External Review Program

Benioff Initiative for Prostate Cancer Research

The Benioff Initiative for Prostate Cancer Research is pleased to offer support for investigators or senior postdocs submitting grants in the field of prostate cancer research. The External Review Program (ERP) exists to support the review of grants before submission to a funding agency. Examples of such grants include, but are not limited to, NIH Research Project Grant R01s, PCF Young Investigator Awards, and NIH K-level career development grants. The goal of the ERP is to boost a researcher’s chances of having a grant submission funded. The EPR mechanism provides support of $500 to individual reviewers for a timely review.

The Benioff Initiative will administer the ERP and approve projects as they are received. Criteria and detailed instructions for applying are provided below.

Criteria

  • To be eligible to apply, the applicant must hold a position at UCSF, either a senior postdoc or faculty position
  • The grant should be focused on basic science in prostate cancer research
  • The reviewer must be an established expert in the field of prostate cancer research, and may not be affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. If the reviewer’s field of research does not directly relate to prostate cancer, the applicant must explain why they were selected on the ERP Applicant Form.

Instructions

  • Interested applicants must first complete the ERP Applicant Form.
  • The applicant should reach out to an external reviewer of his or her choice.
  • The applicant and the reviewer complete and sign the ERP Acknowledgment Form.
  • The Benioff Initiative will review both forms for completion and eligibility. The applicant will be notified about the approval status via email (the email address provided on the Applicant Form) within 5 business days upon receipt of the request.
    • The applicant is responsible for ensuring that his or her grant is reviewed before the grant deadline. Refer to the timeline below for guidance.
  • After the applicant successfully submits his or her grant, email a copy of the reviewer’s comments to the ERP for correspondence. Funds will then be directly paid to the reviewer.

Timeline

  • The applicants should contact ERP at least 6-8 weeks in advance of the application due date. This will allow time for revisions prior to the application due date.
  • The reviewer should return all final feedback and comments to the applicant at least 3 weeks prior to the application due date.
  • Always make sure you are coordinating with your RMS Coordinator about deadlines for grant submission.

Please contact [email protected] for questions about the application process or general questions.

Reference of applicable UCSF Policy: