Administrative Core

PROJECT SUMMARY The Administrative Core will provide coordination and oversight across all Center activities. It will help maximize interactions and synergies and will enable optimal use of available research infrastructure, including Core resources and services, and a state-of-the-art high-performance computing environment. It will also facilitate participation of CaST members to CSBC activities, ensure that programmatic feedback from the CSBC is integrated into the Center’s operations, and administer the one-year intra-Center pilot research projects. An effective management structure will be put in place to ensure that the Center’s complex objectives are achieved in timely fashion, including an Executive Steering Committee (ESC) —comprising the Center’s Directors, Center Administrator, Project/Core Leads, and NCI program officers—which will oversee the Center’s operations and provide overall guidance to the investigators; a Center Administrator who will meet frequently with Project and Core leads to track progress on project activities, facilitate interactions and integration between Projects, and ensure that the decisions made at the ESC meetings are properly communicated; and a Data Manager who will ensure that resources and data generated by the Center are consistently annotated and prepared for submission to NIH repositories in a timely and effective manner. The ESC will meet quarterly to candidly assess Project progress, address operational and research issues that require corrective action, prioritize use of Center resources, make decision about Pilot Project awards, and ensure coordination with related NCI and NIH activities. The Administrative Core will provide logistical support for the annual NCI site visit, coordinate preparation of progress reports, monitor compliance with regulatory requirements, and provide timely fiscal reviews and budget analysis. In support of these efforts, the Core will define and track a broad collection of quantitative metrics to assess the quality and utility of Center deliverables. The Core will be responsible for assembling a world class scientific External Advisory Committee (EAB) to advise the Center’s co-Directors and to provide an impartial assessment of the Center’s research program. In addition to ad hoc communications, the EAB members will meet in person once a year at the Center’s NCI site visit, where they will attend scientific presentations from Project and Core investigators and will offer feedback on research progress and future directions, as well as advice on program management and the administration of the Pilot Project program. The Administrative Core will coordinate the participation of Center personnel to all Consortium activities, including attending meetings and workshops, contributing to working groups and technical committees, and interfacing with other NIH initiatives. Finally, it will support a broad educational program implemented through the Outreach core, aiming to expand inclusivity and diversity in Cancer Systems Biology by offering education and learning opportunities to underprivileged high school and college students from minority-serving institutions in New York City and other big cities.