CRI Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program

Accelerating the Translation of Immunological Discoveries into Cancer Therapies

The CRI Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) supports innovative, team-based investigations at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application in cancer immunology. CLIP is designed to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into approaches that can improve outcomes for patients with cancer.

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New and effective cancer treatments require more than laboratory breakthroughs — they require translational pathways that bring bench discoveries into patient trials and return clinical insights to the lab.

Each funding cycle, CRI will identify a specific scientific theme representing a critical opportunity where focused investment can help accelerate progress in cancer immunology and immunotherapy.

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This multi-investigator team science project aims to bridge the gap between basic mechanistic discovery and clinical application of innovative immune prevention or interception of primary cancer development and cancer recurrence after successful primary cancer treatment.

Topics of interest include:

1. Identification and validation of novel biological mechanisms driving early tumorigenesis and the progression of pre-malignant lesions for facilitating the development of targeted immune prevention therapies for both primary and secondary prevention.

2. Integrating robust preclinical models with high-dimensional analysis of human tissue samples — including longitudinal samples from high-risk cohorts and pre-cancerous lesions or treated primary tumors — to elucidate key inflammatory pathways influencing antitumor immune responses, the role of the microenvironment, and mechanisms of immune evasion in early-stage disease.

Proposals may consider including one or more of the following as additional objectives during the course of developing/validating/evaluating their targeted immune interception for both primary and secondary prevention:

1. Utilizing advanced imaging and single-cell sequencing to pinpoint genetic and epigenetic alterations initiating inflammatory changes in high-risk tissues leading to cancer development and progression to inform immune interception strategies.

2. Investigating how immune cell dysfunction and stromal changes facilitate tumor development and identifying therapeutic targets for immune modulation.

3. Utilizing mouse models, patient-derived organoids and tissue slice cultures to test novel immune interventions, facilitating the translation of findings into actionable strategies for immune prevention and/or interception of primary tumor development and prevention of secondary recurrence.

4. Identification and validation of biomarkers, novel technologies and early indicators associated with precancerous lesions and cancer recurrence, in order to guide immune interceptions. 

This collaborative approach aims to accelerate the transition from preclinical discovery to clinical trials, providing novel immune based strategies for reducing cancer incidence and improving long-term outcomes for patients at high risk.  Proposals at the preclinical research stage should provide a clear line of sight to the steps required for intended implementation. Clinical trials are not funded by this mechanism.

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The Selection Committee will consider the following criteria when evaluating the LOIs and full applications:

• Scientific merit and translational potential of the research project, i.e., ultimate plan for translating the work from the laboratory to the clinic to deliver with a clear and rational line of sight to clinical utility, including proposed next steps/future research needed to bridge from the currently proposed project to clinical impact;
• Significance of the proposed research, i.e., whether it has the potential to design, validate and test innovative interventions to prevent primary or recurrent disease;
• Novelty of the hypothesis or methodology;
• Team leadership qualities, willingness to collaborate, their research credentials, their unique contributions to the Team research project, demonstrated ability to bring together and lead an interdisciplinary team;
• A clear commitment by the Team that all data resulting from their work will be available to the scientific community at large at the earliest opportunity;
• Likelihood that the research project will achieve its stated goals given the budget requested, institutional environments, and other resources available;
• Whether the studies are designed to capitalize upon the unique animal models, populations and environments, specialized expertise, new concepts and perspectives, innovative methodologies, and/or emerging technologies that are available as a result of the multi-institutional collaboration;
• Plan for broad dissemination, impact, and sustainability of the models created;
• Whether adequate institutional and/or financial support exists to sustain the research project;
• The cost effectiveness of the budget; and
• Plan for mentoring and integrating Early Career Investigators.

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CLIP grants provide up to $1,000,000 over 3 years to qualified teams of investigators pursuing high-impact research within the designated scientific theme. By fostering tight integration between the laboratory and the clinic, CLIP aims to accelerate the translation of discoveries into meaningful strategies for cancer prevention and interception.

