Specialized Center of Research (SCOR)

Eligibility

Citizenship 

The program welcomes applications worldwide from appropriate academic institutions and investigators of any nationality. 

General Eligibility 

Applicants must hold a PhD, MD, DVM, or equivalent degree and must be affiliated with a non-profit Institution at the time funding commences and for the duration of the award. Applications may involve multiple institutions.  

Leadership 

The SCOR is led by an overall Principal Investigator, called the SCOR Director, who is responsible for writing and submitting the application. The SCOR Director of a funded SCOR is also responsible for the disbursement of funds to the various Projects/Cores, the conduct of the Projects and Cores, and adherence with LLS policy. Each Project/Core is led by a Project Leader/Core Leader, who is responsible for the management of that Project or Core. There must be at least three but no more than five Projects. There must be at least two scientific Cores and one administrative Core but no more than five Cores in total.  

Modifications to leadership of approved LOIs and funded SCORs must be approved by LLS. Please contact researchprograms@lls.org for any change requests. 

Summary

LLS’s Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grant program is intended to bring together established investigators from one or several institutions to develop a focused research program, foster new interactions and cooperation, and enhance interdisciplinary research among the participants. The overall goal of this mechanism is to enhance the development of innovative strategies for the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of hematological malignancies. Strategies that move discoveries from the bench to the clinic are of high importance as are integrated translational projects. 

A major emphasis in the SCOR grant program is on clinical translation of scientific results. Ideally, a SCOR application will propose a combination of basic and translational laboratory research that will lead to eventual clinical translation. There should be clear and direct “bench to bedside” translational trajectory from one or more of the Projects in the SCOR. It is important to note that the inclusion of a clinical trial in and of itself may not satisfy this requirement. Any clinical translation must be a coherent and integrated extension of other SCOR activities, and there should be substantive interactions and synergy between clinical trials and more basic or early translational Projects in the SCOR. 

Each SCOR is comprised of 3-5 scientific Projects, an Administrative Core, and 2-4 supportive scientific Cores. There must be objective evidence of interdisciplinary research and the potential for synergism by linking the various Projects and Cores into a SCOR team. The quality and significance of the Projects and Cores and the enhanced productivity that is likely to be achieved by linking investigators are primary determinants of funding decisions. A SCOR team will be judged as a unit and funding will not be available for otherwise meritorious but non-synergistic parts of an application. 

The maximum total award is $5,000,000. The maximum total annual award is $1,000,000 for each year of the five-year grant. The maximum annual indirect cost is $150,000 (15% of total annual costs). You may claim less than 15% indirect costs and apply those costs to the direct costs. The SCOR Director has the authority to budget these funds among the various Projects and Cores.  

Overhead

The maximum annual indirect cost is $150,000.00 (15% of total annual costs). You may claim less than 15% of the indirect costs and apply those costs to the direct costs.

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

PLEASE READ FULL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS HERE.

The application process will occur in two phases, the Letter of Intent (LOI) phase and Full Application phase. Applicants will be notified via an automated email whether they are invited to submit a full application or whether their LOI was declined. If the applicant is invited to submit a full application, immediate access to the full application phase is enabled in the LLS Research Portal. If you have not received an email regarding your LOI by January 17, 2025, contact researchprograms@lls.org.  

All submissions must use the LLS Research Portal, Fluxx, at https://lls.fluxx.io. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with this portal well in advance of any deadlines. 

Registration 

Both the applicant and institution must be registered in the LLS Research Portal. If you have applied to LLS in the past, you do not need to create a first-time registration. Simply log in with your username and password. If you forgot your password, click the “reset or create password” link and enter your email address. The system will send your username and a link to update your password. Once updated, the applicant can begin the LOI. If you are a first-time user to the LLS Research Portal, please complete the intake form located here: Account Creation Request so an account can be created for you. Only LLS staff members have administrative permission to create new accounts. 

Institutional Designation 

Applicants should create their profile from the standpoint of where they will perform their research described in the application. The applicant must indicate the name of the institution as well as the name of the signing officials for that institution. If your institution is not displayed as an option under this field of the application, you may contact researchprograms@lls.org to have it registered in the system.  

Additional Resources

Using RMS:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research:

Support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Support for Knowledge Engagement:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation is available internally through the Knowledge Engagement Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KE team at knowledge.engagement@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information, please visit the KE team webpage.

Support for Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@libanswers.ucalgary.com and/or visit https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/researchdatamanagement.

Support for EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact Erin.OToole@ucalgary.ca for more information.