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Last Updated: 05/24/24

Current Funding Opportunities

The Requests for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs) listed below communicate CDP’s current funding opportunities and research interests. CDP staff contacts and published notices are provided in the summary link for each opportunity. We encourage you to discuss your proposed research with a CDP program director before you submit an application. This page updates to reflect the active Funding Opportunities.

Integrating Biospecimen Science Approaches into Clinical Assay Development (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed): PAR-22-049

Reissue of PAR-18-947
Posted date: October 22, 2021
Expiration date: September 14, 2024
Application Receipt Dates: September 13, 2022; January 11, 2023; June 07, 2023; September 13, 2023; January 11, 2024; June 07, 2024; September 13, 2024 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support extramural research to investigate and mitigate challenges facing clinical assay development and subsequent analytical validation due to preanalytical variability in tumor tissue biopsies, blood biospecimens utilized as "liquid biopsies", or other biospecimens as described in this FOA. Extramural research funded under this FOA may include investigations of preanalytical variability associated with the procurement and study of small biopsies (core biopsies, small excision samples), blood utilized for "liquid biopsies", tissue swabs, tissue secretions, pleural and esophageal aspirates, feces, or bodily fluids like sweat, urine, CSF, breast milk and saliva. Investigator-designed experiments will explore how different biospecimen preanalytical conditions affect emerging and clinically relevant biomarkers quantified by a variety of testing platforms. The results from this research program will improve the understanding of how analytical quantification of clinically relevant biomarkers is affected by variation in biospecimen collection, processing, and storage procedures. The overall goal is to expedite biomarker clinical assay development through evidence-based standardization of biopsy handling practices.

See full announcement here.

Contact: Dr. Lokesh Agrawal, lokesh.agrawal@nih.gov or Dr. Abhi Rao abhi.rao@nih.gov

National Cancer Institute’s Investigator-Initiated Early Phase Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (R01 Clinical Trial Required): PAR-24-085

Reissue of PAR-21-033
Posted date: December 15, 2023
Expiration date: January 08, 2027
Application Receipt Dates: Standard application dates apply for non-AIDS applications; standard AIDS dates apply for AIDS applications.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to support research projects that include and implement early phase (Phase 0, I, and II) investigator-initiated clinical trials on cancer-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic interventions of direct relevance to the research mission of the NCI's DCTD and OHAM. All applications submitted to this NOFO should address the mission and priorities of one or more of the following programs: (1) the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP, DCTD); (2) the Cancer Imaging Program (CIP, DCTD); (3) the Cancer Diagnosis Program (CDP, DCTD); (4) the Radiation Research Program (RRP, DCTD); (5) the Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM, DCTD); and, (6) the Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancies (OHAM, Office of the Director). Applicants can learn more about the various program goals, research priorities, and strategies developed to diagnose and treat cancer by visiting the DCTD website and the OHAM website. Applications submitted to this NOFO must meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial (see NOT-OD-15-015) and provide specific clinical trial information as described in this NOFO and the NIH application FORMS-G guidelines. Note that phase III clinical trials will not be accepted through this NOFO.

See full announcement here.

CDP Contact: Dr. Magdalena Thurin, 240-276-5973, thurinm@mail.nih.gov

NCI Clinical and Translational Exploratory/Developmental Studies (R21 Clinical Trial Optional): PAR-22-216

