PCR Impact & Financial Report 2020-21 | pcr.org.uk
Trustees’ report STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
In July 2019 the board agreed to significantly expand our research and
The charity was founded as the Covent Garden Cancer Research Trust, Charity Commission number 802545. A third deed of amendment changed to the name to the Prostate Cancer Research Centre on 2nd of September 2004.
our portfolio is much more diverse. We now fund 16 projects across the country, compared to just four last year. In addition to projects investigating immunotherapy, stem cells, models, and PlexinB1; our funded projects now include machine learning approaches, drug discovery, a link to STAMPEDE, and radiotherapy.
The Prostate Cancer Research Centre (the ‘charity’) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and is registered with the Charity Commission (charity number 1156027). The charity was registered with the Charity Commission on 5 March 2014, with a deed of amendment filed on 15 July 2014. The charity raises funds to continue the aims of the charitable mission, to promote medical and scientific research into the causes and treatment of cancer. New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees and serve for variable periods. Once appointed they are inducted through a range of meetings with staff and scientists. An organisational assessment is completed annually to highlight areas where training will be implemented. The Trust deed provides for a minimum of 2 trustees to make a quorum and up to a maximum of 15 trustees. All trustees give of their time freely and no Trustee remuneration was paid in the year. Four trustees’ meetings are held in the year, at which the trustees consider strategy, grant making, reserves, risk management, finance, governance, performance and fundraising direction. The day-today administration of the Charity, including setting the salary of the executive staff, is delegated to the Chief Executive, Oliver Kemp. The trustees set the salary of the Chief Executive. The Fundraising and Finance sub-committees meet once per quarter and update the full board at the following meeting.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The objects of the charity are the promotion of medical and scientific research into the causes and treatment of cancer and related diseases and the dissemination of the useful results thereof. The charity carries out these objects by funding research that aims to improve the survival of men with advanced prostate cancer. The mission of the charity is to develop more effective therapy for men with life-threatening prostate cancer and the long-term vision is treatment for the next generation.
FUTURE PLANS At the beginning of 2020 we set out on an ambitious 3 year strategy, with the following 6 key objectives:
Gold standard for prostate cancer research PCR aims to become the gold standard for research that has an impact on advanced prostate cancer. We are committed to being at the forefront of innovation and fostering scientific excellence and, to this end, we will actively seek out exceptional science proposed by outstanding scientists. In 2021 we will continue to be guided by the gaps and needs within the prostate cancer community by the excellent Ecosystem report published by the research team.
Leveraging Partnerships Looking out for and nurturing vibrant partnerships is part of the solution to speeding up the development of pioneering treatments for cancer patients in the UK and worldwide. We have built effective partnerships with other research organisations, such as Cancer Research UK, Prostate Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Orchid and Tackle Prostate Cancer. These partnerships reduce costs and maximise our collective impact. PCR will continue to build bridges between the scientific community, government, pharmaceutical industry and people with prostate cancer.
Learning and Connecting We aim to foster a culture of continuous learning and to build a ‘shared’ sense of purpose and the autonomy to achieve goals. Capturing and preserving knowledge will also be critical to PCR’s organisational effectiveness and long-term success. We will therefore retain a training budget of more than twice the sector average. We will run a series of workshops and training sessions for staff and scientists on how to develop the right skills to collaborate such as active listening skills, giving and being comfortable with constructive feedback and asking good
27
