Collaborations, the transfer of technology, and other types of public-private partnerships, are critical to NCI’s mission of fostering the best cancer research and promoting translation of that research from the bench to the bedside. NCI is the primary means of support for cancer research in America, with 3.8 billion dollars spent in 2007 alone on cancer research conducted at institutions across the country, and another one billion spent here at the NCI. NCI’s intramural scientific program, which is housed primarily on its campuses in Frederick and Bethesda, Md. is uniquely positioned to explore innovative diagnostic and treatment development in areas such as orphan drugs or combination therapies – areas where industry and academic sectors often face difficulties due to concerns over marketability, intellectual property, competition and liability. NCI cannot do this research alone, however, particularly because the problems being addressed require special expertise and an approach that crosses many disciplines. Partnerships have become an important component of America’s investment in cancer research.

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