United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

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Limiting Language
Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) is allowed.

Purpose
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) award. The goal of the OAIC program is to establish centers of excellence in geriatrics research and research education to increase scientific knowledge leading to better ways to maintain or restore independence in older persons. OAIC awards are designed to develop or strengthen programs that focus on, and sustain progress in, a key area of aging research related to the mission of the OAIC program.

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S. Radovick (Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, COM-T)

Limiting Language
All Clinical and Translational Science Award (UM1 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-21-293, PAR-24-272) applicant organizations and active award recipients for are eligible to apply under this NOFO.

Applicant organizations may NOT submit more than one application.

Purpose and Background
The NRSA program has been the primary means of supporting predoctoral and postdoctoral research training programs since enactment of the NRSA legislation in 1974. Research training activities can be in basic biomedical or clinical sciences, in behavioral or social sciences, in health services research, or in any other discipline relevant to the NIH mission.

Institutional NRSA programs allow the Training Program Director/Principal Investigator (Training PD/PI) to select the trainees and develop a program of coursework, research experiences, and technical and/or professional skills development appropriate for the selected trainees. Each program should provide high-quality research training and offer opportunities in addition to conducting mentored research. Trainees should develop the ability to work effectively in teams with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds, and to promote safe and supportive scientific research environments. The grant offsets the cost of stipends, tuition and fees, and training related expenses, including health insurance, for the appointed trainees in accordance with agency-approved support levels

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S. Radovick (Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, COM-T)

Limiting Language
All Clinical and Translational Science Award (UM1 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-21-293, PAR-24-272) applicant organizations and active award recipients for are eligible to apply under this NOFO.

Applicant organizations may NOT submit more than one application.

Purpose
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) will award Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral Institutional Research Training Grants for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program (T32) to eligible institutions to create, provide, and disseminate clinical and translational science training and career support programs for individuals seeking a PhD or an equivalent research health professional degree and help ensure a pool of clinical and translational scientist trainees who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to advance diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical interventions, and behavioral modifications aimed at improving health and support meaningful translational science research projects that address demonstrable needs among stakeholder communities.

NCATS will not accept applications proposing combined predoctoral and postdoctoral training under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Applications proposing postdoctoral research training should apply to the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Postdoctoral Institutional Research Training Grant for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program (PAR-25-195).

Applicants interested in providing short-term research experiences should apply to the companion NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program Research Education Grants Programs (R25) (PAR-25-197). A short-term research experience is one where the participant is full-time (40 hours per week) for a period of 10 to 15 weeks, or as specified by the sponsoring institution in accordance with its own policies.

The proposed institutional research training program may complement other ongoing research training and career development programs at the applicant institution, but must be clearly distinct from related programs currently receiving Federal support.

This NOFO does not allow appointed Trainees to lead an independent clinical trial, but does allow them to obtain research experience in a clinical trial on which the PI is a mentor or co-mentor. NIH strongly supports training towards a career in clinically relevant research and so gaining experience in clinical trials under the guidance of a mentor or co-mentor is encouraged.

This limited competition NOFO is part of a required set of companion applications: the Clinical and Translational Science Award (UM1) and companion Institutional Career Development Award (K12). The remaining NOFOs in the suite are optional and include the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training programs (T32 predoctoral and T32 postdoctoral), the Research Education Grant (R25), and the Specialized Innovation Program (RC2). These optional NOFOs are only available to CTSA Program UM1 applicants and award recipients. Applications to the companion NOFOs cannot be awarded until an award has been issued for the UM1. (See Section III. Eligibility Information of this NOFO and the respective NOFOs for more information).

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Limiting Language 
Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique UEI number) is allowed. As defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement, applications received in response to the same NOFO generally are scored individually and then ranked with other applications under peer review in their order of relative programmatic, technical, or scientific merit. CDC/NIOSH will not accept any application in response to this NOFO that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.

Purpose
NIOSH is seeking applications from qualified organizations for a National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation (also known as the NIOSH National Construction Center). Applicants are expected to propose multi-disciplinary approaches for impactful applied and intervention research and hazard identification and controls, to develop partnerships for implementing prevention and intervention activities, and to serve as leaders in research translation and research-to-practice for the protection of construction workers in the United States. The NIOSH National Construction Center will accomplish these goals by 1) integrating and advancing research, 2) translating and disseminating best practices, 3) disseminating information, 4) informing policy, and 5) building capacity. Applicants must describe the occupational health and safety burden(s) addressed in their proposals. In addition, they must link the need for the proposed research and related activities to the planned outputs and outcomes that will help address or alleviate the construction sector burdens described. Applicants should also describe the anticipated impacts and potential outcomes of the proposed research and related activities that will occur during the 5-year project period and beyond.

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A.J. Scott (COM-T)

The University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) is coordinating this limited submission. For more information please contact: UACC-PreAward.

Limiting Language
Applications are limited to four per institution per receipt date including new (A0), resubmissions (A1) and renewal (T2); NCI-designated cancer center consortia are considered one institution. NCI seeks a broad representation of institutions for this award mechanism and may take this into account when making funding decisions.

