The Nai-Kong and Irene Cheung Family Career Development (CD) Award provides funding to clinical investigators associated with and working with PARC-affiliated cooperative groups that operate in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These clinical investigators should be participating or should intend to participate in clinical research in a cooperative group in their country or region. PARC-affiliated cooperative groups are: GALOP, CANCARE AFRICA, POEM, INPHOG, APHOG, and GFAOP. SIOP plans to make 2 awards.

This Award is open to young researchers who have received their initial faculty appointment or, in exceptional cases, those who are in the late phase of their sub-specialty training and are working to set up a clinical cancer research program at a center actively participating in programs of regional cooperative groups. This Award aims to support the career development of young future leaders in paediatric oncology in LMIC helping to open up their horizon in their career as researchers affiliated to a cooperative group.

This Award comes with a mentoring component: the research project is conducted under a co-mentoring initiative involving the guidance of a scientific mentor from the country- or regional cooperative group and a mentor in an affiliated institution in a middle-income (MIC) or high-income country (HIC). The applicant is expected to have identified such a LMIC mentor from the country- or regional cooperative group before submission of the Award application. However, the applicant is not expected to have identified mentors in MIC/HIC prior to submission of the Award application: SIOP will work with the awardee to identify an appropriate mentor and help establish the relationship. The Award includes funds to support travel and stay at the MIC/HIC institution.

The candidate should carry out a research project with a patient-orientation focus, including a clinical research study that may include translational research related activities involving human subjects, projects focusing on quality improvement, implementation science or palliative care etc. Proposals with a predominant focus on in vitro or animal studies (even if clinically relevant) are not considered a priority for this award. Applications in all areas of paediatric oncology research are accepted. There is no preference for the type of childhood cancer which the researcher should focus on; however, projects dealing with topics of higher impact in quality of life for patients or patient survival will receive a higher priority.

Specifically, SIOP is looking to make up to two Awards to candidates who, as a result of this Award, will be able to establish a successful research program with regional impact. At the end of the two-year award period, the researcher is expected to have received specific and high-quality training enabling them to gain a comprehensive insight in the medical science of the tumor or topic of choice, guided by world renowned experts from leading institutions. It is hoped that this Award may contribute to the creation of a disease or topic-oriented program in the researcher’s home institution; it is also hoped that the Award will increase the capability of the recipient to eventually lead local or regional clinical research programs in the context of a cooperative group supported by the SIOP PARC Program.

The Award enables awardees to:

• Receive mentoring from a leading SIOP member at LMIC and MIC/HIC institutions
• Present research findings at one SIOP Annual Congress during the life of the Award
• Visit the MIC/HIC mentor’s institution for enhanced learning and in-person mentoring
• Develop long-term relationships for a long-lasting cooperation between institutions

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for a Career Development Award:

• Be a physician (MD, DO, MD/PhD or international equivalent) who is currently working in a LMIC/LIC. (Researchers in countries qualified by the World Bank as HIC but who are participating in one of the PARC cooperative groups are eligible).
• Be in the first 10 years of a full-time primary faculty appointment in a clinical department or, in exceptional cases, be in the last year of training in paediatric hematology-oncology at an academic medical institution at the time of application.
• Be a member of a country-focused cooperative group or a regional cooperative group participating in the SIOP PARC Program.
• Have a valid, active medical license in the country where the research will be conducted at the time of application.
• Have demonstrated the ability or potential as determined by their supervisor and the SIOP PARC Committee to undertake independent, investigator-initiated clinical research in a cooperative group.
• Be a SIOP member in good standing, defined as a member who has paid their SIOP membership dues for calendar year 2023.
• Be able to commit at least 15% of full-time effort to research (applies to total research, not just the proposed research project) during the award period.
• Be willing to work with 2 mentors (one from the LMIC-based institution and one from MIC/HIC institution).
• Be willing to present their research findings at SIOP Annual Congress.

Please complete the application form and attach the following documents to your application:

1. CV (no specific template for the CV)
2. Letter of Support from the Chair/President of the Cooperative Group (max 2 pages; it should state that the cooperative group supports the research study; should specify that the country where the research is being conducted is a country that belongs to the scope of work of the cooperative group; should explain how this CD Award will support the long term career development goals of the researcher and how and why that is relevant to your cooperative group; should detail how relavant the proposed research is to the research strategy of the cooperative group; how feasible is the proposal project within the 2-year timeframe and specify the contact information including email for the Chair/President signing the support letter)
3. Letter of Support from the Chair of the Department of your Home Academic Institution (max 2 pages; must specify the position and credentials of the applicant, that the applicant is allowed to carry out the proposed research, including IRB approval if relevant; must specify that the applicant is a staff member with a permanent position or is on track to apply for a permanent position if the applicant is in the last year of a training position; must specify that there is a commitment to support the conduct of the research; explain how this CD Award is relevant to the long term commitment of your academic institution to this particular tumor type or topic; be sure to specify contact information including email for the Chair signing the support letter)
4. Letter of Support from Mentor from an institution in LIC/LMIC (max 2 pages; specify long term commitment to mentoring the researcher; feasibility of the research study; frequency of mentoring meetings and interactions)
5. SIOP Membership Certificate for Year 2023 Application Template