Implementation Phases

The work of the SPNs was carried out in three phases.

Phase I: Capacity Building (Year 1)

• Launched a variety of cancer awareness activities within targeted communities, and community groups worked with private- and public-sector organizations to develop project plans.
• Established cancer awareness and education activities while building a community infrastructure for research participation.
• Publicized benefits to communities of serving as partners in cancer control research.

Phase II: Structuring Formal Partnerships (Years 2-3)

• Established formal partnerships with research organizations, educational institutions, and clinical groups and developed plans for community pilot projects.
• Increased minority participation in clinical trials, enhanced research training opportunities for minority junior scientists and community-based partners, and facilitated planning and pursuit of pilot research projects in collaboration with research partners.

Phase III: Partnerships Develop Into Community-Based Cancer Control Consortia (Years 4-5)

• Used information from pilot projects to develop follow-on investigator initiated research grant applications and enhance the infrastructure developed in the first and second phases.
• Organized partnerships into ongoing community-based "consortia" that are actively engaged in a spectrum of pilot research projects and committed to sustaining cancer awareness and control activities.