email invite

Subject: Attend the IMPROVE Bidders Conference on February 28, 2022

Interested in the RFP for the Innovative Methodologies and New Data for Predictive Oncology Model Evaluation (IMPROVE) project?

Register (hyperlink) for the Project Bidders Conference on February 28!

Goal:                 Successful bidders to RFP XX-YY will be awarded one-year contracts (with up to two additional option year) to develop a deep learning model comparison framework.

Funding will be provided to 3-5 model design groups by NCI through the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

What is IMPROVE?

The Innovative Methodologies and New Data for Predictive Oncology Model Evaluation (IMPROVE) initiative is a new NCI-DOE Collaboration project. The goal of IMPROVE is the development of semi-automatic protocols for comparing deep learning models and identifying model attributes that contribute to prediction performance with the goal of improving future models for predicting efficacy of cancer treatments. The models evaluated, as well as the evaluation framework and the data generated, will be made available free for non-commercial use. The NCI/FNL and the DOE intent to extensively collaborate with the extramural research community to identify, curate and test models predicting therapeutic efficacy as well as understanding how models fail, and undertaking a systematic evaluation of the value of the various data types in relation to their cost and patient impact. This RFP focuses on Aim 1: creation of a robust framework for deep learning drug response model comparison and improvement. A separate RFI/RFP will be issued at a later date for Aim 2: generation of large-scale training data for deep learning model improvement. For more information see RFP XXX (hyperlink).

Who Should Attend:    

Individuals and teams interested in responding to the IMPROVE RFP, including the following: U.S. and international cancer researchers; AI researchers and mathematical modelers—including mechanistic, data-driven and multi-scale modelers and others with a demonstrated record of building, testing and deploying AI in the cancer space or other related therapeutic areas. Clinicians, oncologists, biomedical engineers, bioinformaticians, data scientists, computer scientists, medical physicists, physician scientists, pathologists, patient advocates, policy makers, software engineers/architects, and surgical oncologists are invited to attend, but awardees must have a demonstrated record in the relevant fields and be able to bid all subtasks.

Date of the Bidders Conference:                                    Feb 28, 2022

Where:             Virtual, no need to travel

How:                 Register online by Monday, Feb. 21, 2022.

Registration deadline: 5 p.m., ET - Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. Register Now »

For more information and to register: visit the event site.

Questions?      Contact [email protected].

P lease forward this invitation to colleagues who may be interested!