2024 Recipient – Sarah Nersesian
2022 Recipient – Qingchuan Zhao
2020 Recipient – Allen Zhang
2018 Recipient – Yikan Wang
Ovarian Cancer Canada’s efforts to attract leading minds to the field of ovarian cancer research while providing necessary resources have grown Canada’s collaborative ovarian cancer research community.
Why Research with OCC
Diverse funding opportunities
Our research spans the ovarian cancer continuum; from discovery to survivorship, addressing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We're dedicated to studying social determinants of health, promoting equity, and securing funding for less common ovarian cancer types.
National platform
We convene a national, multidisciplinary, collaborative network of experts dedicated to ovarian cancer including clinicians, scientists, trainees, and patient partners, and provide diverse opportunities to share research findings and improve study recruitment.
Access to national scientific resources
We enable groundbreaking translational research on all types of ovarian cancer through investments in foundational resources such as the OCC Tissue Banking Network and OCC’s collection of high-fidelity research models.
Scientific resources
ENABLING TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH THROUGH THE OVARIAN CANCER CANADA TISSUE BANKING NETWORK
The Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC) Tissue Banking Network is a virtual network of biobanks which collect, store, and distribute biological samples (e.g., tumour tissue/cells, normal tissue/cells, blood) generously donated by individuals with ovarian cancer to enable ovarian cancer research in Canada and abroad.
OCC currently provides support to biobanks in five provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. In 2023, there were 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications on studies involving samples and/or data from the OCC Tissue Banking Network. These publications contribute to new knowledge in diverse areas such as genetic risk factors, rare ovarian cancers, omics, treatment resistance, prognostic factors, and novel treatment strategies.
Scientists interested in accessing human ovarian cancer biospecimens for their research are encouraged to contact the individual biobanks for more information.
BUILDING YOUR SCIENTIFIC TOOLBOX: OCC’S COLLECTION OF RESEARCH MODELS
Ovarian Cancer Canada is proud to make available to researchers the OvCAN Collection, which is a virtual collection of high-fidelity research models of ovarian cancer. The development and/or characterization of these models has been funded by OCC.
The purpose of the OvCAN Collection is to facilitate the creation and sharing of these gold standard models among the ovarian cancer research community, to enable and expedite high-quality research focused on improving ovarian cancer outcomes.
If you are interested in incorporating one of these models into your study, please contact the individual lab for more information.
RESEARCH POLICIES AND PROCESSES
RESEARCH SAFEGUARDING POLICY
The policy ensures all OCC research activities which receive full or partial federal research funding comply with the Government of Canada’s guidelines about the integrity and security of sensitive technology research. This includes diligence in identifying sensitive technology research areas, scrutinizing researcher affiliations, and adhering to attestation and validation requirements in grant applications.
Research Safeguarding Policy
Sensitive Technology Research Area Checklist, Declaration and Attestation Form
RESEARCH Conflict of interest AND CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
This policy aims to ensure the integrity of OCC’s research funding process. Specifically, this policy aims to ensure:
- The confidentiality of information submitted to OCC or shared among funding organizations; including all information and decisions about research funding applications submitted, collected, prepared or made in connection with OCC’s research funding program.
- The effective management of Conflict of Interest of any participant in the research funding review process, so that OCC research funding decisions are fair, objective and free of actual, perceived or potential Conflict of Interest.
Research COI and Confidentiality Policy
Research Policy Declaration Form
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Standardized evaluation criteria and scoring rubrics are used by independent academic (clinical, scientific) and patient reviewers for all Ovarian Cancer Canada-led open funding competitions, to ensure fair and equitable assessment and selection of funding applications.
Our Current Funds and Awards
RISE: RESEARCH IMPACT IN SURVIVORSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT
Launched April 22, 2025
Funding start of December 2025
2 Grants available ($100,000 each)
In partnership with Cancer Research Society
This unique patient-driven competition will fund varied types of research (e.g., translational, psychosocial, mixed methods, pragmatic) that aims to address one or more survivorship priorities identified by ovarian cancer patients and caregivers in a recent national survey. Projects may cover any part of the survivorship continuum, from diagnosis to end-of-life care. Patients and caregivers have co-developed the competition framework, defined research priorities, and will drive final funding recommendations.
