Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), initially formed in 1986, represents a partnership of federal agencies and research institutions seeking to improve procedures and systems used to support research. Many recent improvements in research administrationsuch as the ability of research institutions to carry forward funds, to extend awards at no cost, or to approve pre-award costsare the result of this group's past activities. In June 1996, the Federal Demonstration Partnership entered its third phase of existence with the expansion of participating agencies and institutions. Today, the group consists of 11 federal agencies and 65 academic and research institutions working on various initiatives such as electronic research administration, time and effort reporting, and new models for research funding.
At a recent meeting of the FDP, shared resources were identified as an area where new mechanisms of support should be considered. Although shared facilities are essential to conducting research, they often find it difficult to obtain stable funding. Investigators are forced to support shared resources piecemeal through their individual research grants, leaving shared services vulnerable to the volatility of individual grant renewal cycles. Those shared resources fortunate enough to become part of a program project award find their ability to extend services to researchers outside of the program project limited. Current funding mechanisms place shared resources in a position where their funding is uncertain and their ability to extend services potentially compromised.
The Basic Award Taskforce of the FDP is in the process of identifying new ideas for funding mechanisms and developing test proposals to determine their feasibility. An idea put forth at the December 1996 meeting of the FDP was to develop a mechanism of support for shared resources that is similar to an individual research grant. Under this concept, a shared resource would be able to apply for support through a competitive application process. Conceptually, applications would be reviewed based on criteria that would measure the resource's value to research including its cost effectiveness, management, and impact on research. This concept is in its infancy and much additional work will be needed to determine the feasibility of developing and testing such a mechanism. As chair of this taskforce, I welcome any ideas or suggestions you might have.
Joann Cahill is the Director of Grant and Contract Administration and may be contacted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1124 Columbia Street, Seattle, WA 98104, E-mail: jcahill@fhcrc.org.