The State Department of Health Services shall do all of the following:

(a)  Provide overall coordination of the program.

(b)  Provide staff assistance to the program and council.

(c)  Develop administrative procedures relative to the solicitation, review, and awarding of grants to ensure an impartial, high-quality peer review system.

(d)  Recruit and supervise research review panels. The membership of these panels shall vary depending on the subject matter of proposals and review requirements, and shall draw on the most qualified individuals. The work of the review panels shall be administered pursuant to policies and procedures established for the implementation of the program. In order to avoid conflicts of interest and to ensure access to qualified reviewers, the department may utilize reviewers not only from California but also from outside the state. When serving on review panels, institutions, corporations, or individuals who have submitted grant applications for funding by this program shall be governed by conflict-of-interest provisions consistent with Section 52h.5 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations governing scientific review of research grant applications, and any applicable conflict-of-interest provisions in state law. Any appointed member of the Cancer Research Council shall be ineligible to apply for or receive funding for cancer research from the Cancer Research Program during his or her term of service on the council, and for one cycle immediately following his or her term of service on the council, if the council member helped plan that subsequent cycle.

(e)  Provide for periodic program evaluation to ensure that research funded is consistent with program goals.

(f)  Disseminate grant moneys within 60 days of notification of the award and maintain a system of financial reporting and accountability. Grant moneys disseminated pursuant to this subdivision shall be available for expenditure for a period of three years beginning with funds appropriated in the 1998–99 fiscal year.

(g)  Provide for the systematic dissemination of research results to the public and the health care community, including work to produce public service advertising on screening and research results, and provide for a mechanism to disseminate the most current research findings in the areas of cause and prevention, cure, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, in order that these findings may be applied to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of any cancer-related programs of the department.

(h)  Develop policies and procedures to facilitate the translation of research results into commercial, alternate technological, and other applications wherever appropriate and consistent with state and federal law.

(i)  Transmit, on or before December 31, 1998, and annually on or before each December 31 thereafter, a report to the Legislature on grants made, grants in progress, program accomplishments, and future program directions. Each report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following information:

(1)  The number and dollar amounts of research grants, including the amount allocated to indirect costs.

(2)  The subject of research grants.

(3)  The relationship between federal and state funding for cancer research.

(4)  The relationship between each project and the overall strategy of the research program.

(5)  A summary of research findings, including discussion of promising new areas.

(6)  The corporations, institutions, and campuses receiving grant awards.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 751, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2000.)