U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command

Point of Contact:
Chuck Dasey, (301) 619-7071

March 30, 1999
For Immediate Release:
National Cancer Institute and Department of Defense Announce Pilot Program

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, MD and the Department of Defense Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, MD announced this week the launch of a joint pilot program to test a common scientific outline. The outline was developed by the NCI to help in the evaluation of each agency's cancer research portfolio. Using this common scientific outline, the agencies say, will allow for common coding of their research projects. With a common coding system, both agencies would be in a better position to coordinate their research efforts, helping them identify undersupported research areas and avoid program duplication.

The new scientific outline is the product of the NCI's Prostate and Breast Cancer Progress Review Groups, and Prostate and Breast Cancer Task Forces. Working together, NCI and CDMRP staffs have modified the outline to develop a working pilot model.

In the next review phase, the CDMRP Prostate, Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Programs will pilot test the outline. Specifically, the next phase of testing will compare self coding of research grants from submitting investigators to coding by CDMRP staff and peer reviewers, followed by full evaluation of the overall portfolios.

More information about the National Cancer Institute is available at http://www.nci.nih.gov. More information about the DOD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs can be found at https://cdmrp.health.mil.