The mission of the William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation is to promote advances in the field of oncology, particularly pediatric oncology, by shortening the cancer research timetable. Established in 1985 by George and Jennifer Forbeck, from its inception the William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation has addressed its mission through a unique approach: by focusing on driving communications and collaborations between scientists and clinicians. The programs of the Foundation are as follows, and are overseen by the Scientific Advisory Board, a distinguished panel of physicians and scientists: •The Annual Forum: The cornerstone program of WGFRF, this is an intimate three-day “think tank” held each November for a handful of leading international cancer researchers. Today, over 25 years later, the Forum is established as an important cancer think tank at the highest level. The Forum’s format – facilitating great thinking in a beautiful setting – has been adopted by many other organizations. •The Scholar Retreat: WGFRF is committed to cultivating the ‘next generation’ of cancer investigators. The Forbeck Scholar Award annually recognizes four early-career oncology investigators with great future promise. Scholars attend the Foundation’s Scholar Retreat for a term of four years, and also attend the Annual Forum. Like the Forum, the Scholar Retreat is an intimate three-day meeting with three or four senior scientific mentors, offering an educational, career development and networking opportunity for the Scholars. • Focus Meeting Awards: To further drive collaboration in cancer research, WGFRF offers ‘Focus Meeting Awards’ to fund small international meetings addressing important topics in the cancer arena. These Awards are solicited and issued through a competitive process and are exclusively available to current and past Forbeck Scholars, thereby serving as a further tool for the cultivation of the next generation of cancer researchers.