Sachin Sarcoma Society Chordoma Research Grant 2025-2026

Issuing Organization: Sachin Sarcoma Society (SSS)

Grant Cycle: 2025–2026

Total Funding Corpus: INR 5,00,000 (Five Lakh Indian Rupees)

Program Type: Extramural Research / Innovation Seed Grant

Geographic Focus: Pan-India

Application Portal: research@sachinsarcomasociety.org

Website: www.sachinsarcomasociety.org

Scientific Background and Research Priorities

To ensure that the funded research is relevant and impactful, applicants must ground their proposals in the current scientific context of chordoma, while addressing specific Indian challenges. The following sections outline the priority themes for this grant cycle.

Theme A: Epidemiology, Registry, and Real-World Evidence

The most glaring gap in Indian chordoma research is the lack of consolidated data. While tertiary centers like AIIMS, Tata Memorial Centre, and regional cancer institutes treat chordoma patients, data remains siloed in individual hospital records.

The “Indian Gap”: Western literature provides robust data on incidence (0.08 per 100,000), survival rates, and prognostic factors. However, we do not know if these statistics hold true for the Indian population. Does the age of onset differ? Is there a higher prevalence of specific anatomical subtypes (clival vs. sacral) due to genetic or environmental factors? Furthermore, we lack data on the “patient interval”—the time from symptom onset to diagnosis—which is critical for policy interventions.

Priority Research Questions

Multi-Institutional Registry: Development of a pilot multi-centric registry framework to capture demographic, clinical, and treatment variables of chordoma patients across North, South, East, and West India.
Referral Pathways: Analysis of the diagnostic journey of Indian chordoma patients. Where are the bottlenecks? How many misdiagnoses (e.g., confused with tuberculosis of the spine or benign back pain) occur before confirmation?
Survival Analysis: Retrospective studies analyzing Recurrence-Free Survival (RFS) and Overall Survival (OS) in Indian cohorts, specifically stratifying by the quality of surgical margins achieved in resource-constrained settings.

Theme B: Translational Biology and Genetics

Chordoma is driven by the specific biology of the notochord. The transcription factor brachyury (encoded by the TBXT gene) is the hallmark diagnostic marker and a key oncogenic driver.

The “Indian Gap”: While germline duplication of TBXT is a known susceptibility factor in familial chordoma in Western populations, the genetic landscape of Indian patients is uncharted. Do Indian patients harbor unique somatic mutations that might offer therapeutic targets? Additionally, the immune microenvironment of chordoma—crucial for the success of checkpoint inhibitors like Nivolumab—needs characterization in Indian samples.

Priority Research Questions:

Genomic Profiling: Targeted sequencing of TBXT, EGFR, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway genes in Indian chordoma samples to identify potential therapeutic targets.
Biomarker Development: Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis to correlate Brachyury expression levels, Ki-67 proliferation indices, and PD-L1 status with clinical outcomes (recurrence, metastasis).
Drug Repurposing Screens: Ex vivo testing of repurposed drugs (e.g., EGFR inhibitors like Afatinib or Cetuximab) on patient-derived cell lines or tissue explants, offering a low-cost route to new therapies.

Theme C: Clinical Management and Health Economics

The management of chordoma is multimodal, involving complex neurosurgery and high-dose radiation.

The “Indian Gap”: In India, the choice of therapy is often dictated by economics. Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is the global gold standard but is available at limited centers in India and comes with a high price tag. Many patients undergo Photon therapy (IMRT/SRT) instead. There is a critical need to compare outcomes between these modalities within the Indian healthcare context. Furthermore, the “Financial Toxicity” of this chronic, expensive disease forces many families into poverty, a phenomenon not adequately captured in clinical records.

Priority Research Questions:

Comparative Effectiveness: A retrospective comparison of local control rates and toxicity profiles between patients treated with Proton Therapy vs. advanced Photon Therapy (IMRT) in Indian centers.
Financial Toxicity Assessment: Detailed surveys quantifying the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for chordoma care, including direct medical costs and indirect costs (loss of wages, travel, accommodation), to advocate for better insurance coverage under schemes like Ayushman Bharat.
Surgical Morbidity: Studies documenting the functional outcomes (neurological deficits, bladder/bowel function) following sacral resections and their impact on vocational rehabilitation in the Indian workforce.

