An anonymous donor gave the University of Hawaii Cancer Center a $547,500 gift to provide continuing funding for early-stage projects in novel and promising areas of study, the Cancer Center said yesterday.

"Private funding for early-stage projects helps ensure innovative ideas are given the support they need to be tested through research. This funding is essential as too often preliminary research is not eligible for federal grant funding," said Dr. Michele Carbone, director of the Cancer Center.

"By providing resources to support pilot study exploration, the donor is creating a vital source of funding for the most promising researchers at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center whose innovative ideas may lead to research breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of cancer," the Cancer Center said.

"This gift will help the Cancer Center achieve several important objectives; it will reward the innovative work of our researchers who will compete for an award; it will provide the Cancer Center with the resources to support pilot study exploration; and as an endowed fund, it will do so in perpetuity," said Carbone. "We are most grateful for this very generous gift that will fund the research taking place within our state-of-the-art facility currently under construction."