PRAGMATIC CLINICAL TRIALS OPEN FUNDING CALL
Competition complete
Funding start of April 1, 2025
Up to $800,000 available ($400,000 from OCC and $400,000 from BioCanRx)
This competition will fund one or more pragmatic clinical trials focused on ovarian cancer. A pragmatic clinical trial is a research study that aims to compare health interventions in a real-world setting with a diverse group of patients to inform policy and clinical practice. Done well, they can help bridge the gap between research and care.
Thanks to the generous support of BioCanRx, an additional $400,000 may be available for pragmatic clinical trials focused on immune oncology.
OPEN FUNDING CALL FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH IN SASKATCHEWAN
Competition now closed, applications under review
Funding start of December 2024, over period of 1, 2 or 3 years
Total of $825,000 available
This competition is open to all clinical and scientific researchers studying ovarian cancer in Saskatchewan. The goal is to fund the most innovative and impactful projects and initiatives with the greatest potential to benefit ovarian cancer patients in the province. Projects of all types, at all stages of research, and throughout the ovarian cancer continuum (prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship) are eligible to apply.
Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Pilot Award
Competition complete
Funding start of January 2025, over period of 1 or 2 years
2 Grants available ($100,000 each)
This competition will fund discovery, pre-clinical and translational research pilot projects with the greatest potential to drive advancements in the early detection of ovarian cancer.
OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH MODELS OPEN CALL
Competition complete
Funding start upon execution of funding agreements
Total of $300,000 available
This competition will fund projects focused on the development and/or characterization of high-fidelity, sharable research models of ovarian cancer, with top priorities identified in collaboration with the Canadian ovarian cancer research community.
Bridging The Gap For Ovarian Cancer Treatments Grant Competition
Competition complete
$1,200,000
August 2024 - July 2027
2 Grants available ($600,000 each)
OCC and the Cancer Research Society are proud to launch the Bridging the Gap for Ovarian Cancer Treatments Grant Competition, which will fund clinical and translational research projects aimed at improving precision oncology in ovarian cancer.
Competition process
Applicants to the Bridging the Gap for Ovarian Cancer Treatments Grants Competition submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) in January 2024. Selected applicants have been invited to submit a full application, due in April 2024. A peer review committee made up of scientists, clinicians and patient partners will rank the applications and choose the best ones. Stay tuned for future calls for applications in 2025/26.
Bruce Galloway Trainee Awards
$1,500 each
Ongoing
To ensure that Canadians diagnosed with gynecologic cancer receive specialized care from a gynecologic oncologist, OCC facilitates grants to obstetrics and gynecology residents who choose gynecologic oncology as an elective.
OCC provides recipients with $1,500 to fund housing and travel costs for the duration of a one-month elective working with a gynecologic oncology team at a cancer centre in Canada or the United States.
Submission Procedure:
Please download and send your completed form and accompanying documentation to Alison Ross, Director, Knowledge Mobilization, Ovarian Cancer Canada at aross@ovariancanada.org.
The Anita Unruh Prize
$5,000 + registration and travel for the Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer Research
Details for the next submission will be available in late 2025.
In 2016, the Anita Unruh Prize was established by Patrick McGrath in honour of his wife, a former associate dean and professor. The Prize rewards excellence in trainee research on ovarian cancer and encourages trainees to establish careers in research related to this disease. Offered biannually, this is a peer-reviewed prize for a published paper that both focuses on ovarian cancer and has a trainee as first author. Applications from trainees of all levels and disciplines will be considered.
Eligibility:
This competition is open to all trainees doing research on ovarian cancer.
COLLABORATE WITH OUR NATIONAL PATIENT PARTNERS IN RESEARCH TEAM
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
OCC’s research is patient centered and we believe that clinical and scientific inquiry can be enhanced by the unique perspectives of those affected by the disease.
OCC’s Patient Partners in Research (PPiR) program was developed in 2020 to ensure the voices of those with lived experience are at the forefront of research. Members of the PPiR team include ovarian cancer patients, previvors, caregivers, or loved ones, each bringing their unique perspective and shared experience to inform research. Members were selected to ensure a diverse representation of ovarian cancer types, age, sexuality, cultural backgrounds, and geography.
For prospective collaborators
To learn more about our program and how to collaborate:
Learn more
Patient Partners in Research
Interested in discovering how you can involve patient partners in your research?
Contact Alicia Tone, Scientific Advisor, Ovarian Cancer Canada
Research Showcase
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