The CRI Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) supports innovative, team-based investigations at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application in cancer immunology. CLIP is designed to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into approaches that can improve outcomes for patients with cancer.

Focus and Scope

New and effective cancer treatments require more than laboratory breakthroughs — they require translational pathways that bring bench discoveries into patient trials and return clinical insights to the lab.

Each funding cycle, CRI will identify a specific scientific theme representing a critical opportunity where focused investment can help accelerate progress in cancer immunology and immunotherapy.

2027 CLIP Theme: Primary and Secondary Cancer Prevention and Interception

This multi-investigator team science project aims to bridge the gap between basic mechanistic discovery and clinical application of innovative immune prevention or interception of primary cancer development and cancer recurrence after successful primary cancer treatment.

Topics of interest include:

1. Identification and validation of novel biological mechanisms driving early tumorigenesis and the progression of pre-malignant lesions for facilitating the development of targeted immune prevention therapies for both primary and secondary prevention.
2. Integrating robust preclinical models with high-dimensional analysis of human tissue samples — including longitudinal samples from high-risk cohorts and pre-cancerous lesions or treated primary tumors — to elucidate key inflammatory pathways influencing antitumor immune responses, the role of the microenvironment, and mechanisms of immune evasion in early-stage disease.

Proposals may consider including one or more of the following as additional objectives during the course of developing/validating/evaluating their targeted immune interception for both primary and secondary prevention:

1. Utilizing advanced imaging and single-cell sequencing to pinpoint genetic and epigenetic alterations initiating inflammatory changes in high-risk tissues leading to cancer development and progression to inform immune interception strategies.
2. Investigating how immune cell dysfunction and stromal changes facilitate tumor development and identifying therapeutic targets for immune modulation.
3. Utilizing mouse models, patient-derived organoids and tissue slice cultures to test novel immune interventions, facilitating the translation of findings into actionable strategies for immune prevention and/or interception of primary tumor development and prevention of secondary recurrence.
4. Identification and validation of biomarkers, novel technologies and early indicators associated with precancerous lesions and cancer recurrence, in order to guide immune interceptions. 

This collaborative approach aims to accelerate the transition from preclinical discovery to clinical trials, providing novel immune based strategies for reducing cancer incidence and improving long-term outcomes for patients at high risk.  Proposals at the preclinical research stage should provide a clear line of sight to the steps required for intended implementation. Clinical trials are not funded by this mechanism.

Evaluation of LOI and Full Application

The Selection Committee will consider the following criteria when evaluating the LOIs and full applications:

• Scientific merit and translational potential of the research project, i.e., ultimate plan for translating the work from the laboratory to the clinic to deliver with a clear and rational line of sight to clinical utility, including proposed next steps/future research needed to bridge from the currently proposed project to clinical impact;
• Significance of the proposed research, i.e., whether it has the potential to design, validate and test innovative interventions to prevent primary or recurrent disease;
• Novelty of the hypothesis or methodology;
• Team leadership qualities, willingness to collaborate, their research credentials, their unique contributions to the Team research project, demonstrated ability to bring together and lead an interdisciplinary team;
• A clear commitment by the Team that all data resulting from their work will be available to the scientific community at large at the earliest opportunity;
• Likelihood that the research project will achieve its stated goals given the budget requested, institutional environments, and other resources available;
• Whether the studies are designed to capitalize upon the unique animal models, populations and environments, specialized expertise, new concepts and perspectives, innovative methodologies, and/or emerging technologies that are available as a result of the multi-institutional collaboration;
• Plan for broad dissemination, impact, and sustainability of the models created;
• Whether adequate institutional and/or financial support exists to sustain the research project;
• The cost effectiveness of the budget; and
• Plan for mentoring and integrating Early Career Investigators.

Financial Support

CLIP grants provide up to $1,000,000 over 3 years to qualified teams of investigators pursuing high-impact research within the designated scientific theme. By fostering tight integration between the laboratory and the clinic, CLIP aims to accelerate the translation of discoveries into meaningful strategies for cancer prevention and interception.

CRI may be willing to provide additional support to further advance promising projects. This extension may be available to projects that demonstrate exceptional progress and generate outstanding data, ensuring that the most impactful research can continue to move toward clinical application and patient benefit. CLIP PIs should check with CRI Program staff at the start of year three to determine eligibility for follow-on funding.

Institutions will be provided indirect costs of up to 10% of the total amount awarded. Indirect costs are provided in addition to awarded funds.