Purpose
Through this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for the Research Specialist Award in any area of NCI-funded clinical cancer research. This NOFO is specifically for clinician scientists to continue to participate in the NCI clinical trials networks through leadership in the 1) development of national clinical trials, 2) implementation of NCI clinical trials in their institutions, and 3) national service to the NCI clinical trials networks through participation in the scientific review committees, monitoring committees, and other activities, but not serve as principal investigators of research project grants. These clinician scientists are vital to sustaining the NCI-funded clinical trials enterprise. The Research Specialist Award is intended to provide stable support for clinician scientists at their institutions for significant leadership and exceptional participation in the NCI-sponsored clinical trials networks that conduct cancer treatment, prevention and control, and care delivery clinical trials. NCI-sponsored clinical trials networks include but are not limited to the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN), and the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet).

The Research Specialist Award is designed to encourage the development of a career path for cancer clinical trial investigators who provide leadership, participation, and scientific support for the NCI clinical trials networks at their institutions and within those networks. This leadership includes the development of concepts and protocols for clinical trials, participation in scientific steering committees and network committees, and accrual to NCI-sponsored clinical trials. The institutional activities may include the implementation of cancer clinical trials including participation in the review of safety data, monitoring the conduct and progress of open clinical trials, and serving on institutional review committees. These activities are necessary for the successful conduct of NCI-sponsored cancer clinical trials. The Research Specialist Award is intended to provide salary support and sufficient autonomy so that individuals are not solely dependent on NCI grants held by others or other sources of funding for cancer research career continuity.

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Limiting Language
Only one application is allowed.

Executive Summary
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invites grant applications for Education and Research Centers (ERCs) that are focused on occupational safety and health (OSH) training. NIOSH is mandated to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the ERCs are one of the primary means for meeting this mandate.

ERCs are academic institutions that provide high-quality interdisciplinary graduate and post-graduate training, research training, continuing education, and outreach in the core OSH disciplines of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational safety, as well as allied disciplines.

Research and research training are integral components of ERCs, with ERC faculty and NIOSH trainees conducting research on issues related to the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) and emerging issues to advance the OSH field.

NIOSH ERCs have regional presence to ensure that the training and research they support is beneficial to workers across the nation.

ERCs serve as resources for our nation's workforce through continuing education, outreach and strong collaboration with professional associations, worker advocacy groups, businesses, industries, and public health agencies. ERCs work with other institutions and organizations, including Minority Serving Institutions and other NIOSH supported training programs to have a positive impact on worker health, safety, and well-being.

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R. Shroff (Medicine)

Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique UEI or NIH IPF number) is allowed.

The NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) was established for the conduct of large-scale, national, oncology treatment and advanced imaging clinical trials in an era of precision medicine.

Recent advances in deciphering the cancer genome, along with the emergence of successful targeted agents, immunotherapies, and cellular therapies, have fundamentally changed our approach to cancer treatment and have introduced new challenges to performing clinical trials. Due to the low incidence of certain molecular abnormalities, the development of targeted therapies often requires an infrastructure for the conduct of clinical trials that can screen large numbers of patients with the same or different cancer type to identify those patients whose tumors contain the distinct molecular targets of the therapies being tested. Immunotherapeutic approaches also present a similar challenge in that not all tumor types respond to this approach, and selecting the cancer types most likely to respond is critical for success.

The NCTN's integrated and collaborative network infrastructure has allowed the Program to meet the challenges of evaluating emerging therapies within its broad investigator base drawn from NCI-designated Cancer Centers, the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), Minority/Underserved NCORPs, and other academic and community hospitals and private practitioners across the U.S. and internationally. The primary focus of the NCTN is the conduct of multi-center, late-phase, clinical treatment trials (i.e., randomized phase 2 and phase 3 trials) and investigation of new advanced imaging techniques; however, appropriate preliminary studies needed for development of potential definitive trials, especially umbrella/basket trials and rare tumor trials oriented to discovery, are also conducted when an extensive, national patient catchment area is required. With its state-of-the-art clinical trials infrastructure, the NCTN can implement and completes trials rapidly. The NCTN has streamlined trial registration, data management, and tumor banking processes. It has a Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) to provide online access to all necessary study materials and a Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB) to make ethics review easier and less redundant across the country. The NCTN also has appeal for industry partners such as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies that collaborate on NCTN trials, including precision medicine trials harnessing next generation DNA and RNA sequencing methods to inform treatment choices. NCTN's resources are ideal for screening large numbers of patients to identify patients whose tumors exhibit the molecular features that may be responsive to new, targeted treatments and/or immunotherapy approaches. In addition, biospecimens collected from patients on NCTN trials are available to help determine the underlying biological reasons for response and resistance to therapy.

The NCTN also promotes the evaluation of multi-modality treatments, including surgery and radiotherapy in combination with novel agents, and has a commitment to the conduct of trials in special populations (e.g., children, adolescents, young adults, and underserved populations) as well as in rare tumor types. This focus allows the NCTN Program to complement, rather than duplicate, research conducted by the private sector. Annual accrual to NCTN trials has remained in the 17,500 to 22,000 patient range in mostly large phase 2 and phase 3 trials, but with a larger number of patients screened on study to determine whether they might benefit from the therapy under evaluation.

