The Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) is soliciting applications for 2010, the program’s 19th annual funding cycle.

The Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) is soliciting applications for 2010, the program’s 19th annual funding cycle.

TRDRP’s mission is to support research on the prevention, causes, and treatment of tobacco-related disease and the reduction of the human and economic costs of tobacco use in California.

TRDRP funds research in all relevant scientific disciplines designed to improve tobacco control (i.e., public policies and programs for the prevention and cessation of tobacco use and nicotine addiction, and for reduction of exposure to secondhand smoke), and the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tobacco-related disease (i.e., cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and reproductive and other adverse health effects).

Approximately $12 million is expected to be available for new grants in 2010. Only applications screened as relevant to TRDRP’s mission will be considered for funding. All relevant applications, including continuation proposals, will compete for funding through peer review. A scientific merit score assigned by peer reviewers will be the primary factor in the funding decision.

2010 Award Mechanisms

Eligibility
Institutions and Principal Investigators. Principal Investigators from California not-for-profit organizations are eligible for funding. Research undertaken with TRDRP funds must be conducted primarily in California. The Principal Investigator must conduct and supervise the research project directly and in person.

Relevance. All submitted applications will be screened for their direct relevance to tobacco use or tobacco-related disease. Proposed research that is not relevant is not eligible for funding and therefore will not undergo peer review for scientific merit. It is incumbent on the applicant to make a compelling case that the proposed work is directly relevant to the mission of TRDRP.

With regard to biomedical research, relevant proposals either address the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, or treatment of a tobacco-related disease or investigate the impact of tobacco use or secondhand tobacco smoke exposure on disease. If a clear link between tobacco use and a disease is not well-established and accepted in the scientific literature, the investigator must propose an appropriate epidemiological or biological study to investigate a possible association. If the focus of a study (e.g., a molecule, pathway, or physiological mechanism) has not been shown in the scientific literature to be affected by tobacco use, the proposal must either provide preliminary data demonstrating such an effect or include experiments to examine this link as a first stage of the project. The latter will require a justification in support of the likelihood of an association with or causation by tobacco use or tobacco smoke components.

TRDRP reserves the right to return applications that do not fit the program’s relevance criterion. Investigators who are uncertain whether a project is relevant are strongly encouraged to contact the program’s research administrator most closely familiar with the proposed area of study.


Investigators from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups
TRDRP recognizes the value to science and society of increasing the number of investigators who are members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented among tobacco-related researchers. Underrepresented racial and ethnic investigators are encouraged to submit applications.

Primary Research Areas
Since 2009, Exploratory/Developmental Research Awards applications have been prioritized based on whether or not they addressed a Primary Research Area. Only proposals addressing a Primary area will be eligible for funding. Proposals in complementary areas* will not be eligible for Exploratory/Developmental Research Awards.

Applications for the other award mechanisms are not limited to the Primary areas and will continue to be considered for funding in all areas relevant to tobacco-related disease and tobacco control. These include the following award types:

* Areas of inquiry not listed as primary research areas that are nonetheless relevant to TRDRP’s mission.

Proposal Evaluation and Funding
Applications from eligible institutions and principal investigators that are judged relevant to this call will be assigned to a scientific peer review committee (i.e., study section). Each study section will be comprised of peer reviewers recruited from outside California with expertise in the scientific disciplines and topics of the proposed research projects.

The study sections will evaluate each proposal and assign it a scientific merit score on the scale used by the National Institutes of Health, where 1.0 is outstanding and 5.0 is acceptable. If a study section decides that an application is not competitive, they have the option of not assigning it a score. Such an application will not be considered further for funding.

TRDRP’s Scientific Advisory Committee will recommend proposals for funding to the University, which will make the final decisions. The committee will consider the scientific merit scores as the primary factor, along with availability of funds, relevance to TRDRP’s mission, and programmatic balance across disciplines and topic areas. Funding decisions will be announced in early June 2010.

Unsolicited Proposals
TRDRP will consider unsolicited requests to support research-related activities that build research infrastructure, disseminate research findings, or stimulate new research directions.

In order to qualify for funding, the planned activities must be directly related to one or more of TRDRP's Priority Research Areas. The activity must primarily take place in California, involve California investigators, and include, where applicable, discussants and speakers funded by TRDRP.

Support can be requested for scientific conferences to assess tobacco's impact on California's population; or to allow tobacco investigators to evaluate, in a timely manner, new and breaking trends in tobacco control or tobacco-related disease research.

Unsolicited requests may be submitted at any time. Requests will be evaluated expeditiously by ad-hoc peer review when appropriate.

The TRDRP Scientific Advisory Committee will make recommendations regarding funding. These opportunities will be limited in number, scope, cost, and duration. Please contact a TRDRP research administrator regarding the appropriateness of your proposal prior to submission.

Source of Funds
The Tobacco Tax and Health Protection Act (Proposition 99) was passed by California voters in 1988. The collected revenue is deposited into the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Fund consisting of six accounts, one of which is the Research Account. The Research Account is designated to receive 5% of the revenue to be used only for tobacco-related disease research. At the request of the California State Legislature, the University of California created TRDRP to administer an allocation from the Research Account to fund research on the prevention, causes, and treatment of tobacco-related diseases.

The collection of the surtax began on January 1, 1989. TRDRP was established in October, 1989 and the first grants were funded on July 1, 1990. 2010 marks the program’s 19th funding cycle. TRDRP has awarded more than 1,200 grants to more than 80 institutions across California for a total of almost $390 million.

Contact Information If you have questions about your potential application, the relevance of your research, the award mechanisms, program policies, or submission issues, you are urged to contact the appropriate research administrator directly:
Cardiovascular Disease and General Biomedical Sciences Kamlesh Asotra, Ph.D. (510) 287-3366 kamlesh.asotra@ucop.edu		Cancer and Pulmonary Disease M.F. Bowen, Ph.D. (510) 987-9811 mf.bowen@ucop.edu
Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nicotine Dependence, and Public Policy, Public Health, and Economics Phillip Gardiner, Dr.P.H. (510) 987-9853 phillip.gardiner@ucop.edu
Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program University of California—Office of the President 300 Lakeside Drive, 6th Floor Oakland, California 94612-3550 Phone: (510) 987-9870 Fax: (510) 835-4740 www.trdrp.org