Reissue of PAR-20-292
Posted date: August 24, 2020
Expiration date: July 02, 2025
Application Receipt Dates: New and Renewal/Resubmission/Revision: October 10, 2022; February 13, 2023; June 12, 2023; October 10, 2023; February 13, 2024; June 12, 2024; October 10, 2024; February 13, 2025; June 12, 2025. AIDS Applications: November 01, 2022; March 01, 2023; July 01, 2023; November 01, 2023; March 01, 2024; July 01, 2024; November 01, 2024; March 01, 2025; July 01, 2025.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) supports preclinical and early phase clinical research, as well as correlative studies, directly related to advancements in cancer treatment, diagnosis, prevention, comparative oncology, symptom management, or reduction of cancer disparities. This includes (but is not limited to) development and testing of the following: new molecular agents or biologics for cancer treatment; management strategies for cancer-related symptoms or treatment-related toxicity; cancer screening or diagnostic tools, such as imaging techniques; cancer preventive agents or approaches; predictive and prognostic biomarkers for patient selection or stratification; clinically relevant in vivo or in vitro tumor models (including genetically engineered mouse models, patient-derived xenograft models, organoids, and cell lines); and strategies to address therapeutic outcome disparities among underserved populations. In addition to novel agents, new treatment strategies may involve repurposed agents or novel combinations of interventions (including radiation), based on established mechanisms of action. Comparative correlative studies in cancer patients with age, gender, racial/ethnic, or health disparities are encouraged to explore mechanisms underlying their differential responses (efficacy and toxicity) and resistance to therapeutic interventions. Comparative oncology studies in dogs investigating strategies for treatment and diagnosis of human disease are supported as well.

This FOA does not support research that focuses on basic cancer biology (such as studies of cancer-related pathways, molecular mechanisms, or mechanisms of metastasis), late-stage clinical trials, risk assessment studies, epidemiological studies, or studies of behavioral interventions. These applications will be deemed not responsive to this FOA and will not be reviewed (see below for a more detailed description of studies that are not responsive for this FOA).

See full announcement here.

CDP Contact: Dr. Tracy Lively, 240-276-5944, livelyt@mail.nih.gov

Assay Validation of High Quality Markers for Clinical Studies in Cancer (UH2/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed): PAR-23-313

Reissue of PAR-23-313.
Posted date: November 01, 2023;
Expiration date: October 15, 2026.
New Application receipt dates: June 10, 2024; October 08, 2024; February 14, 2025; June 11, 2025; October 15, 2025; February 13, 2026; June 10, 2026; October 14, 2026, all by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications to support the validation of molecular/cellular/imaging markers (referred to as "markers" or "biomarkers") and assays for cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and prediction of response or resistance to treatment, as well as markers for cancer prevention and control. This NOFO will support investigator-initiated research for both analytical, and clinical validation of assays to be used in cancer treatment, control, or prevention trials supported by the NCI. This NOFO will also support the validation of pharmacodynamic markers and markers of toxicity. Applicants should have assays that work on human samples and whose importance is well justified for development into clinical assays. As chemotherapies and/or radiation therapies are increasingly combined with immunotherapies to enhance durability of anti-cancer responses, assays for measuring multiple markers, including immune markers, can be developed and validated simultaneously.

See full announcement here.

CDP Contact: Dr. Magdalena Thurin, 240-276-5973, thurinm@mail.nih.gov

Assay Validation for High Quality Markers for Clinical Studies in Cancer (UH3) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed): PAR-20-314

Reissue of PAR-18-310.
Posted date: October 13, 2020;
Expiration date: October 11, 2023.
Application receipt dates: February 18, 2021; July 9, 2021; October 8, 2021; February 14, 2022; July 11, 2022; October 11, 2022; February 14, 2023; July 10, 2023; October 10, 2023, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to accelerate the adoption and validation of molecular/cellular/imaging markers and assays for cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and prediction of response or resistance to treatment, as well as markers for cancer prevention and control. This FOA also includes the validation of pharmacodynamic markers and markers of toxicity. Applicants to this FOA must have an assay(s) whose performance has been analytically validated in specimens similar to those for the intended clinical use of the assay(s) and marker(s). As chemotherapies and/or radiation therapies are increasingly combined with immunotherapies to enhance durability of anti-cancer responses, multiple assays for measuring multiple markers, including immune markers, can be developed and validated simultaneously.

See full announcement here.

