Request for Proposals: Advancing Cancer Research in Kenya and Uganda

This program aims to propel clinical cancer research forward in partnership with patients, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes within Kenya and Uganda in the near term.

This grants program, focused on Uganda and Kenya, will serve as a pilot initiative to advance clinical cancer research for rapid impact on patient outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa; and to enhance capacity in order to empower applicants from these countries to effectively compete as leading investigators for global research opportunities in the future. Once success with this pilot initiative can be demonstrated in Kenya and Uganda, RTFCCR will draw on lessons learned to expand this program in subsequent years to additional sub-Saharan African countries.

Grants Program Structure: Two Stages

• This is a two-staged grants program, in which only applicants who have successfully completed Stage I (Needs Assessment and Planning Grants) with quality will be invited to apply for Stage II (Research Implementation Grants).
  • Stage I of the grants program will provide successful applicants with a USD$20,000 planning grant to be used over a 10-month period of performance to inform and plan out the research approach. In Stage I, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is not anticipated, but an IRB waiver might be required. Stage I applicants should include, but are not limited to, the following efforts in their applications:
    • Identifying patients, patient advocates and/or patient organizations that have a vested interest in the research question, and developing plans and agreements for their engagement throughout the entire research process.
    • Defining, with the patient population, the research questions(s) to be asked, interventions tested, and/or meaningful scientific aims sought to improve patient outcomes, including quality of life.
    • Identifying and engaging appropriate multi-sectoral stakeholders (i.e. – policy makers, health care administrators, community leaders, etc.) to ensure the research question being advanced aligns with local contexts and can truly impact cancer care in the near term.
    • Assessment of importance and/or impact of research question upon clinical cancer care first within host country, but secondarily for potential replication within other sub-Saharan African countries.
    • Identifying, as needed, external partners that may assist in the research approach through provision of technical assistance and/or capacity building from throughout the global cancer research field.
  • Stage II grants, building off results of Stage I, will provide successful applicants with up to $250,000 to implement clinical cancer research in partnership with patients over a two to three-year period.

Supported Research Approaches, and Permissible Technical Foci

• Areas of cancer intervention that will be supported under this program include early detection and diagnosis, treatment, delivery of care, and palliative care.
• Applications focused on breast, colorectal, esophageal, or hematological cancers are strongly encouraged. Applications focused on cancers largely supported under global infectious disease investments (such as cervical or Kaposi Sarcoma) should NOT be submitted.
• RTFCCR is particularly interested in research that can lead to better patient outcomes in the near-term, including quality of life; with an emphasis on outcomes identified in partnership with patients.
• Implementation research, as well as clinical trials, both bio-medical and behavioral, will be supported under this RFP. Proposals for basic and/or translational research are NOT invited and will NOT be reviewed.
• RTFCCR has a particular interest in drug-repurposing, therapy de-escalation, and palliative care, as well as application of technology to expand capacity in-country for detection and/or treatment. Regardless of the specific focus or approach, applicants must include Patients as Partners in their efforts to be eligible for funding under this RFP.

Patient as Partners – Required Component

• RTFCCR defines Patient Engagement as meaningful engagement of patients in the development of therapeutic, detection or prevention approaches. It encompasses the active, meaningful, and collaborative interaction between patients and researchers across all stages of the research process, where research decision making is guided by patients’ contributions as partners, recognizing their specific experiences, values, and expertise.
• It is important for purposes of this RFP that applicants understand and distinguish between Patient as Partners and Research Participants or Subjects. Partners are members of the research team and involved in the planning, conducting and dissemination of the research, whereas trial participants are those individuals actually enrolled into the study.
• Applicants for this RFP will be required to submit a preliminary “Patient Engagement Plan” for Stage I and a much more detailed plan with defined roles throughout the grant period for Patient Engagement in Stage II applications.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications require both a named Principal Investigator and sponsoring research or medical institution. Principal Investigators must meet the following requirements:
  • Has completed an advanced degree related to cancer care and/or research;
  • Is a citizen of Kenya or Uganda, currently living in either country and formally connected to a Uganda and/or Kenyan-based organization; and – Has worked as a funded co-investigator (or played a significant funded role) on an IRB-approved research project in the past;
• Research of medical institutions must be registered and governed within either Kenya or Uganda and meet the following requirements:
  • The organization has implemented IRB-approved research in the past with a portion of the research funding provided by a multi-national donor/funder/government body; and
  • The organization has access to the patient (or at risk) population and can document that in their application.
  • For all applicants – the following non-discrimination policy will be required. If applicants know they will be unable to sign such policy, they should not apply for this grant opportunity:
    • “The inclusion of patient and patient advocates in funded research shall not be limited based on any of the following: race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, pregnancy, mental status or HIV status, sexual identity or gender identity.”

For more information, visit RTFCCR.