Purpose
The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announces this notice to encourage NCI-funded investigators to apply for administrative supplement funds to support planning and capacity of transdisciplinary teams to pursue interrelated and synergistic program projects that go beyond a single institution or discipline. This supplemental funding is aimed at enhancing the potential for cancer control research questions to expand into a larger, thematic research project. These thematic research questions should seek to a) advance larger scale scientific gaps, b) leverage the expertise of transdisciplinary teams and integrative research approaches to address complex problems, and/or c) build the scope of a current research program to address emergent issues beyond one population, clinical or community setting, or the scope of a traditional R01. These supplements will help prepare for program project research oriented towards cancer control and population sciences.
Background
Challenges in cancer control and population sciences are complex, with multilevel systems of influence to address, monitor, intervene, and sustain evidence-based approaches to reduce the burden of cancer. Strategies to address these challenges in research include behavioral and systems interventions, health care delivery, health determinants research, cancer survivorship, surveillance and epidemiology, implementation science, and access to cancer control innovations for all populations and patients. As research in these areas continues to grow, addressing bigger population health challenges will necessitate research questions that integrate and build the evidence base across the cancer control continuum to identify new areas of innovation and impacts on cancer.
Tackling these challenges in population health and cancer control could be examined with larger scale projects led by transdisciplinary teams and include multiple interrelated projects to address the complexity of these challenges for population-level impact. The program project (P01) mechanism at NCI is a unique opportunity to investigate and grow research ideas beyond the scope of one R01, with the approach that collaborative research endeavors will accelerate the generation of new scientific knowledge more than an aggregate of research projects with no thematic integration or synergy. This administrative supplement is an opportunity to develop scientific products that would contribute to the development of large-scale program project ideas consistent with cancer control and population sciences research priorities.
Activities as part of this supplement will be delivered and prepared consistent with criteria and processes prior to a program project pre-submission meeting, including planning for the direction for the program project concept and for feedback on the proposed science, aspects that have the potential to raise concern with reviewers, and identifying potential weaknesses. Deliverables include scientific publication and/or presentations that demonstrate collaboration of teams and/or expertise or evidence synthesis towards a program project application. The short-term goal of the supplemental funding is to encourage and support the development of research efforts in cancer control and population sciences that can be accomplished through the program project mechanism.
Research Objectives
The research objectives of this supplement notice are to 1) examine and develop a research plan for a large cancer control and population science research project, 2) carry out an environmental scan of key collaborators and the research landscape in these areas that are related to partnership for a large-scale program project and capacity for the research team in developing a synergistic plan for interrelated research projects, and 3) develop a model, methods or approach for synergistic integration of at least three future research projects to address a common thematic research question. Applicants should review the PAR-23-059 to review the criteria and scope for a program project.
Investigators could request supplement support to do the following types of research activities:
- Describe the goals and objectives for a large-scale research project in cancer control and prevention. These can include scientific synthesis and development of partnership models for transdisciplinary teams to advance cancer control research and plan toward a larger synergistic research agenda that requires spanning the boundaries of a single institution. Efforts could include integration or development of an enhanced scientific research framework or model, identification and planning toward new data sources that are large in scale and integrative towards a broader research theme, the development of new transdisciplinary hypotheses, or identification of potential mechanisms, across genetics, biology, individual, community, health care, institutional or structural levels.
- Conduct an environmental scan, scientific synthesis, and partnership models to 1) identify, contact, and convene key collaborators in areas relevant to cancer prevention and control and population sciences, that build a transdisciplinary approach to tackling a cancer control problem; 2) summarize unique and salient mechanisms, approaches, and data sources, to develop a multicomponent, large-scale research program and plan; 3) demonstrate a history of collaboration by dissemination and communication of concepts through publication and or scientific presentation; and 4) identify and conceptualize essential multiple component research projects that could lead to development of a large program project research agenda in cancer control and population sciences.
- Carry out qualitative work and convening to explore the potential for, and characteristics of, an appropriate and significant partnership model for transdisciplinary teams to advance cancer control research and plan toward a larger synergistic research agenda that requires spanning the boundaries of a single institution. Efforts could include integration or development of an enhanced scientific research framework or model, identification and planning toward new data sources that are large in scale and integrative towards a broader research theme, the development of new transdisciplinary hypotheses, or identification of potential mechanisms, across genetics, biology, individual, community, health care, institutional or structural levels.