CDP Contact: Dr. Magdalena Thurin, 240-276-5973, thurinm@mail.nih.gov

Revision Applications for Validation of Biomarker Assays Developed Through NIH-Supported Research Grants (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed): PAR-24-047

Reissue of PAR-23-088.
Posted date: October 06, 2023;
Expiration date: October 14, 2026.
Application Due dates: July 09, 2024; October 08, 2024; February 14, 2025; July 11, 2025; October 14, 2025; February 13, 2026; July 10, 2026; October 13, 2026, by 5 pm local time of applicant organization.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) encourages revision applications (formerly called "competing revisions") from currently funded NCI R01 research projects. The applicants should propose projects that are expected to accelerate the pace of translation of NCI-supported methods/assays/technologies (referred to as "assays") to the clinic. Specifically, the focus of applications submitted in response to this NOFO should be on the adaption and clinical validation of molecular/cellular/imaging markers (referred to as "markers" or "biomarkers") for cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and prediction of response in treatment, as well as markers for cancer prevention and control. Applications may support acquisition of well-annotated specimens from NCI-supported or other clinical trials or observational cohorts/consortia for the purpose of clinical validation of the assay. Research projects proposed in response to this NOFO encourage multidisciplinary interaction among scientific investigators, assay developers, clinicians, statisticians, and clinical laboratory staff. Clinical laboratory scientist(s) and statistical experts are highly encouraged to comprise integral parts of the application. This NOFO is not intended to support early-stage development of technology or the conduct of clinical trials, but rather the adaption and validation of assays to the point where they could be integrated into clinical trials as investigational assays/tools/devices.

See full announcement here.

CDP Contact: Dr. Sumana Dey, 240-276-5748, sumana.dey@nih.gov

Bioengineering Technologies

The NIH bioengineering program supports basic, applied, and translational bioengineering research that addresses important biological or medical research problems.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon: 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants [EBRG]: PAR-22-090 and PAR-22-091 (R21)

Reissue of PAR-19-149 and PAR-19-150
Release/Posted Date: January 11, 2022
Expiration date: January 8, 2025
Application Receipt Dates: Standard due dates apply.

The EBRGs support early bioengineering research. EBRG applications may contain minimal or no preliminary data, and may propose hypothesis-driven, discovery-driven or design-directed research.

See full announcements here and here.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon, 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Bioengineering Research Grants [BRG]: PAR-22-242 and PAR-22-243 (R01)

Reissue of PAR-19-158 and PAR-19-159
Posted Date: September 8, 2022
Expiration date: September 8, 2025
Application Receipt Dates: Standard receipt dates for non-AIDS applications; standard AIDS dates for AIDS applications.

The goal of the bioengineering research grant (BRG) program is to foster development of innovative technologies, methods, tools, models or designs that have the potential for significant impact on biomedical research by infusing principles and concepts from quantitative sciences. The purpose of this FOA is to encourage BRG applications that: 1) apply a multidisciplinary approach to solve biomedical problems; and 2) develop, integrate, optimize, validate, translate or accelerate adoption of promising tools, methods, and techniques for a specific research or clinical problem in basic, translational, and/or clinical science and practice. A BRG application may propose design-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven research and the FOA is appropriate for small teams applying an integrative approach to increase our understanding of and solve problems in biological, clinical, or translational science.

See full announcements here and here.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon, 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Bioengineering Partnership with Industry [BPI] (U01)

Release/Posted Date: March 08, 2022
Expiration date: January 8, 2025
Application Receipt Dates: May 26, 2022; September 26, 2022; May 26, 2023; September 26, 2023; May 24, 2024; September 26, 2024

The purpose of the BPI FOA will be to encourage applications to: 1) establish a robust engineering solution to a problem in biomedical research or the practice of medicine; 2) develop a strategic alliance of multi-disciplinary partners based on a well-defined leadership plan; and 3) realize a specific endpoint within 5-10 years based on a detailed plan with a timeline and quantitative milestones.