CRI may be willing to provide additional support to further advance promising projects. This extension may be available to projects that demonstrate exceptional progress and generate outstanding data, ensuring that the most impactful research can continue to move toward clinical application and patient benefit. CLIP PIs should check with CRI Program staff at the start of year three to determine eligibility for follow-on funding.

Institutions will be provided indirect costs of up to 10% of the total amount awarded. Indirect costs are provided in addition to awarded funds.

NOTE: CRI will make all payments in equal installments at the beginning of each quarter exclusively to the Lead Institution (Lead PI Institution). The Lead Institution will be responsible for establishing, administering, and monitoring any subawards necessary to support Team Investigators at other institutions in accordance with the budget provided to CRI.

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Eligibility

Candidates for a CRI CLIP Grant must hold a faculty appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor (or higher rank) at the time of award activation. If not, documentation from their institution must accompany the Letter of Intent indicating they will hold the position of assistant professor (or higher rank) by the time of award activation.

CRI has no citizenship restrictions, and research supported by the award may be conducted at medical schools and research centers in the United States or abroad. Please note that CRI CLIP Grants do not support research at for-profit institutions.

Because CLIP is intended to support team-based translational research, proposals should bring together the complementary scientific and clinical expertise necessary to address the proposed research question and advance findings toward clinical application.

Team Composition

Each CLIP team should include:

• Lead Principal Investigator (“Lead PI”): The investigator responsible for leading the project and serving as the primary scientific and administrative contact with CRI.
• Co-Investigators: Additional investigators who contribute complementary expertise and are responsible for defined components of the team research project.

Deadlines

The process for applying for a CRI CLIP Grant consists of two parts:

1. Letter of Intent
2. Invited Application

The deadline for receipt of the Letter of Intent is December 1. Candidates will be notified by the end of January whether they have been invited to submit a full grant proposal. The full application is due March 1.

If these deadlines fall on a weekend, applications will be accepted the following Monday. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on these dates. The earliest an award can activate is July 1. Awards activate on the first of the month.

Instructions for Applying

Letters of Intent must be submitted electronically. Once you access the application, you will be asked to create a user account unique to you, which will catalogue all applications you submit to CRI. If you have submitted a grant application to CRI in the past, please log in with your existing user account.

Supporting Materials

After you have filled out all required fields on the online form, you will be asked to upload the following items as individual PDF documents:

1. An initial research concept, not to exceed 3 pages, including:
   • a succinct description of the proposed research;
   • the relevance of the proposed research to cancer immunology;
   • the relevance of the proposed research to the current CLIP theme of primary and secondary cancer prevention and interception;
   • a description of how the proposed project bridges laboratory and clinical discovery; and
   • the potential path toward clinical application and patient benefit.
2. For each team member, you must also submit the following items:
   • Brief description of your current research
   • Curriculum vitae
   • Bibliography (limited to the past 5 years or publications relevant to the proposed research)

Notes:

• Applications exceeding stated page limits will be disqualified.
• Only PDF documents will be accepted. All files must be submitted individually on the attachments page of the online application.
• When you have finished uploading the attachments, click “Submit.” You will receive a notice confirming that you have successfully submitted your Application Form. Immediately after, an automated notification from CRI will be sent to your email address, also confirming submission. If you encounter problems uploading your attachments, email them to [email protected]. Be sure to note the application number, which will be assigned to you at the time of submission.
• Online applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m ET the following Monday. We strongly suggest submitting applications as early as possible to provide ample time in case an application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Formatting Guidelines: Documents attached to the online application form must be typed single-spaced using a 12-point or larger font size.

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All awardees must adhere to the terms of this award.

Please note: The Cancer Research Institute will not modify the terms of its policies at the request of individual institutions. Policies have been approved by our Board of Trustees, and we do not have the resources to negotiate separately with the many institutions that receive our support.