DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS ABSTRACT Achieving the mission and long-term goals of the Moores Cancer Center (MCC) is dependent upon the ability to respond to emerging research priorities and opportunities; recruit the highest caliber scientists who can lead high impact investigator-initiated and catchment area-focused research; enable new research collaborations across the consortium; and advance the translational research agenda of MCC. Developmental funds provide the capital for investment to secure faculty and research resources that translate into innovative discoveries and lead to scientific agendas that advance the mission of MCC. MCC has used its developmental funds to support new scientists, developing shared resources, and multi-disciplinary, translational research. During the period, pilot projects were used to strengthen innovative, multi-disciplinary, collaborative, translational and clinical research in support of CCSG Research Program themes; and produced a high return on investment. Development funds helped recruit 7 high-performing investigators with great promise for continued growth of MCC goals in key programmatic areas, resulting in a significant increase in collaborative research focused on translation and investigator-initiated clinical trials. The recruitments strengthened research areas recommended by the MCC External Advisory Board. Over the next project period, MCC will use development funds to support these 3 key areas that are critical to MCC mission, vision and areas of scientific focus that are aligned with the MCC Strategic Plan: 1. Pilot Projects – to foster innovative translational, population science, and clinical research pilot projects that have potential for creating new avenues of research, new collaborations across MCC and its consortium partners, and more effective interventions for cancer patients and individuals at higher risk for cancer. 2. Recruitment/New Investigators – to recruit promising and productive scientists and clinical investigators to supplement and complement existing membership in 5 high priority areas identified in the MCC Strategic Plan (Cancer Control, Immune Oncology Translational Research, Cell Therapy Translational Research, Neuro-oncology Clinical Scientist, and Hematology/BMT Clinical Scientist). 3. Early Stage Clinical Investigators – to further develop, mentor and advance skilled and dedicated early stage clinical investigators pursuing studies of new therapies and prevention strategies.