Below the Belt Research Fund
2025 APPLICATIONS OPENING IN APRIL
Since 2015, ANZUP’s Below the Belt Research Fund has raised
over $2 million for urogenital cancer research and we are very proud of these efforts so far.
The Below the Belt Research Fund was established to support our members in the development of investigator-initiated studies. Proceeds from Below the Belt events and campaigns plus the generous donations or fundraising
from our supporting community groups and consumers goes directly towards clinical trial research via this fund. It provides much needed seed funding to support ANZUP members to progress new trial ideas to the point of becoming full scale studies.
All of the major milestones in diagnosing, treating and caring for Below the Belt cancer patients worldwide have been due to the dedicated work on clinical trials. We still have a long way to go in terms of addressing obstacles, getting adequate funding and being able to provide sufficient treatment and supportive care to every patient.
Our Below the Belt Research Fund has majorly aided our clinicians with developing an idea and proceeding promising concepts into action. To date, seed funding has been awarded to 36 ANZUP members to support the gathering of crucial evidence that is necessary to develop full scale clinical research studies.
This grant is awarded at our Conference Dinner during the Annual Scientific Meeting and can see up to $50,000 presented to successful applicants.
The 2024 recipients of the Below the Belt Research Fund
grants as below:
- Arti Raghubar – Defining the kidney cancer microenvironment
- Cynthia Hawks – Gemcitabine-Docetaxel Intravesical Instillation
SynChrOnously – a Phase I study (G-DISCO) - Vinod Subhash – Extracellular vesicle Informed Therapeutics in Prostate
Cancer - Weranja Ranasinghe – Evaluating the BCG-R5 immune marker to define BCG response in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and personalise intravesical therapy
Read more about the work they will be undertaking, as well as past successful applicants here.
Submitting An Application - What You Need To Know
- Pilot studies (including generating data to support a larger research project)
- Translational research that may lead to an ANZUP project or form part of an existing project
- Innovative sub-studies e.g. psycho-oncology or nursing projects
- Seed funding to start a high priority ANZUP study that has a high likelihood of receiving ongoing funding from another source.
- Be an ANZUP member with a minimum of 12 months membership and an active contributor to ANZUP activities
- Acknowledge ANZUP’s contributions towards ongoing development and any associated outputs of the funded research
- Acknowledge ANZUP and the Below the Belt Research Fund in any publications or presentations as a result of the Below the Belt Research Fund
- Attend relevant subcommittee meetings to provide updates on the project and present a final report at an Annual Scientific Meeting
- Provide a formal written report at the completion of the project to the ANZUP SAC
- Provide a summary report for use in ANZUP publications
- As this research fund is supported by philanthropic funds, the successful recipients must ensure that any on-costs are not taken out of this grant.
A grant review panel will be appointed by the ANZUP SAC to assess the applications and will include consumer representation. Within the framework of the above requirements, the following specific criteria will be used as part of the review and selection process;
- Scientific excellence, i.e. quality of research methods (20%)
- Significance and/or innovation (20%)
- Feasibility, i.e. likelihood of successful completion (20%)
- Alignment with goals and objectives of ANZUP (20%)
- Potential to leverage additional funds (20%)