Specialized Center of Research Program (SCOR)

Get information about other programs, and about applying for Blood Cancer United research funding.

Grant requirements

Reporting Schedule: Progress, IP Disclosure,* Financial, and Conflicts Disclosure** Reports are required for each year of the grant, and Publications Reports are required each quarter. The reporting schedule for your particular grant is printed on your Grant Agreement and available under Reports Due in the Blood Cance United Research Portal (FLUXX). Below is an example of a typical schedule for a SCOR grant starting October 1, 2020.

*The IP Disclosure Report was formerly referred to as the Patent Report.
**The Conflicts Disclosure Report is an annual requirement for awards activated in 2020 or later.

Report submission: Blood Cancer United research grant reporting is conducted through the Blood Cancer United Research Portal (FLUXX). Access this portal using the same username and password that were used during the application process. 
Individuals responsible for submitting reports must be manually added to each individual grant record in our system in order for them to have reporting access for each grant. Contact [email protected] to update reporting access for your grant.

Progress Reports and Publications Reports should be submitted by the researcher (the PI). Financial Reports should be submitted by the financial officer, and IP Disclosure Reports should be submitted by the technology/transfer officer. The Conflicts Disclosure Report should also be routed through this office but may be submitted by the grantee.

For Progress Reports and IP Disclosure Reports, complete one report template for each participating Project and Core.

Researchers and administrators should be careful to follow all instructions on the report web form and downloadable template. Reports that fail to follow instructions will be returned for revision, which may delay grant payment. Do not save templates for future use; the templates are subject to change and therefore must be newly downloaded for each submission.

Report Submission Guide (linked on Active Grantees webpage) PowerPoint

Download the Report Submission Guide for detailed instructions on submitting a report in the Blood Cancer United Research Portal (FLUXX).
Note: FLUXX recently updated the grantee portal view, so the pages will visually be different from the screenshots shown in this guide. This change is aesthetic only; the process for submitting reports remains unchanged.

Additional requirements and annual assessment

Each SCOR Director will be asked to work with Blood Cancer United staff and advisors to generate mutually agreeable milestones and deliverables for each year of the grant. Ultimately, Blood Cancer United envisions a partnership with the SCOR Director where Blood Cancer United can work with the research team to outline a path for overall SCOR success as well as the timely completion of all proposed specific aims.

There will be a formal annual assessment process involving Blood Cancer United Research staff and an independent expert or experts (SCOR Progress Review Committee). The SCOR Progress Review Committee will work with the SCOR Director on establishing milestones on a yearly basis that will be used as the foundation for the annual review. The annual assessment will monitor the progress being made from year to year and the future directions of the program and will include a Site Visit (described below). The annual review process will include a progress report, a presentation to this Committee and a Site Visit.

The annual assessment will be utilized to make funding recommendations for the remainder of the award with a focus on the amount of the award for the coming year. The SCOR Progress Review Committee reserves the right to withhold or reduce funds for underperforming SCORs. Underperforming SCORs will initially be provided a warning that funding may be withheld or reduced if performance does not improve.

Milestones and deliverables: Blood Cancer United staff will work with the SCOR Director on projected milestones and deliverables to be achieved on a quarterly basis. The first year, this will happen prior to the grant start date, whereas in subsequent years, this will happen after the Site Visit (see below).

Site visit: An annual Site Visit will occur around the anniversary of the grant start date (October 1). The SCOR Progress Review Committee will visit the SCOR Director and his/her team. The SCOR Director, Project Leaders and Core Leaders must be present. Though it is expected that each Project/Core Leader be present, in some circumstances, a key member of the Project/Core Leader’s team may take his/her place at the discretion of Blood Cancer United. Members of each Project and Core will give presentations that give a detailed overview of the progress made in the prior year as they relate to the original aims as well as the agreed upon milestones/deliverables. Any problems encountered should be discussed, and any deviations from the original aims must be justified and must abide by Blood Cancer United’s policy on Project replacement (see below).

Annual assessment: After the annual Site Visit, the SCOR Progress Review Committee will meet to assess the quality of integration of the SCOR team and the progress made. The Committee will make a recommendation as to the level of continued funding. In the case of well-integrated and productive teams, the funding will remain the same. In the unlikely event that progress is not sufficient, a warning will be provided, which may result in future funding being reduced if progress does not improve. After this assessment, the Committee will work with the SCOR Director to establish milestones for the coming year. These milestones will form the foundation of the coming year’s review. The outcome from the annual assessment will be sent to the SCOR Director by email within sixty (60) days of the review.

Annual progress meeting: Each year, there is a mandatory Progress Meeting for representatives from all currently-funded SCOR teams. The meeting is typically held in September in Manhattan, New York. Travel to and from this meeting should be factored into the yearly travel budget of the SCOR. During the meeting, each SCOR Director (or another representative) will present progress on his or her current grant by PowerPoint. Each presentation should last no more than 25 minutes with 5 minutes for questions and answers (maximum slide deck of 20 slides). Further information regarding this meeting will be sent via email from [email protected] to the SCOR Director each year.

Grant payment

Blood Cancer United pays research grants quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Payments are contingent upon reporting requirements; all report approvals must be up to date in order for payment to be processed. A list of sent payments can be viewed in the Blood Cancer United Research Portal (FLUXX) under Dispersed Payments.

Transfers

If the SCOR Director leaves the institution to which the award is made or is unable to conduct the leadership expected, Blood Cancer United must be notified immediately and Blood Cancer United may, at its sole discretion in that circumstance, terminate funding of the SCOR grant within thirty (30) days of the incapacity or departure of the grantee. If a research Project or scientific Core leader leaves the institution or is incapacitated, Blood Cancer United must be notified immediately. The Sponsoring Institution and/or SCOR Director must inform Blood Cancer United of actions to be taken to replace the Project/Core leader so as to maintain the Project/Core. Blood Cancer United shall have the prerogative to suspend funding for the SCOR within thirty (30) days after notification should a resolution satisfactory to Blood Cancer United not be proposed.

If a leader of a Project or a Core intends to move to a new institution during the course of the SCOR grant term and the SCOR Director feels that continued collaboration is desirable and possible, the SCOR Director or Sponsoring Institution must submit to [email protected] a detailed explanation and justification for continued participation by the Project/Core leader. This request must have the approval of the institution at which the Center resides and the new institution to which the leader of the Project/Core is moving. Blood Cancer United will retain the right to discontinue funding for the SCOR within thirty (30) days after departure of a Project or Core leader if arrangements acceptable to Blood Cancer United are not established.

Leaves of absence

During the five-year term of the grant, SCOR Directors may not be absent from the  Sponsoring Institution. Project or Core leaders, likewise, may not be absent from their original participating institution during the five-year term of the grant. If unavoidable, an absence greater than 30 days requires prior written permission from Blood Cancer United. If a grant is interrupted, Blood Cancer United must be notified promptly. Written permission must be obtained from Blood Cancer United for the grant to be continued at a later date. In the event a grant is not completed due to incapacitating illness or death of the grantee/SCOR Director, the prorated, unexpended funds must be returned to Blood Cancer United.

No-cost extensions

SCOR grantees are permitted to request a no-cost extension for a maximum of one year in duration. At the end of the no-cost extension period, any funds remaining must be returned to Blood Cancer United. To request a no-cost extension, complete a Special Requests report in the Blood Cancer United Research Portal (FLUXX). If the request is approved, the grant period will be extended for one year, and final reports will be due 60 days following the new end date. The final payment will be paid once final reports are received and approved by Blood Cancer United.

Project replacement

All of the projects within a SCOR grant program are meant to contribute substantially to the overall program goals and synergize with the other projects. If a project is terminated, Blood Cancer United may continue supporting only the other projects within a SCOR program or may invite the SCOR Director and Project Leader to propose a new project to replace the unsuccessful one. Such a replacement project must meet the original review criteria and be approved by Blood Cancer United via the following procedure:

1. In the event that one of the projects within a SCOR grant program becomes unviable or unproductive, the SCOR Director must notify Blood Cancer United staff within two weeks of this determination. Alternatively,  Blood Cancer United scientific staff may determine that a project is no longer viable. If such determination is made, Blood Cancer United will notify the SCOR Director.​
2. Blood Cancer United scientific staff will determine whether Blood Cancer United Mission Goals will be served best by substituting a replacement project for the terminated one or by continuing support of the SCOR grant program with fewer component projects.  In the latter case, the program award, going forward, may be reduced by the amount previously committed to the terminated project. Blood Cancer United will continue to fund a terminated project for up to three months following the decision to terminate to enable the orderly wind down of the project.​
3. Blood Cancer United may invite the SCOR Director to submit a proposal for a replacement project.  The SCOR Director and Project Leader should discuss with Blood Cancer United staff, prior to submission, the appropriateness and feasibility of potential projects.  The new proposal must be submitted to Blood Cancer United within four weeks of the invitation.
4. The proposal for the replacement project should...
   • include the following sections:
     • Rationale and Specific Aims
     • Background with scientific and clinical significance
     • Previous studies/preliminary data
     • Methods
     • Interaction with other Projects and Cores
     • Statistical approaches
     • Description of patient populations/samples (if relevant)
     • References
   • include biographical sketches and information about resources and environments for any new Investigators or new environments which were not included in the original application.
   • not exceed 6 pages.
   • be submitted as a single PDF document.
5. The proposal will be reviewed by Blood Cancer United scientific staff and by two outside scientists who have expertise in the subject area of the proposed research.
6. The proposal will be evaluated for significance, feasibility, translatability, and synergy with the other projects.
7. Blood Cancer United will determine whether the proposal is acceptable, requires modification or is unacceptable.  Blood Cancer United will communicate this decision to the Program Director within 6 weeks of receiving the proposal.
8. Blood Cancer United shall have the final decision with respect to all project terminations and substitutions.

If you have questions regarding your grant that are not addressed here, please contact the Research Administration Team at [email protected].