Multi-Consortia Coordinating Center (MC2 Center) for Cancer Biology: Building Interdisciplinary Scientific Communities, Coordinating Impactful Resource Sharing, and Advancing Cancer Research - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Addressing the complexity of cancer requires coordination and collaboration across large-scale interdisciplinary efforts to harness the synergy from collective expertise and resources. The Multi-Consortia Coordinating Center (MC2 Center) is funded by the NIH/NCI as a common coordinating body to maximize the combined impact of Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) consortia research programs. The MC2 Center aims to catalyze collaboration, facilitate an ecosystem of data and resource sharing, and support outreach activities to create a stable and impactful cancer research community. In support of these aims, the MC2 Center will have hosted 14 virtual and in-person meetings for DCB programs across Years 1 through 4 of the center. These meetings have been specific to a single consortia (79 average attendees), or designed to be a joint meeting of two consortia (127 average attendees). Additionally, the MC2 Center has partnered closely with NCI on an annual basis to host the Annual Junior Investigators Meeting, both via virtual and in-person formats. Through these efforts, the MC2 Center has received experience and feedback from across the community that in-person meetings are the most impactful activity to build community and foster collaboration. In Year 5, the MC2 Center proposes to host an in-person All-Consortia Meeting to bring together consortia members across five NCI Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) research programs (i.e. CCBIR, CSBC, MetNet, PS-ON and Cancer TEC) to catalyze collaboration across these five programs. The All-Consortia Meeting is expected to take place in Fall 2026 in Bethesda, MD, enabling the attendance and participation of approximately 250 people (consortia members and NCI program staff), over three-and-a-half to four days. The meeting will feature plenary sessions and interdisciplinary talks on research outputs, challenges and learnings, and the future of cancer biology research. Additionally, the meeting will include interactive poster sessions, demos, tech sessions, workshops, collaborative sessions, networking activities, and more, all looking toward the future of cancer research. The meeting will be structured to maximize engagement and participation across community roles and career stages, with specific activities focused on early career researchers. The All-Consortia Meeting is expected to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, engaging researchers across these five DCB programs to transcend disciplinary perspectives through integrated, transdisciplinary science that maximizes NCI’s investment in DCB programs, moving from project silos to an engaged community.
