NCI recognizes that it is one of many sources of funding available to centers for support of their research programs. It is also true that research dollars supporting affiliates that are integral to a cancer center's activities may contribute importantly to a center's research capabilities. This ratio calculation signifies nothing about the importance of any particular source of research funds to the center. Centers whose budget requests significantly exceed a ratio of 0.2 should be prepared to convince peer review by providing compelling information that the dollar size of their total research support, the close and sustained integration of investigators from affiliate institutions, and the scientific excellence of the center's research programs clearly justify an award greater than the benchmark ratio. There are no restrictions on the allowable increase in the budget request over the last previous year.
Applicants are free to request any dollar amount that they can convincingly justify to peer review.
The appropriate size of a CCSG request in any competitive renewal should relate closely to the science that it is intended to support. NCI's ability to pay awarded CCSG at full recommended levels varies from year to year with the size of NCI's congressional appropriation. Peer review should scrutinize all budget requests carefully to assure that they are well justified. As is detailed further in Part II, peer review will pay attention to all budgets in relation to the quality of the underlying science in the center's research base. If a supplement application is accepted by the NCI, no restrictions apply to the budget that may be requested.