Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre |Annual Report 2017–18 COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT CO-DESIGN AND CO-DEVELOPMENT HALLMARKS OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN The VCCC Cancer Research Advisory Committee (CRAC) played a critical role in the development of the VCCC through convening a working group of committed cancer clinicians and researchers to co-develop the 19 interconnected programs in the Strategic Research Plan (SRP). Consumer engagement was critical to program design, and all programs meet strong expectations around feasibility and international competitiveness. Emphasis was given to programs of work that could be expanded to benefit the community more broadly in future. The co-development strategy championed by the committee and the working group has resulted in clinicians, researchers and educators within our partner organisations and consumers who are excited about the potential of the Strategic Research Plan, are proud to own it and are invested in its success. The CRAC now has responsibility for oversight of the plan and the 19 programs within it. Over the past year, the committee has evolved from a mainly representative committee to a well-balanced group that provides the breadth of expertise in cancer research to match the focus of the 19 programs and representation from all VCCC partner organisations. It has been exciting to see the growth in the engagement of the committee with the VCCC vision and blueprint for action as articulated in the SRP. As the concept of distributed leadership becomes embedded within the alliance, we plan to grow the number of Research & Education Leads who are members of the committee. My thanks to all the committee members for their generous contributions over a busy and exciting 12 months for the VCCC alliance. I look forward to seeing the SRP programs mature and start to deliver benefits for cancer patients in Victoria and beyond. Professor Andrew Roberts Chair, Cancer Research Advisory Committee 46