Theme D: Quality of Life (QoL) and Survivorship

Survival is not the only metric of success. Chordoma survivors live with significant disabilities. SSS places a high premium on research that aims to improve the quality of survival.

Priority Research Questions:

Psychosocial Impact: Qualitative research (interviews/focus groups) exploring the mental health burden (anxiety, depression, isolation) on chordoma patients and their caregivers.
Rehabilitation: Development and testing of low-cost, home-based rehabilitation protocols for patients with mobility issues post-sacrectomy.
Palliative Care: Investigating pain management needs and access to palliative care services for patients with metastatic or unresectable chordoma in rural India.

Grant Description and Funding Scope

Award Details

Grant Title: Sachin Sarcoma Society Chordoma Research Grant 2025.
Funding Amount: Up to INR 5,00,000 (Five Lakhs).
Funding Type: Seed Grant / Pilot Grant.
Duration: 12 to 18 months.
Number of Awards: One (1) major award or Two (2) minor awards (INR 2.5 Lakhs each), based on scientific merit.

What This Grant Funds (Allowable Activities)

The budget is designed to support the direct costs of research. The Society encourages “frugal innovation”—achieving maximum scientific yield from limited resources.

Research Personnel: Salaries for project assistants, data entry operators, or junior researchers (JRF) working specifically on the project. (Note: This is vital for calculating “Manpower” costs in the budget section).
Consumables and Reagents: Purchase of antibodies (e.g., anti-Brachyury), PCR kits, tissue culture media, glass slides, and chemicals required for laboratory work.
Diagnostics and Testing: Costs for specialized tests (e.g., genetic sequencing, MRI review) for research participants that are not covered by standard of care or insurance.
Data Management: Costs for cloud storage, statistical software licenses (if institutional licenses are unavailable), and printing of Case Report Forms (CRFs).
Patient Support Costs: Reimbursement of travel or incidental expenses for patients participating in the study (e.g., travel to the hospital for a research-only follow-up). This aligns with the SSS mission of reducing patient burden.
Dissemination: Modest costs for publication fees (Open Access) or poster printing for conference presentation.

What This Grant Does NOT Fund (Exclusions)

Capital Equipment: Purchase of major assets like microscopes, deep freezers, or computers/laptops is generally not allowed unless a specific, low-cost device is central to the project and fully justified.
Investigator Salaries: No portion of the grant may be used for the salary or honorarium of the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigators (faculty members).
Infrastructure: Construction, renovation, or basic office furniture.
General Utilities: Electricity, water, or internet charges (these are covered under “Overhead”).
International Travel: Travel abroad for conferences is not permitted under this small grant scheme. Domestic travel for data collection is permitted.

The “Seed” Concept: Strategic Utilization

Applicants are strongly advised to view this INR 5,00,000 as a stepping stone. A successful proposal will demonstrate how this small amount will generate the preliminary data needed to apply for larger grants (e.g., INR 30-50 Lakhs) from government bodies like the Department of Health Research (DHR), ICMR, or DST-SERB.

Example: Use the SSS grant to collect and stain 50 retrospective samples. Use that data to show a trend, then apply to ICMR for a prospective study of 200 patients.

Eligibility Criteria and Compliance

To ensure accountability and scientific rigor, strict eligibility criteria apply. These are modeled on standard Indian research governance norms (ICMR/SERB) but adapted for the flexibility of a non-profit grant.

Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility

Nationality: The PI must be an Indian citizen.
Role/Designation:
- Faculty: Medical doctors (MD/MS/MCh/DM/DNB) or Scientists (PhD) holding regular or tenure-track positions in recognized medical colleges, research institutes, or universities.
- Trainees/Students: Senior Residents, DM/MCh fellows, or PhD scholars are eligible and encouraged to apply. However, they must apply with a Faculty Mentor listed as a Co-PI who assumes administrative and scientific responsibility for the grant.
Membership: While not mandatory, preference may be given to applicants who are members of professional oncology bodies (e.g., ISMPO, IASO) or who demonstrate prior engagement with the sarcoma community.