Each of the key components of the NCTN Program is described briefly below.

• Network Group Operations Centers: The Operations Centers provide scientific leadership for developing and implementing multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional trials in a range of diseases and special populations with specific scientific strategy and goals. The Operations Centers' scientific goals may include strategic innovation in advanced technology for specific research areas (e.g., advanced imaging methods/agents, radiotherapy) and the testing of innovative concepts and tools in prospective, multi-institutional clinical trials. Operations Centers are responsible for trial operations including timely protocol development and management, compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) regulatory and patient protection requirements, audits, training, quality assurance, and site support. The Operations Centers are expected to be closely integrated with their corresponding Statistics and Data Management Center in all aspects of trial operations through jointly developed policies and procedures for clinical trial development and conduct. The Operations Centers are also responsible for Network Group administration, including financial management, monitoring of member institution/site performance, coordination of biospecimen collection from patients on clinical trials, and adherence to all applicable NIH/NCI policies and regulations. Network Group Operations Centers may also provide trial operations for NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (NCI/DCTD, approved, multi-center phase 2 and phase 3 trials originating outside the Network Groups in special situations.
• Network Group Statistics and Data Management Centers: These Centers are responsible for providing the statistical expertise required to ensure effective scientific design and conduct of clinical trials as well as leadership in innovation in statistical methodology. These Centers are also responsible for data management, data analysis, and statistical analysis for NCTN trials led by their affiliated Network Group Operations Center as well as for translational and other ancillary studies associated with the trials.
• Network Group Integrated Translational Science Centers - These awards provide support for leadership and expertise to facilitate incorporating translational science into Network Group clinical trials.
• Network Lead Academic Participating Sites: These academic institutions/sites provide scientific leadership in development and conduct of clinical trials in association with one or more adult U.S. Network Groups as well as substantial accrual to clinical trials conducted across the entire NCTN.
• Network Radiotherapy and Imaging Core Services Center: This institution/organization provides scientific and technical expertise for incorporation of appropriate, integrated quality assurance/control and image data management for applicable clinical trials conducted by the NCTN that require specialized quality assurance/control or imaging data management and/or assessment for radiotherapy and imaging interventions. In addition, the Center may also provide similar services for other approved NCI-supported clinical trials network programs (e.g., NCI/DCTD/CTEP early phase clinical trial network program and the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention (NCI/DCP) NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).
• Canadian Collaborating Clinical Trials Network: This Canadian organization is a non-profit clinical trials organization capable of being a full partner with the U.S. Network in the conduct of large-scale, multi-site clinical trials that have relevance for U.S. cancer patient populations. Incorporation of a Canadian Clinical Trials Network as a collaborating partner brings an additional advantage as U.S. Network Groups are anticipated to have Canadian member sites. A Canadian network can help reduce duplicative regulatory staff at U.S. NCTN Group Operations Centers.

Interactions with Other NCI-supported Programs. In addition to the six key components of the NCTN that are described above that are directly funded by the NCTN Program, other NCI grant and contract-supported Programs and their awardees as well as NCI Advisory Committees have important supporting roles in carrying out the research objectives of the NCTN Program. Thus, the NCTN awardees are expected to interact as appropriate with such entities/programs as the NCI Clinical Trials Tumor Banks, the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and Minority/Underserved NCORPs, the NCI Cancer Trials Support Unit, the pediatric and adult NCI Central Institutional Review Boards, and NCI Advisory and Scientific Committees, including the NCI Scientific Steering Committees.

Main Research Objectives and Requirements of this NOFO

The Network Lead Academic Participating Site application must address the following 2 required functional components related to clinical treatment trials and advanced imaging trials for adult cancer patients only:

Clinical Trial Program - This functional component encompasses the LAPS scientific leadership in helping to develop and conduct clinical trials in association with one or more Network Groups, including the LAPS support of NCTN initiatives and mentorship of junior investigators.

Site Accrual Program This functional component provides robust accrual to NCTN trials across the Network, including accrual to rare cancers and accrual from special populations (e.g., minority and underserved communities, adolescents and young adults), as well as timely activation of trials and good clinical trial stewardship.

Limit: 1 //  T. Solomon (Family and Community Medicine)

PO has confirmed this is a limited submission, only the last application received from UArizona will be reviewed. 

The purpose of this program is to add to the number of Indian health professionals serving Indians by encouraging Indians to enter the health professions and removing barriers to serving Indians.

Allowable activities

• Provide outreach and recruitment of people to serve Indian communities in the health professions. Include recruitment and outreach at elementary and secondary schools as well as community colleges located on Indian reservations that your program will serve

• Incorporate a program advisory board of representatives from the Tribes and communities you will serve

• Provide summer preparatory programs for Indian students who need enrichment in the subjects of math and science needed to pursue training in the health professions

• Provide tutoring, counseling, and support to students who are enrolled in a health career program of study at your college or university

• Employ qualified Indians in the program, to the maximum extent feasible. Describe the college or university’s ability to meet this requirement

• Address the opioid crisis, which is an HHS priority, by educating and training students in opioid addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery