Grantee Resources

Researcher in Lab We remain committed to fostering and training promising breast cancer researchers, and this commitment is reflected in both our funding opportunities and the resources we provide for our applicants and current grantees. The following resources are especially helpful for early-career scientists and trainees.

The American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has several presentations on the grant writing process, including topics such as: Choosing a Mentor and Obtaining Letters of Support, Developing a Hypothesis, and Working with a Biostatistician.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has developed resources specifically targeting early career scientists, including complete eBooks on: scientific management, writing letters of recommendation, and becoming a mentor.

The Journal Science provides information on where to search for funding, as well as Tools &Tips on how to be successful in obtaining funding.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also provide extensive resources on grant writing, career development and job exploration. NIH Video presentations:

NIH Web pages:

Details and tips on how to prepare a grant application
For examples and specific suggestions on involving research animals, human subjects, and new investigator guides to NIH funding: Sample Applications and More
NIH provides a helpful guide to the grant application process, with suggestions for each part of the application.

We have a strong commitment to including breast cancer patient advocates to provide the patient perspective in the design and implementation of both research projects and career development plans. Komen Advocates In Science (AIS) have developed a Guideline for Advocate Involvement in Komen Funded Research.

There are many ways to engage research advocates in your research project:

Patient advocates can be involved early in the development of the project to provide input about its impact to patients.
During pre-application submission, they can assist with reviewing the scientific and patient impact section to help articulate the importance of the project to breast cancer patients and advocate reviewers.
Advocates involved in the research project are highly encouraged to be included as a member of the Mentor Committee.
Advocates may be invited to attend or give presentations to provide the patient point of view and a different perspective to the project.
They can be included in clinical trial development, provide input on potential barriers to accrual and help develop patient education materials.
Advocates can assist in communicating the importance of the results of the research project to the public using lay language that will be better understood by the general public.

Learn even more ways of engaging advocates in your research project by reading the Guidelines for Advocate Involvement in Komen Funded Research.

Komen Advocates in Science (AIS) members are ready to work with you at every step of the research process, from writing a compelling application to communicating your project to the community and bringing the unique and valuable perspectives of breast cancer patients into your lab. For assistance with identifying trained advocates or discussing how to include advocates in the proposed research project, email advocatesinscience@komen.org. Learn more information about the AIS program. Link to 3.2.5 Bring the Patient Voice to Research.

In addition, the California Breast Cancer Research Program provides beneficial information for inclusions of advocates, including applicant resources; advocate training programs, and helpful references.

The Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center

(Komen Tissue Bank, KTB)

is the only known repository of healthy breast tissue in the world. Established in 2007, the Komen Tissue Bank contains over 2,500 annotated tissue, blood, and saliva samples donated by women who have not had breast cancer. It is a goal of the KTB to provide researchers with biospecimens from the entire continuum of breast development, from puberty to menopause.

The KTB collects the following types of samples: fresh frozen tissue; formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue; blood products, including whole blood, plasma, serum; and DNA from lymphocytes. These samples are available to investigators to conduct research that will provide insight into breast oncogenesis. Additionally, the KTB has created a virtual tissue bank, which is populated with data derived from research completed with KTB samples; researchers from around the world will be able to access this data.

The KTB invites researchers to take advantage of the available normal breast tissue to understand the biology of breast cancer. Komen is encouraging the use of this unique resource by inviting Applicants/PIs to include plans for utilizing tissues from the KTB in their grant applications. For more information, visit http://komentissuebank.iu.edu.

Researchers submitting grant applications to Susan G. Komen® that will propose studies involving human subjects are highly encouraged to access the Army of Women to obtain volunteers.

The Army of Women (AOW) is a program of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Founded in 2008, the goal is to accelerate breast cancer research by providing a link for researchers to engage dedicated volunteers who are willing to donate time, information, and biological samples to help understand the causes of breast cancer and prevent it. You should include costs for the Army of Women e-blast in your proposal, and we encourage you to notify the AOW staff of your proposal and obtain budget information from them. Submit your request to research@armyofwomen.org.

For details about the Army of Women, please visit www.armyofwomen.org and review the “For Researchers” section.

Our research grantees conduct the best breast cancer research and support our mission to find and fund the discoveries, individuals and resources essential to reducing breast cancer incidence and mortality within the decade.

Your Komen Science Manager and Grants Administrator are your partners in managing your grant, and we encourage you to contact them directly with your questions.
If you still need help, submit your question to the Komen Grants Help Desk.
Access your grant record at proposalCENTRAL Award Management.
Login to the proposalCENTRAL site to find Komen’s Research and Training Grant Policy and Procedures, deliverable templates and how to submit deliverables.
If you do not recall your password, the proposalCENTRAL Award Management page contains instructions for retrieving your login information. If you have difficulty logging into the system, please contact the proposalCENTRAL Help Desk via email at pcsupport@altum.com or phone at 1-800-875-2562 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-703-964-5840 (International).