Host Institution Eligibility

The grant funds are released to the Institution, not the individual’s personal bank account. Therefore, the Host Institution must meet strict legal and financial compliance standards.

Legal Status: The institution must be a registered legal entity in India (Society, Trust, Section 8 Company, Government Autonomous Body, or University).
FCRA Compliance: If the SSS funds are sourced from foreign donations, the recipient institution must have a valid FCRA registration. (Note: If SSS funds are domestic, this may not apply, but standard NGO compliance is required).
Tax Exemptions: The institution should ideally hold valid 12A and 80G registrations to ensure tax-efficient utilization of funds.
NITI Aayog DARPAN: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) applying as host institutions must have a unique ID generated from the NGO-DARPAN portal.
SIRO Recognition: Recognition as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the DSIR is desirable as it indicates research capability and allows for customs duty exemptions on research imports.

Ethical Requirements

Research involving human subjects (retrospective or prospective) must adhere to the ICMR National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants (2017).

IEC Approval: Funding will not be released without a clearance certificate from a registered Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC).
Consent: Studies involving human participants must demonstrate a robust Informed Consent Process, with documents translated into local languages (Hindi/regional) as per SSS’s patient education mandate.

Budgetary Guidelines and Financial Management

This section provides a detailed breakdown of how to construct a budget for the INR 5,00,000 grant. Transparency and realism are key.

Budget Heads and Caps

The budget should be broken down into the following standard heads :

Budget Head	Description & Guidelines	Recommended Cap (%)
A. Manpower	Salaries/Stipends for project staff (e.g., Research Nurse, Data Manager, Lab Technician). Not for PI/Co-PI.	~40-50%
B. Consumables	Reagents, chemicals, kits, disposables, antibodies. Specific justification required for high-cost items.	~30-40%
C. Travel	Domestic travel for field work, patient home visits, or data collection. Not for attending conferences unless presenting.	~5-10%
D. Contingency	Unforeseen expenses, postage, office supplies.	Max 5%
E. Overhead	Institutional indirect costs (electricity, water, admin support).	Max 10%
F. Other	Outsourced services (sequencing, pathology review), publication charges.	~10%

The “Frugal Research” Approach

Given the grant limit (INR 5 Lakhs), applicants must demonstrate cost-efficiency.

Manpower: Instead of hiring a full-time JRF (which might cost Rs. 31,000+HRA/month and exhaust the budget in 10 months), consider hiring a Project Assistant or Data Entry Operator on a part-time basis, or topping up the stipend of an existing student.
Outsourcing: For expensive technologies (e.g., NGS), it is often cheaper to outsource the service to a commercial provider than to buy kits and run them in-house if sample numbers are low.
Collaboration: Partner with institutions that already have the necessary equipment to avoid capital costs.

Financial Reporting

Fund Disbursement: Funds will be released in installments (typically 50% upfront, 30% after mid-term review, 20% on completion).
Utilization Certificate (UC): A formal UC (GFR 12-A format) and Statement of Expenditure (SE) signed by the Finance Officer/Chartered Accountant of the institute must be submitted annually.
Unspent Balance: Any unspent balance at the end of the project must be returned to the Sachin Sarcoma Society.

The Application Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Objective: Detailed scientific and financial review.
Deadline: December 31, 2025
Format: A single PDF document comprising the following sections:

Section A: Administrative Details (Face Page)

Title of Project.
PI and Co-PI details.
Host Institution details (including FCRA/12A status).
Total Budget Requested.
Duration.

Section B: Scientific Proposal (Max 6 pages)

Abstract: (300 words) Scientific summary.
Lay Summary: (250 words) A simplified summary for patients. Crucial for SSS fundraising and advocacy.
Background & Rationale: Review of literature. Specific focus on the “Indian Gap”.
Preliminary Data: (Optional but recommended) Any pilot data supporting the hypothesis.
Research Strategy:
- Study Design: Retrospective/Prospective/Experimental.
- Study Population: Inclusion/Exclusion criteria. Identification strategy.
- Methodology: Detailed protocols (e.g., IHC scoring method, survey instruments).
- Statistical Analysis: Sample size calculation and analysis plan.
Timeline: Gantt chart of milestones.

