Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology

Transcription

1 ARC Foundation Call for proposals 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology Letter of intent submission deadline: July 8 th, Background and Objectives To heighten France's competitiveness and extend its international renown in the field of cancerology, it is essential that the skills already present in the country be strengthened and enriched through programmes that welcome top-tier researchers and help them establish in France. To develop and revitalise research potential in the field of cancer, all key players involved in the fight against the disease, from donor agencies to research laboratories and research funding bodies, should be committed unanimously. ARC Foundation for Cancer Research is France's leading foundation dedicated entirely to research on cancer. It supports work in all areas of cancerology research (prevention, screening, diagnosis, etiology, treatment, post-cancer, etc.), from fundamental to clinical research, as well as in epidemiology and economic and social human sciences. In particular, ARC Foundation is interested in research likely to speed up discoveries and discovery transfer processes, and bring about new treatments and new preventive and therapeutic approaches. For several years now, in line with its Scientific Board and Scientific Strategy Committee, ARC Foundation has emphasised improving the attractiveness of France's research structures as an integral and high-priority part of its scientific strategy. Through recurring calls for proposals (referred to as CFPs), ARC Foundation is committed to attracting new scientific talents to France, so that they establish their research teams and develop the most innovative projects. Under previous CFPs, two internationally-renowned researchers have already been able to establish their teams in French research structures: Angelos Constantinou, at Institut de Génétique Humaine in Montpellier, and Dmitry Bulavin, at Institut de Recherche sur le Cancer et le Vieillissement in Nice. In 2015, in order to carry this momentum forward, ARC Foundation is re-opening the "Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology" CFP, so that, from as early as 2016, a top-tier researcher from a foreign country can establish in France. ARC Foundation will provide the researcher with the resources needed to establish his/her team in the country and develop a major project in a world-class French research structure interested in stepping up its research in the field of cancer. The Foundation wishes in particular to encourage translational bench-to-bedside and/or bedside-to-bench research so as to improve knowledge of the main pathological processes in play and turn basic scientific results into therapeutic actions for patients. Under this CFP, ARC Foundation will dedicate up to 1.5 million over a five-year period to help the researcher and his/her team establish in the country, and implement their research project. The host structure, meanwhile, will commit to providing a work space, working resources and a technological environment suited to the project's execution needs. ARC Foundation CFP 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology 1/5

2 2. Details of the call for proposals The CFP will be run in three stages: Stage I: ARC Foundation selects research structures based on letters of intent French research structures submit their proposals for hosting a world-class researcher from abroad. The research team's presence must contribute to the host structure's development in the field of cancerology and be consistent with ARC Foundation's strategic priorities. Stage II: Research structures identify their candidate The selected structures select a candidate in line with their needs, as well as with the criteria of the CFP. Stage III: ARC Foundation makes its final decision on the project team's future host structure: ARC Foundation selects the most ambitious and innovative team implantation project, which will be financed under the CFP. 2.1 Research structure selection This CFP is aimed at French research structures composed of internationally-renowned teams offering the critical mass necessary to this programme's ambition. The host structures wishing to develop and step up their research potential in the field of cancer will file a letter of intent presenting their project for the implementation of a new team. It is expected that the host structures make substantial commitments to guarantee the team and research project the best hosting conditions, including: - allotting at least 50 m 2 of immediately-operational work space in line with the project's specific needs and size of the team (specifically dedicated work space and offices); - allotting sufficient human resources given the project's needs (PhD. grants, post-doctoral fellowships, technical staff, etc.); - allotting material resources (running costs and small equipments) as part of the project; - facilitating access to the site's shared services and technological platforms (technical assistance, usage time, etc.). 2.2 Candidates are short-listed by the research structures The "Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology" CFP is aimed at researchers recognised for their scientific career and world-class quality, able to form their own team and conduct their research project independently. The research structures will be responsible for identifying the candidate whom they will propose in Stage 3. The candidate short-listing procedure, which will be clearly set out in the letter of intent, must be international and based on competition. The position advertisement published by the prospective host structures will describe the CFP's background and include the selection criteria as set out in Paragraph 3.3. (The Foundation's logo, which must be included in the advertisement, will be addressed to the research structures short-listed during Stage 1). Important: The candidates selected by the research structures must hold a position at a foreign structure by the closing date for the submission (27/01/2016). 2.3 Research project final Selection The candidate and research structure will work together in coordination to draft the project. The new team's positioning in the research structure and added value of the team's establishing itself in France should be clearly set out in the complete application. In addition, the financial request will include a clearly substantiated and detailed listing of the forecasted expenses for the team's establishment, ARC Foundation CFP 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology 2/5

3 required additional personnel (if applicable) and project implementation. The research structure's contribution must also be stated (equipment, human, financial, etc.). Furthermore, as the CFP aimed at enabling the selected teams to establish in France for the long term, the research structures must commit to support the candidate in a future-anchoring process. The aim is to ensure that, when possible, the project leader can be hired as Research Director or University Professor, before the five-year period comes to an end. 3 Project Selection Procedure 3.1 Stage I: ARC Foundation selects research structures based on letters of intent The letter of intent must contain a description of the scientific and technological environment and describe how the new team will contribute to the institute's strategy. The resources provided to the team and planned procedure for selecting the team's future manager should also be detailed. The letters of intent will be reviewed by an international ad hoc committee, which will also interview the heads of each structure 1. Concluding the process, the ARC Foundation Scientific Board will select the research structures based on the ad hoc committee's recommendation. a. Eligibility requirements for letters of intent Applications that do not meet the following eligibility requirements will not be considered for review. - The applications must be completed and submitted on time, by , and in the requested format; - unless otherwise specified, project applications must be filed in English; - the project must be submitted by an academic research structure governed by a public research institution (University, EPST - public body for scientific purposes, or EPIC public body for industrial or commercial purposes, etc.), a non-profit organisation (association, foundation, etc.) or a public health institution in France; - the research structure must provide at least 50 m² of work space on its site specifically for the purposes of the new team. b. Selection criteria for research structure The following criteria will be considered when reviewing the letters of intent: - the prospective project's added value and good fit with the topics already being explored at the research structure in the field of cancer; - the specific contribution to cancerology and alignment with ARC Foundation's scientific strategy to speed up discoveries and discovery transfer, and bring about new treatments and new preventive and therapeutic approaches; - the research structure's degree of excellence and scientific expertise as reflected by the quality of its scientific publications, technological environment and scientific activities at the site; - the scientific, material and human resources offered by the research structure to host the team and develop the prospective project; - the research structure's planned procedure for selecting the candidate and project. 1 The Heads of each host structure may be represented by a third party, should they have a warranted reason for being absent. ARC Foundation CFP 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology 3/5

4 3.2 Stage II: Research structures identify their candidate Following the advertisement published by the host institute, specifying that the selection is both international and competitive, host structures will set up a selection committee made up of at least 3 members, one of whom must be external to the research structure. Consistent with the criteria set out in Paragraph 3.3, the selection committee will determine which candidate to present during Stage III, based on the applications and hearings when applicable. ARC Foundation reserves the right to attend the Committee's deliberations. Ultimately, each structure will put forth one candidate and its establishment project in the complete application. 3.3 Stage III: Final selection based on complete applications The complete applications will be reviewed by an international ad hoc committee at ARC Foundation. This Committee will also interview the candidates, with the Head of each Research Structure in attendance 1. ARC Foundation's Scientific Board, based on the ad hoc committee's opinion, will put the selected project up for vote by the Board of Directors. a. Eligibility requirements for complete applications Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements below will not be considered for review. - The applications must be completed and submitted on time, by and in the requested format; - unless otherwise specified, project applications must be filed in English; - the candidates short-listed by the research structures must have completed their PhD between 1996 and There is no age limit; - the candidates must hold a position at a foreign structure by the closing date for the submission (27/01/2016). b. Final Selection Criteria The following criteria will be considered when reviewing the complete applications: - the candidate's scientific quality (career path, publications); - the scientific quality of the research project (ambition, innovation, relevance to current research on cancer. Translational research projects will be considered favourably); - the project's feasibility (project's alignment with the material, technical and human environment into which it might integrate); - the alignment between the project and the related funding plan; - the degree to which the host structure would be enhanced (complementary fit with the teams in place, added value of the team's being based in the new structure, etc.). 4 General funding terms Note that ARC Foundation will not cover indirect costs (overheads) of the fund management body. Funding provided by ARC Foundation will be dedicated solely to the candidate and be used to cover: - all or part of the project owner's salary, according to the scale in effect for EPSTs (public body for scientific purposes ) and, where applicable, additional net pay not to exceed 1,200 euros/month; - recruitment of post-doctoral scientists, engineers or technicians on fixed-term contracts by the host organisation, for the duration of the funding period; 1 The Heads of each host structure may be represented by a third party, should they have a warranted reason for being absent. ARC Foundation CFP 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology 4/5

5 - material resources: running costs and equipments; - when the equipment unit costs exceed 200K, substantiation will be requested (estimate, possible joint-financing plan, scientific justification); - travel expenses (maximum 8%). 5 Timeline Launch of call for proposals: 28 April 2015 Stage 1: Return of the letters of intent deadline: 8 July 2015 Structure Heads auditions by an ARC Foundation ad hoc committee: September 2015 Preselection by the Scientific Board of ARC Foundation: 29 September 2015 Stage 2: Selection of the candidate by the host research structure: from October 2015 Stage3 : Return of complete applications: 27 January 2016 Candidates and Structure Heads auditions by an ARC Foundation ad hoc committee: April 2016 Selection by the Scientific Board of ARC Foundation: May 2016 Decision by the Board of Directors of the ARC Foundation: June Submission Procedures 6.1 Letters of intent The letter of Intent form can be downloaded at ARC Foundation's website. Duly-completed letters of intent must be submitted by by 8 July 2015: [email protected] You will receive confirmation of receipt; please contact us if you do not receive confirmation. The original page bearing signatures must be sent by postal mail deadline 1 September 2015 (date as per postmark). 6.2 Complete applications The complete applications must be submitted by , by 27 January 2016: [email protected] The original page bearing signatures must be sent by postal mail by 17 February 2016 (date as per postmark). Recruiting emerging leaders in oncology Fondation ARC pour la recherche sur le cancer 9, rue Guy Môquet VILLEJUIF Cedex ARC Foundation CFP 2016 Recruiting Emerging Leaders in Oncology 5/5