In 1936 the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) started planning a programme for tumour research. After discussions between representatives of the German Research Foundation, the Reich Health Office and the Ministry of Science and Education about the extent of the scheme, in December 1936 the first scientists received their grants. The scheme was mainly drawn up by the Munich pathologist Max Borst, who was supported by the German Research Foundation's employee Sergius Breuer. Scientific research on cancer was divided into four sections: (1) etiology, (2) diagnosis, (3) treatment, and (4) constitution, disposition, heredity, and statistics. Well-known German scientists were invited to contribute to the scheme. When the Reich Research Council (Reichsforschungsrat) took over power in decision-making on research funding in 1937, cancer research was not seriously affected. Only in 1943, when further restructuring of the Reich Research Council took place, the situation changed through Kurt Blome's becoming the plenipotentiary for cancer research. Blome's position in cancer research was linked with the task of supporting scientific research on biological and chemical warfare. In general, however, the characteristics of the cancer research scheme remained astonishingly constant up to the end of World War II.