Section C: Impact & Survivorship (Max 1 page)

Specifically address how this research affects patient care, quality of life, or policy. Does it involve patient engagement?

Section D: Budget & Justification

Detailed line-item budget and a narrative justification for each expense.

Section E: Appendices

Institutional Endorsement Letter (Head of Institute).
IEC Clearance Certificate (or proof of submission).

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) composed of leading oncologists, researchers, and patient advocates. The review will be single-blind (reviewers know applicants; applicants do not know reviewers).

Scoring Domains (1-10 Scale)

Proposals are evaluated on five core dimensions:

Criterion	Weight	Key Questions
1. Significance	25%	Does this study address a critical barrier to progress in chordoma care in India? Is the “Indian context” relevant?
2. Innovation	20%	Does the project shift current paradigms? Does it use novel concepts or technologies (e.g., AI, novel biomarkers)?.
3. Approach	30%	Are the methods rigorous? Is the sample size realistic given the rarity of the disease? Are potential pitfalls addressed?
4. Investigator	15%	Does the team have the necessary expertise? Do early-career researchers have strong mentorship?
5. Environment	10%	Is the institutional support adequate? Is there access to necessary patient pools or equipment?

The “Patient Voice” in Review

Uniquely, the SSS review process includes a “Patient Advocate Review.” A lay member of the society will review the Lay Summary and Impact section to ensure the research aligns with patient priorities (e.g., QoL, affordability).

Post-Award Management and Deliverables

Monitoring and Reporting

Inception Meeting: A virtual kick-off meeting with SSS leadership to finalize timelines.
6-Month Progress Report: A brief update on recruitment/data collection milestones. Release of the 2nd funding installment is contingent on this report.
Final Research Report: A comprehensive report due within 60 days of grant completion.

Publications and Data Sharing

Open Access: SSS encourages publication in Open Access journals to ensure knowledge reaches the community.
Acknowledgement: All publications, posters, and presentations must acknowledge: “Funding support provided by the Sachin Sarcoma Society Chordoma Research Grant.”
Data Sharing: Investigators are encouraged to share de-identified data with global registries (e.g., Chordoma Foundation) to contribute to the global understanding of the disease.

Intellectual Property (IP)

The Sachin Sarcoma Society lays no claim to Intellectual Property (IP) generated from this research. IP rights reside with the Investigator and Host Institution as per their internal policies. However, SSS reserves the right to use the research outcomes (non-confidential) for educational and fundraising purposes.

Appendices and Resources

Appendix A: List of Priority Areas Recap

Epidemiology: Indian Registry, Diagnostic Delays.
Biology: Brachyury/PD-L1 expression, Genomic landscape.
Clinical: Proton vs. Photon outcomes, Surgical margins.
Survivorship: Quality of Life, Financial Toxicity, Rehabilitation.
Technology: AI in imaging/pathology.

Appendix B: Document Checklist for Full Proposal

[ ] Cover Letter: Signed by the Principal Investigator.
[ ] Face Page: Completed with all administrative details.
[ ] Scientific Proposal: Adhering to the page limits (Abstract + 6 pages).
[ ] Budget Sheet: Detailed breakdown with justification.
[ ] CVs: Biosketches of PI and Co-PIs (2 pages max each).
[ ] IEC Clearance: Certificate or proof of submission.
[ ] endorsement Letter: From the Head of the Host Institution.
[ ] Regulatory Documents: Copies of Institute’s 12A, 80G, FCRA (if applicable), and DARPAN ID.

Appendix C: Contact Information & Resources

Grant Administrator: Sachin Sarcoma Society House No. 567, Mukhmelpur, North West Delhi – 110036
Email: research@sachinsarcomasociety.org
Helpline: +91-96672 48800

Useful Links:

Sachin Sarcoma Society: www.sachinsarcomasociety.org
ICMR Ethical Guidelines: https://ethics.ncdirindia.org
Chordoma Foundation (Global Resources): www.chordomafoundation.org

Let us research for a future without fear.
Tweet