TRDRP is Back in Business by Susanne Hildebrand-Zanki, Ph.D. After several very lean years, TRDRP resumed full operations. It was fortunate that the Program was revived in fiscal year 1996-97, when it became obvious that, despite all the gains made in California, tobacco use was on the upswing. We have seen an increase in youth smoking and a reversal of the decline in adult prevalence. Cigars have become a popular fad that is attracting new smokers. We have learned about the targeting of youth and diverse communities by the tobacco industry. We are currently witnessing assaults on state and local tobacco control policies. Indeed, some bar owners, with the help of the tobacco industry, are attempting to overturn the smoking ban in bars. This is only the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle. And California still expends huge amounts of public funds to treat tobacco-related illnesses. These developments show that we still have a lot to learn about preventing smoking initiation, nicotine addiction, the diseases that result from tobacco use or secondhand smoke exposure, and the impact of public policies for tobacco control. TRDRP is ready to meet this challenge by funding research that will improve the effectiveness of California’s comprehensive tobacco control program. 6th Cycle Funding With the appropriation of funds came budget control language stipulating that TRDRP primarily fund applied research with an emphasis on youth and young adults. In addition, TRDRP was required to obtain approval for its expenditure plan from the Department of Finance. This new process delayed the issuance of a Call for Applications until early December of 1996. In order to give investigators sufficient time to prepare applications, TRDRP used a Letter of Intents (LOI) process. Potential applicants were required to submit an LOI by January 15, 1997. Full applications were not due until March 5. After receiving 439 LOIs, 287 full applications were received and peer reviewed. Of these 287 proposals, 82 awards (28.7%) were made to investigators at 29 California institutions for a total of $32 million. Since its inception, TRDRP has funded a very wide spectrum of tobacco-related research, from molecular biology to public policy. We intend to remain a comprehensive program, providing funding across all areas of research relevant to tobacco use. The results of the 6th cycle bear out our intent (as shown in the box below.) Priority Area # Awards $ Awarded (in millions) Effect of Smoking Effect of Secondhand Smoke Nicotine Dependence Primary Prevention of Tobacco Use Public Health Issues Other Applied Research Total 25 18 17 10 10 8 88 8.15 7.59 6.21 4.78 5.98 3.36 36.07  While gearing up for a new grant cycle, we recognized that there was a need to foster multidisciplinary research that will generate new knowledge in the area of tobacco control and encourage collaboration by investigators with diverse research interests. Our response to this need was the introduction of a new award mechanism, the Integrated Research Project (IRP). IRPs consist of multiple projects which address a common theme from different perspectives. This award type had a different timeline with required concept papers due in May 1997 and full proposals due in October. Thirteen concept papers resulted in six applications. Only one IRP was funded which was less than we had anticipated. However, several individual projects within unsuccessful IRPs were funded because of their very high scientific merit. The total amount awarded was $4 million. In keeping with the budget language for the 6th cycle, 62% of new TRDRP awards were for applied research and 58% addressed tobacco use by youth and young adults. TRDRP Outreach In November 1997, we co-sponsored a day long meeting with the California Department of Education (CDE). At this meeting, tobacco control researchers and tobacco use prevention educators came together for the first time to begin a dialogue that hopefully will foster closer collaboration between these groups and renew interest in school-based prevention and intervention research. We plan to continue this dialogue in 1998 with a follow-up meeting. We are also planning on expanding our outreach efforts to community groups to stimulate research partnerships between tobacco researchers and affected communities. We plan to collaborate in this effort with the California Department of Health Services’ Tobacco Control Section. AIM97 In December 1997, TRDRP convened its second Annual Investigators Meeting, “AIM97 - New Challenges for Tobacco Research.” Invitations to this meeting went out to California researchers, tobacco control professionals, policy makers, and members of the general public. At the meeting, 46 TRDRP-funded investigators presented their most recent research findings. In addition to the scientific sessions, the meeting also featured a morning plenary session which addressed issues concerning proposed federal tobacco control legislation. The plenary session began with a keynote address by the Associate Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Mitch Zeller. His talk focused on the Clinton Administration’s proposal for tobacco legislation as well as the future role for FDA in nicotine regulation. Dr. Jack Henningfield, a senior nicotine addiction researcher, moderated the plenary session. The panelists were Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Director of the Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Network; Stanton Glantz, UCSF professor and prominent anti-tobacco activist; William Novelli, President of the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids; and Luanne Nyberg, Public Health Advisor in the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. The panelists presented widely differing viewpoints and analyses of the proposed legislation, demonstrating that there are many issues to be considered and conflicts to be resolved in order to pass legislation that is acceptable to the public health community. Videotapes, audiotapes, and transcripts of the keynote address and plenary session are available from TRDRP. Proceedings will also be available on the TRDRP Homepage. 7th Cycle In October, 1997, TRDRP issued its 7th Call for Applications. TRDRP’s 1997-98 appropriation was $32.95 million. Together with the funds carried over from the previous cycle, TRDRP has approximately $43.5 million available for new research grants. Applications were due by January 22, 1998. The IRP mechanism is again on a separate timeline, with concept papers due by May 1 and full applications due by October 1, 1998. In response to a recommendation in the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee’s Master Plan for 1997-2000, we added a new award mechanism, the Dissertation Research Award. This award is intended to support predoctoral students for up to two years. It is our hope that this award will stimulate students to enter the field of tobacco control research and broaden the infrastructure for this type of research in California.