- Develop methods for integration of multiple projects to build towards a synergistic integration of future research projects that complement each other. The purpose of this would be to enable a broader impact of inquiry in population health and cancer control. For example, methods may include data integration, the enhancement of study sampling methodology, methods to advance mechanistic science to move from correlation to causality, systems outcomes and feedback, or an expansion into new settings that are part of a whole systems approach to research.
Responsive Applications
- Applications that are responsive will specify deliverables and how these scientific products would contribute to a future program project.
- Applications must have or demonstrate a collaboration plan for investigative teams involved in the supplement.
Non-responsive Applications
Applications not responsive to this announcement include those that
- Solely develop or refine individual-level interventions, although teams may propose to explore policies and systems that influence the availability of such interventions.
- Include a plan that is not reasonable for the proposed project to be completed, given the time and budget requested.
- Fail to propose engagement with appropriate partners from the among community, governmental, non-governmental, health care systems, and the private sector.
All applicants are encouraged to discuss their applications with the scientific/research contact listed below prior to submission.
Application and Submission Information
Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.
- PA-20-272- Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:
Eligibility
- Only current recipients of a currently awarded NCI-funded R01, P30, U01, UM1, or UH3 are eligible. Note: PIs with an active or previously awarded P01 would not be eligible to apply.
- PDs/PIs must hold an active award supported through NCI with sufficient time (minimum 1 year) left to complete the proposed project after the supplement has been awarded within the existing project period.
- The parent award should have a clear relationship to cancer control and population sciences.
- Requests for no-cost extensions on the parent grant to accommodate a supplement will not be permitted.
- If an applicant anticipates a balance of 25% or more of the current total costs for the parent grant, please contact the scientific research contact prior to applying.
- Only one supplement application per parent award will be accepted for consideration. For supplements to parent awards that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement may be requested by any or all of the PDs/PIs (in accordance with the existing leadership plan) and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent award.
- Demonstrate and document institutional support to the development of program projects.
Budget
- The budget should not exceed $150,000 in total costs for the entire allowable 1-year project period of the application/award.
- The administrative supplement application budget is limited to 1 year only.
- Administrative supplements may only be used to meet increased costs that are within the scope of the approved award but were unforeseen when the new or renewal application or grant progress report for non-competing continuation support was submitted; supplements designed to meet cost increases for unanticipated expenses within the original scope of the project will not be considered.
- Publication costs and costs for travel to scientific conferences would not be supported.
Submitting Applications
Application Due Date: Submissions must be received by June 6, 2025, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. local time of applicant organization for FY 2025 funding. The announcement will expire June 7, 2025.
- Applicants should begin the supplement application abstract by stating “This application is being submitted in response to “Administrative supplements to advance development of transdisciplinary and large-scale population science and cancer control research projects."
- In order to facilitate efficient processing of the request, applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the assigned NCI program official for the parent award that a request has been submitted in response to this announcement.
Page Limits
The application must include the following sections and adhere to the following limits:
- Project Summary/Abstract: 30 lines of text
- Project Narrative: 3 sentences
- Research Strategy: 5 pages
- Biographical Sketch: for Senior/Key Personnel and Significant Contributors only
Review and Selection Process
NCI will conduct administrative reviews of applications and will support the most meritorious applications submitted for consideration, based upon availability of funds. Additionally, NCI program staff will evaluate applications using the following selection factors:
- Does the administrative supplement reasonably allow for the proposed project to be completed, given the time and budget requested?
- Are the proposed activities relevant to the parent grant and original work scope?
- Does the applicant demonstrate satisfactory progress towards achieving the aims of the parent grant, as appropriate to the current stage of the project?
Inquiries
Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the scientific/research contacts listed below prior to submission.
Scientific Contacts:
April Oh, PhD, MPH
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6709
Email: april.oh@nih.gov
Financial/Grants Management Contact(s):
Crystal Wolfrey
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6277
Email: wolfreyc@mail.nih.gov