PROJECT SUMMARY DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS As Center Director, Dr. Cleveland provides leadership and oversight of all of the research activities of Moffitt Cancer Center (Moffitt), including setting the strategic vision and Research Strategic Plan (RSP); faculty recruitment, development, retention and support (including focus on promotion and tenure and underrepresented faculty); clinical trials and physician research protected time; and allocation of all resources and activities, including staff, equipment and space. Dr. Cleveland deploys Developmental Funds to achieve the RSP and to foster transdisciplinary science across Moffitt. Specifically, this includes Developmental Pilot Projects; Staff Investigators for four Centers of Excellence whose mission is to support the research of all five CCSG Programs; and an Early Stage Clinical Investigator. Developmental Funds are leveraged with institutional funds. Developmental Funds: CCSG Developmental Funds are critical for realizing the RSP. These funds will be deployed for Team Science projects ($100,000 per year) that foster high impact transdisciplinary, translational science. These funds are leveraged with significant institutional funds that support these pilot projects, which ultimately were the only category for which CCSG Developmental Funds were used. Notably this investment of CCSG and institutional funds returned more than $27.4 million in peer-reviewed funding and 29 publications. Staff Investigators: Moffitt’s Centers of Excellence build and foster transdisciplinary collaborations across all Research Programs based on areas of institutional strength that align with the needs of the catchment area. Each Center of Excellence is led by a scientifically accomplished Staff Investigator, who reports directly to the Associate Center Director (ACD) of Translational Science: 1) Alexander R. A. Anderson, PhD (Evolutionary Therapy); 2) Anna R. Giuliano, PhD (Immunization & Infection Research); 3) Eric B. Haura, MD (Lung Cancer); and 4) Kieran S. M. Smalley, PhD (Melanoma & Skin Cancer). Their efforts to drive collaboration in catchment area priorities have produced extensive research over the award period. Effort of 1.20 calendar months (10%) is requested for each Staff Investigator (totaling $96,203). Early Stage Clinical Investigators: Moffitt will use CCSG funds (1.2 calendar months or 10% effort, $24,051) to support at least one Early Stage Clinical Investigator (ESCI) each year by providing dedicated effort to develop investigator-initiated trials (IITs) and to enroll patients on these IITs. We will prioritize investigators from underrepresented minority groups at the Assistant Member level. Each ESCI will work with Dr. Eric Haura, Associate Center Director of Clinical Science, and their academic department chair to identify a mentoring committee consisting of a primary mentor and 1 – 2 secondary mentors with at least one of the mentors being a basic, population, or quantitative science expert in the ...