SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award

An independent jury of experts, elected by the SAKK president, will evaluate the submitted applications based on (i) alignment with the scope of the award, (ii) scientific quality, (iii) national and (iv) international (future) scientific and/or clinical impact, and (v) innovative potential and novelty. For more details, please view the applicable Award rules.

The winner of the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award will be announced and awarded during the next SAKK Annual Meeting.

An eligible candidate must fulfill the following criteria:

• Researcher (this may be a surgeon, physician, or scientist) currently active in preclinical or clinical urogenital cancer research in Switzerland
• The minimum requirement is a research activity in Switzerland for one year, prior to the congress / award ceremony
• Principal investigator, research group head or researcher with a leading role in a research project
• Under 45 years of age as of the congress / award ceremony
  

1. Candidates can nominate themselves
2. The candidate must submit the complete candidature and documentation to the coordinating person at the SAKK until the respective submission deadline
   a. Recent Curriculum Vitae of the candidate
   b. Letter of support written, dated and signed. The letter of support shall emphasize and highlight the scientific and/or clinical achievements of the candidate and the respective research group or project relevant to the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award
   c. Publication list relevant to the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award
   d. Publications may be primary research or review articles
   e. The candidate must be an author on all publications
   f. Publications must have been published in a period of five years prior to the submission in a peer-reviewed journal or must be accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal
   g. Any other information if applicable
3. The application must be submitted in English
4. Resubmission of applications that did not win in past editions are permitted if eligibility criteria are met
5. Applications must be sent via e-mail to the responsible person of the Swiss Group of Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK). Please see above or consult the SAKK website for the current responsible persons’ contact information.
   

1. An independent jury composed of 2-3 Swiss experts and a chair
2. Employees of Astellas must not be part of the jury
3. Jury members must not evaluate applications of their own institution or university, or need to disclose their affiliation to allow for conflict of interest evaluation, which may lead to abstention from voting
4. Project proposals will be evaluated only if they are deemed to be eligible and feasible
5. The independent jury will evaluate the submitted valid applications on a scale from 1-10 (1 = worst, 10 = best) for each of the following criteria:
   a. Alignment with scope of Award, i.e. potential tangible improvements for patient management and outcomes in the treatment of genitourinary tumors
   b. Scientific quality
   c. National (future) scientific and/or clinical impact of research achievements
   d. International (future) scientific and/or clinical impact of research achievements
   e. Innovative potential and novelty
6. The jury head shall identify the top scoring application, based on calculated mean values for each application
7. The jury elects the winner based on the evaluation scoring. In case different applicants achieve the same scoring, the top scoring applications shall be discussed amongst the jury members. The jury shall elect 1 winner by consensus. In case consensus cannot be reached, the chairman has the final decision
8. The jury is free and independent in its decisions. Its decisions are final and not subject to appeal
9. If additional scientific expertise is needed, the SAKK president can request written evaluations from additional reviewers
10. The SAKK and Astellas Pharma AG may waive the award of the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award if the jury considers none of the submitted applications worthy of support

1. At least 2 weeks before the award ceremony, all applicants will be notified by the head of the jury and the winner shall be confidentially informed by the head of the jury about winning the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award
2. The winner or, if unable to attend, a representative of the winning research group or project shall present the scientific and/or clinical achievements for which the award is distributed within the program of the SAKK Annual Meeting
3. After the winner announcement, the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award shall be distributed officially to the winner by an Astellas employee and the SAKK President, or a SAKK representative (i.e the jury chair)
   a.Three weeks at most after the ceremony, SAKK will transfer the prize money to the winning research group or project
   b.The prize money must be used for ongoing and future research. Future evidence should be given in a short, written statement to the SAKK within one year upon receiving the award
   

The award winner must provide a brief update on the progress or the final results of the project at the next SAKK semiannual meeting the following spring/summer. The winner must further provide a written summary of the project no later than 1 year after the award ceremony. The written summary sent to the SAKK, will be forwarded to the jury president.

1. Astellas Pharma AG is the sole sponsor of the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award
2. Astellas Pharma AG informs about the SAKK / Astellas GU-Oncology Award on its own website (astellas.ch/news), describing the award, the candidature process and the selection of the winner
3. Astellas Pharma AG must not be part of the award jury and thus must not evaluate applications
4. Together with the support of the SAKK, an employee of Astellas Pharma AG will announce the winner together with the jury chair and hand over the award during the SAKK Annual Meeting