See announcement here.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon, 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01): PAR-21-166 (Clinical Trial Not Allowed) and PAR-21-206 (Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-21-166 is a re-issue of PAR-18-530
Posted date: March 25, 2021
Expiration date: September 08, 2024
Application receipt dates: Standard due dates apply.

These FOAs specify a partnership structure that is expected to help bridge gaps in knowledge and experience by engaging the strengths of academic, industrial, and other investigators. The partners on each application should establish an inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional research team to work in strategic alliance to implement a coherent strategy to develop and translate a solution to their chosen problem. They are expected to plan, design, and validate that the solution will be suitable for end users. Each partnership should include at least one academic and one industrial organization. Each partnership should plan to transition a technology, method, assay, device, and/or system from a demonstration of possibility to a status useful in the chosen setting. Funding may be requested to enhance, adapt, optimize, validate, and otherwise translate technologies that address problems in biology, pathology, risk assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or monitoring of disease status.

See full announcements here and here.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon, 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative: Enabling Biomimetic Tissue-Engineered Technologies for Cancer Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional): PAR-22-099

Re-issue of PAR-19-113
Posted date: January 21, 2022
Expiration date: May 08, 2025
Application receipt dates: Standard due dates apply.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support the development and characterization of state-of-the-art biomimetic tissue-engineered technologies for cancer research. Collaborative, multidisciplinary projects that engage the fields of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, biomaterials, and bioengineering with cancer biology will be essential for generating novel experimental models that mimic cancer pathophysiology in the context of a testable cancer research hypothesis. The projects supported by this FOA will collectively participate in the Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC) Research Program.

See full announcement here.

CDP contact: Dr. Miguel Ossandon, 240-276-5714, ossandom@mail.nih.gov

Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program

The Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) program was established to support the development, technical maturation, and dissemination of novel and potentially transformative next-generation technologies through an approach of balanced but targeted innovation. In support of its mission, the IMAT program utilizes a variety of investigator-initiated research project grant mechanisms while retaining a strong commitment to diversity and to the training of scientists and clinicians in cross-cutting, research-enabling disciplines.

Mechanism Theme Molecular/Cellular Analysis Cancer-relevant Biospecimen Science
R61 Exploratory-pilota RFA-CA-23-002 RFA-CA-23-004
R33 Advanced Developmentb RFA-CA-23-003 RFA-CA-23-005
R01
U01
U54
P01
P50
U2C
Integration & Validation RFA-CA-23-006
RFA-CA-23-007
RFA-CA-23-008
RFA-CA-23-009
RFA-CA-23-010
RFA-CA-23-011

a While no preliminary data are necessary, the applicants must demonstrate the innovative nature of the particular technology and/or approach proposed for development.

b Detailed preliminary data must be provided in support of the feasibility of the technology or approach that is proposed for development. Such data may reflect successful completion of a previous R21 grant and associated performance measures.

Funding opportunities for the IMAT program have been issued with the following due dates: March 1, 2023 and September 1, 2023. Expiration date for the listed IMAT FOAs is September 02, 2023.

Small Business Innovation Research Funding Opportunities

The NCI Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs offer funding, mentoring, and networking assistance to small businesses developing innovative cancer technologies to help take your ideas from lab to market.

The FY 24 NCI SBIR Contract Solicitation is available here. Applications were due November 14, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. For more information, contact Cherie Wells, contract analyst in the Office of Acquisitions at ncioasbir@mail.nih.gov.

Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) Program (http://itcr.nci.nih.gov/)

ITCR supports a wide range of informatics tools to serve current and emerging needs across the cancer research continuum. ITCR has issued four Funding Opportunity Announcements aimed at successive stages of informatics technology development: Algorithm Development (R21), Prototyping and Hardening (U01), Enhancement and Dissemination (U24), Sustainment (U24). Click here to find the current FOAs for each category.

FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT NCI INITIATIVES, VISIT
Division of Extramural Activities, National Cancer Institute
http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/funding.htm

National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services