CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTER CANCER PREVENTION AND RESEARCH PROGRAM

Program Announcement (March 14, 2024): Applicants have been invited to apply to The California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program. All invited applicants have been notified. Invited Applications should be submitted using SmartSimple and must comply with the Request for Proposals (RFP). Applicants are encouraged to check this website for any updates or announcements while the application cycle is open. Invited applications are due on June 13, 2024 (12:00 noon Pacific Time).

The State of California has designated $7 million to the University of California (UC) Office of the President, per AB 700, for community-based participatory research projects to reduce the incidence of cancer among California firefighters.

Administered by the UC Research Grants Program Office, this competitive grant program invites applications from teams of CA-based firefighters and UC academics for research awards in two categories:

• California Firefighter Cancer Prevention Pilot Grants: up to $300,000 direct costs over 2 years to lay the groundwork for future, larger research efforts, supporting the initial phase of the project, including strengthening collaborations, development of tools and methods, testing feasibility, and collecting pilot data

• California Firefighter Cancer Prevention Full Grants: up to $750,000 direct costs over 3 years to support robust partnerships with fully developed research plans that include supporting preliminary data; carried out by a well-integrated team of scientific and fire service members with demonstrated record of success conducting research

These grants will support research to reduce cancer among firefighters by examining the hallmarks of cancer and key characteristics of carcinogens as they relate to firefighters’ occupational exposures, characterizing biomarkers of cancer susceptibility or risk in firefighters, understanding carcinogenic exposures among firefighters, and informing intervention strategies to lower risks of developing cancer in firefighters.

This page provides the following resources for investigators:

• Applicant Webinar
• Request for Proposals
• Technical Assistance

The grant program is a partnership of UC Office of the President's Research and Innovation and the FIRESCOPE Program which is jointly administered by the Office of Emergency Services, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), and Office of the State Fire Marshall (SFM).

APplicant Webinar

An applicant webinar was held on January 29^th, 2024.

Reviewing the following webinar materials is highly recommended, especially if you are new to SmartSimple, the application submission portal.

The webinar slides and recording are now available:

• Applicant webinar slides (pdf)

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program invites applications from teams of CA-based fire service professionals and UC academics for community-based participatory research that “will have a positive, direct, and timely impact on the California fire service.”

The required Letter of Intent due date has passed. An accepted LOI is required in order to submit an Invited Application. Invited Applications should be submitted using SmartSimple and must be in compliance with the Request for Proposals (RFP). Invited applications are due on June 13, 2024.

• RFP for 2024 awards (pdf)
• Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)

The project start date for both grant types is December 1, 2024.

Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is available to help applicants find an appropriate partner Co-PI, and with other aspects of their Invited Application. Note that Invited Applications will require that both Co-PIs be named and have developed a memorandum of understanding for their partnership.

For technical support in finding a project partner send an email to the California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program at firefighter-cancer@ucop.edu.

For any other questions regarding the program or application process, please also contact the California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program.