NOTE: CRI will make all payments in equal installments at the beginning of each quarter exclusively to the Lead Institution (Lead PI Institution). The Lead Institution will be responsible for establishing, administering, and monitoring any subawards necessary to support Team Investigators at other institutions in accordance with the budget provided to CRI.

Deadlines

The process for applying for a CRI CLIP Grant consists of two parts:

1. Letter of Intent
2. Invited Application

The deadline for receipt of the Letter of Intent is December 1. Candidates will be notified by the end of January whether they have been invited to submit a full grant proposal. The full application is due March 1.

If these deadlines fall on a weekend, applications will be accepted the following Monday. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on these dates. The earliest an award can activate is July 1. Awards activate on the first of the month.

Instructions for Applying

Letters of Intent must be submitted electronically. Once you access the application, you will be asked to create a user account unique to you, which will catalogue all applications you submit to CRI. If you have submitted a grant application to CRI in the past, please log in with your existing user account.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to cancer immunology and immunotherapy (highest predictor)

This is the most important predictor.

CRI is not a general cancer-research funder. Competitive projects should directly advance understanding or application of:

• Tumor immunology
• Fundamental immunology relevant to cancer
• Immune-cell function in tumors
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Immune resistance and response
• Tumor microenvironment
• Immunological biomarkers
• Immune-based therapeutic strategies

For the Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship, CRI specifically emphasizes hypothesis-driven, mechanistic research in fundamental immunology and tumor immunology, including how the work will advance understanding of the immune system's role in cancer.

2. Scientific significance, innovation, and feasibility (very high predictor)

CRI explicitly identifies three core proposal-review dimensions:

• Significance
• Innovation
• Feasibility

The strongest applications address an important immunological problem, introduce a genuinely new concept or approach, and remain technically achievable. Ambitious science is attractive, but the experimental strategy must still be convincing.

3. Strong candidate qualifications and demonstrated track record (very high predictor)

CRI formally considers:

• Candidate qualifications
• Demonstrated research track record
• Evidence of scientific productivity
• Technical expertise
• Potential for future impact

For trainee and career-development programs, reviewers assess accomplishments relative to career stage rather than simply rewarding the longest publication list.

4. Potential to become a future leader in cancer immunology

Investigator development is central to CRI's funding model. Its programs span early-career researchers through established investigators and are designed to cultivate scientific leaders who can advance cancer immunotherapy.

Strong indicators include:

• Clear long-term research vision
• Commitment to immunology or tumor immunology
• Emerging scientific independence
• Leadership potential
• Ability to establish a distinctive research direction

5. Outstanding sponsor, mentorship, and training environment (especially important for fellowships)

For postdoctoral funding, CRI explicitly reviews both:

• The strength of the sponsor
• The quality of the training environment

Competitive applications typically demonstrate access to expert mentorship, strong immunology infrastructure, appropriate technologies, and an environment capable of advancing the fellow toward independence.

6. Acquisition of genuinely new skills and expertise

A strong fellowship application explains how the proposed work will expand the applicant's capabilities through:

• New experimental techniques
• New conceptual expertise
• Computational or data-science training
• Advanced immunological methods
• Cross-disciplinary mentorship

CRI expects the training experience to prepare the applicant for future scientific leadership and independence.

7. Bold, high-risk/high-reward potential (program-specific but very important)

Several CRI programs explicitly support bold ideas. The Lloyd J. Old STAR Program, for example, supports mid-career scientists pursuing high-risk, high-reward research at the leading edge of cancer immunotherapy, while the Technology Impact Award targets early-stage concepts with transformative potential.

The strongest proposals may challenge existing assumptions, open a new research direction, or create a technology that changes what is scientifically possible.

8. Strong translational pathway and clinical impact (for translational and clinical awards)

For programs such as the Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program and Clinical Innovator awards, success depends heavily on a credible bridge between immunological discovery and patient care. CRI's current portfolio explicitly supports research at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application, as well as pioneering academic immunotherapy trials.

Competitive projects often demonstrate:

• Strong biological rationale
• Relevant biomarkers
• Patient-selection strategy
• Translational endpoints
• Clinical-development potential
• A realistic pathway toward testing or implementation

9. Interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration

Modern immunotherapy research often requires integration of:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Computational biology
• Data science
• Genomics
• Bioengineering
• Clinical research

CRI's current programs explicitly include opportunities at the intersection of immunology and data science, reinforcing the value of complementary expertise when it is essential to the scientific question.