Multidisciplinary Research Teams

Given the multidisciplinary nature of nanotechnology research, investigators with basic science and clinical backgrounds will require training to optimize the capabilities of the NCI Alliance, particularly regarding the translation of nanotechnologies toward clinical oncology applications.

The NCI will initially use existing training and career development mechanisms to direct talent to this area as quickly as possible and to incentivize cross-disciplinary research through training. When necessary, the NCI will investigate innovative policy considerations, such as naming multiple principal investigators per project, as incentives for conducting team science. The NCI will also encourage programs to be developed with interfaces to the training programs of other Federal agencies as components of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The advantages are to translate knowledge rapidly from fundamental nanotechnology sciences to directed application in cancer biology.