidence and mortality within the next decade.
Scientific Focus:
Prevention/Early Detection: New Strategies for Early Detection
Novel Therapeutics and/or Resistance: Therapeutic Implications of Tumor Genomics
Biology of Breast Cancer: Implications of the Immune System in Breast Cancer Biology
Disparities in Breast Cancer Outcomes: Outcomes of Specific Populations after Diagnosis
RFA Released: August 6, 2012
Application system open date: August 6, 2012
Pre-Application Submission deadline: September 10, 2012
Career Catalyst Research (CCR)
NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
$450,000 combined direct and indirect costs; ($150,000 per year for up to 3 years)
CCR Grants are open to scientists who have held faculty positions for no more than six years at the time of full application to achieve research independence.
Research Areas:
CCRs provide support for hypothesis-driven research projects that have significant potential to advance our understanding of breast cancer and lead to reductions in breast cancer incidence and/or mortality within the next decade. Studies focusing on quality of life or survivorship issues are not appropriate for this mechanism.
RFA Release Date: August 6, 2012
Application system open date: August 6, 2012
Pre-Application Submission deadline: September 10, 2012
Komen Review Process
Susan G. Komen for the Cure® utilizes a multi-step approach to application submission and review that requires submission of a pre-application and submission of a full application upon invitation only. Pre-applications are first administratively reviewed for eligibility, adherence to formatting requirements, and responsiveness to the RFA. Applications that do not meet eligibility, formatting, or responsiveness requirements will be administratively withdrawn and will not be reviewed or scored. Qualified pre-applications are then referred to Committee to be peer reviewed by three scientists with appropriate expertise and a patient advocate reviewer. Scientist and advocate reviewers assess the strengths and weaknesses of each pre-application based on the review criteria defined in each RFA.
Only applicants with pre-applications deemed most meritorious and aligned with Komen's research mission will be invited to submit full applications. It is anticipated that full applications will be invited from approximately 20-25% of the initial group of applications.
All institutions and industry partners must agree to adhere to Komen's Policies and Procedures for Research and Training Grants.
Questions? Contact the Komen Research Programs Help Desk at helpdesk@komengrantsaccess.org
Previous Research Grants
The following grants are not being offered for funding in the 2012-2013 (FY13) cycle:
Promise Grants
Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF)
Post Baccalaureate Training in Disparities Research (PBT-DR)
If you have questions or concerns about your pre-application result, please send a detailed email to helpdesk@komengrantsaccess.org and your concerns will be addressed.
