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Q. Who can apply?
A. The Pfizer Australia Cancer Research Grants are awarded for the purpose of furthering clinical research in the field of oncology. The proposals should involve clinical research or translational research involving humans.

Applications are invited from medical graduates who are early in their research career having commenced research (or returned after an appropriate break) within the last five years (eg the applicant has initiated or has been awarded a PhD/MD from 2003 onwards).

The principal applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia. Grant recipients must conduct the majority of the research within Australia.

Q. Amount and tenure of grants
A. Grants will be awarded for one year. Under exceptional circumstances 2 years of funding will be provided. Individual grants will be up to AU$55,000 (including GST) per annum and will be awarded to cover part salaries, equipment, research materials and expenses. As part of the budget, equipment will only be funded if it is essential for the conduct of the research, and travel to conferences will only be funded to the value of AU$1500.

Grant recipients must notify the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat of any other funding obtained (or applied for) for the duration of the grant. Only one Cancer Research Grant will be allocated to a single applicant in a given year although applications will be accepted and reviewed for more than one project. Applicants will not be eligible to receive funding from any other Pfizer Research Grants program in the same financial year.

Q. GST
A. Your application should include provision for GST on the entire amount requested. If you are a successful applicant you will be required to provide Pfizer Australia with a tax invoice inclusive of GST from your institution. This tax invoice must include the institution’s ABN.

Q. Adjudication process
A. Applications will initially be assessed for completeness. Incomplete applications will not be processed further.

Applications will be reviewed by two independent reviewers and by the Australian Physicians Independent Committee (APIC), which is composed of leading physicians and researchers from around the country. Pfizer Head Office in New York will also review proposals involving any Pfizer compounds. The APIC is responsible for independent objective evaluation and recommendations of funding proposals for research projects. All decisions of the APIC are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

If a grant is successful and Pfizer medicines or active substances are listed in the proposal, the supply of these drugs would be subject to normal company approval procedures for investigator initiated research grants.


Q. Members of the Cancer Research Grants Australian Physicians Independent Committee (APIC)
A. In 2008, the APIC comprises a core committee of two members:

Professor John Zalcberg, Peter MacCallum, VIC (Chair)

Prof Stephen Clarke, Concord Hospital, NSW

Working closely with the core committee is the Advisory Panel, which is composed of the following leading physicians and researchers from around Australia:

Dr Ken Pittman, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA

A/Professor Grant McArthur, Peter MacCallum, VIC

Dr Jayesh Desai, Royal Melbourne Hospital, VIC

Dr Geoff Beadle, Wesley Medical Centre, QLD

A/Professor Roger Allison, RBW Hospital, QLD

Dr Arlene Chan, Mount Medical Centre, WA

Administrative support will be provided by the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat, which is comprised of medical/scientific staff from Pfizer Australia.


Q. Your application
A. If you have any questions regarding the completion of the application form please contact the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat.

The application and attachments indicated must be presented on the Cancer Research Grants application form which can be obtained from the "How to Apply" page.

Applicants are required to complete their applications electronically in a minimum size of 12-point font; using the template provided. Please provide one original (printed single sided) and three hard copies, which may be double sided and an electronic version of the application and your CV (Microsoft Word format) either on a disc or via email.

Send the completed application to:

Ms Kathryn Watts
Secretariat
Pfizer Australia Cancer Research Grants (Pfizer Australia)
38-42 Wharf Road
West Ryde NSW 2114
Contact details:
Phone: (02) 9850 3771
Email: crgrants.australia@pfizer.com
Fax: (02) 9850 3131

Required documents

Applicants must supply one original and three hard copies of each of the following:

• Completed Cancer Research Grants application form with original signatures in Sections F, G and H.
• Study proposal
• CV (principal investigator only)
• Publication list
• Human Research Ethics Committee approval letter, if applicable. Funding will not be granted until the ethics approval letter has been received by the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat.
• A letter from the supervisor or department head supporting the project.

Q. Conditions
A. Successful applicants of grants involving the use of Pfizer compounds will be required to sign a Research Grants Agreement. The agreement conveys certain intellectual property and commercial use access rights only when research involves a Pfizer compound.

Cancer Research Grants are awarded with the expectation that timely submissions for presentation will be made at appropriate medical meetings or research forums and that papers will be submitted for publication in appropriate peer-reviewed medical journals. A copy of all published papers must be sent to the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat. Furthermore, Pfizer Australia will be acknowledged for sponsoring the Cancer Research Grants.

It is a requirement of Cancer Research Grants that protocols that receive funding are not significantly altered following the review process. It is expected that the secretariat will be formally notified of substantial changes.

Twelve months after receiving funds, grant recipients will be required to provide a 500-word research summary to the Cancer Research Grants Secretariat. In addition, the grant recipients will be required to provide Pfizer with an opportunity to review any proposed publications involving a Pfizer product.

Pfizer Australia reserves the right to publicise the names of the grant recipients, their institutions, titles and summaries of their research projects, following consultation with the APIC.

The funding is not being used to influence or reward the recipient for present, past or future use or support of Pfizer medicines or to influence the outcome of clinical trials.

All decisions of the APIC are final.

Closing date for applications is 6 June 2008.


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