Notice Number: NOT-CA-17-018

Key Dates
Release Date: January 31, 2017

Issued by
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

This Notice corrects information provided in PAR-17-095, "Cancer Center Support Grants (CCSGs) for NCI-designated Cancer Centers (P30)" to provide the list of activity codes that qualify as “peer-reviewed, funded research projects", as follows:

Section IV. Application and Submission Information,

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Research Programs

Currently reads:

When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type ‘Project.’
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.
Goals: Cancer Centers foster cancer-focused research, in part through the creation of formal scientific research programs. A research program comprises the activities of a group of investigators who share common scientific interests and goals and participate in peer-reviewed funded research. Programs are highly interactive and lead to exchange of information, experimental techniques, and ideas that enhance the individual productivity of scientists and often result in collaborations and joint publications.
Selection of members: Selection of members for a Center’s programs is one of the most critical decisions made by leadership. Functional and productive programs select individuals for their scientific excellence and, just as importantly, for their commitment to work together to further the scientific goals of the Cancer Center. The expectation is that most members will hold peer-reviewed research funding; however, some unfunded members may contribute to the research objectives of the Center in other important ways (e.g., development and implementation of Center’s clinical activity, including authorship of clinical protocols, accrual of patients on interventional trials, and leadership roles in NCI NCTN studies), and their roles should be carefully described.
Collaborators from other NCI-designated Cancer Centers or research institutions may become Center and program members. While the funded research projects of these members cannot count toward the funding base of the Program or the Center, these members may have full access to shared resources and developmental funds.
Characteristics of programs: Programs should be of adequate size and scientific quality, cancer-focused, and should exhibit a high degree of interaction within the program, with other research programs at the Center, and with researchers at other institutions. Each program must have at least seven fully cancer-focused, peer-reviewed funded research projects equivalent to an NIH R01 from a minimum of five different, independent PD/PI to be eligible; however, successful programs substantially exceed this minimum. For the purposes of this FOA, R01-equivalence equals a project funding for 3 years minimum with at least $125,000 direct costs per year. Grants under no-cost extension do not count. Peer-reviewed, funded research sub-projects of larger grants (e.g., P01s, P50s), but not shared resources, may be counted as separate projects. The program leader or leaders are expected to have active peer-review funding.
The interactive attributes of a program are documented by collaborative research projects, joint publications, colloquia, joint seminar series, and other evidence of meaningful interchange that cement interactions around related or common goals. The type and balance of activities will vary from Center to Center. In addition, effective scientific leadership, with a history of cancer-related funding appropriate to the nature of the Program, provides intellectual stimulation, cohesion, focus, and direction. Each Program leader should have a specific role in facilitating the discovery process and promoting transdisciplinary research important to cancer, and any projected use of funds to support other scientific activities.

Definition of Peer-Reviewed, Funded Research Projects for Inclusion in programs and for designation of users in shared resources: Peer review as employed by the NIH is the acceptable standard for inclusion of a cancer-related research project within a formal Program. Only research projects that are awarded based on this standard are eligible for inclusion in research programs. This includes:

• NIH grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts from NIH with the following prefixes (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/ac_search_results.html)
• Components of NCI National Clinical Trials Networks (e.g., U10s, U19s)
• Individual research studies involving protocols approved by the NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) and funded by NCI.
• Individual research studies involving prevention and control protocols approved by the NCI Cancer Control Protocol Review Committee and funded by NCI.
• Awarded cancer-related research grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts from other institutes of the NIH (same prefixes as above).
• Research projects funded by the non-NIH organizations with peer review funding systems listed at https://cancercenters.cancer.gov/documents/PeerReviewFundingOrganizations508C.pdf

Modified to read:
When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type ‘Project.’
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.
Goals: Cancer Centers foster cancer-focused research, in part through the creation of formal scientific research programs. A research program comprises the activities of a group of investigators who share common scientific interests and goals and participate in peer-reviewed funded research. Programs are highly interactive and lead to exchange of information, experimental techniques, and ideas that enhance the individual productivity of scientists and often result in collaborations and joint publications.
Selection of members: Selection of members for a Center’s programs is one of the most critical decisions made by leadership. Functional and productive programs select individuals for their scientific excellence and, just as importantly, for their commitment to work together to further the scientific goals of the Cancer Center. The expectation is that most members will hold peer-reviewed research funding; however, some unfunded members may contribute to the research objectives of the Center in other important ways (e.g., development and implementation of Center’s clinical activity, including authorship of clinical protocols, accrual of patients on interventional trials, and leadership roles in NCI NCTN studies), and their roles should be carefully described.
Collaborators from other NCI-designated Cancer Centers or research institutions may become Center and program members. While the funded research projects of these members cannot count toward the funding base of the Program or the Center, these members may have full access to shared resources and developmental funds.
Characteristics of programs: Programs should be of adequate size and scientific quality, cancer-focused, and should exhibit a high degree of interaction within the program, with other research programs at the Center, and with researchers at other institutions. Each program must have at least seven fully cancer-focused, peer-reviewed funded research projects equivalent to an NIH R01 from a minimum of five different, independent PD/PI to be eligible; however, successful programs substantially exceed this minimum. For the purposes of this FOA, R01-equivalence equals a project funding for 3 years minimum with at least $125,000 direct costs per year. Grants under no-cost extension do not count. Peer-reviewed, funded research sub-projects of larger grants (e.g., P01s, P50s), but not shared resources, may be counted as separate projects. The program leader or leaders are expected to have active peer-review funding.
The interactive attributes of a program are documented by collaborative research projects, joint publications, colloquia, joint seminar series, and other evidence of meaningful interchange that cement interactions around related or common goals. The type and balance of activities will vary from Center to Center. In addition, effective scientific leadership, with a history of cancer-related funding appropriate to the nature of the Program, provides intellectual stimulation, cohesion, focus, and direction. Each Program leader should have a specific role in facilitating the discovery process and promoting transdisciplinary research important to cancer, and any projected use of funds to support other scientific activities.

Definition of Peer-Reviewed, Funded Research Projects for Inclusion in programs and for designation of users in shared resources: Peer review as employed by the NIH is the acceptable standard for inclusion of a cancer-related research project within a formal Program. Only research projects that are awarded based on this standard are eligible for inclusion in research programs. This includes:

• Research grants, cooperative agreements and research contracts from the NCI including all awards with the following prefixes: R00, R01, R03, R15, R18, R21, R24, R25, R33, R35, R41, R42, R55, R56, P01 and P50 sub-projects, P20, SC1, SC2, U01, U10, U19, U54, U56, UG1, UG3, UH2, UH3, UM1, UM2, N01 research contracts and peer-reviewed, funded subcontracts of Center members participating in collaborative research. (Note: Shared Resources of multi-component grants are not eligible for inclusion)
• Components of NCI National Clinical Trials Networks (e.g., U10s, U19s).
• Individual research studies involving protocols approved by the NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) and funded by NCI.
• Individual research studies involving prevention and control protocols approved by the NCI Cancer Control Protocol Review Committee and funded by NCI.
• Awarded cancer-related research grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts from other institutes of the NIH (same prefixes as above).
• Research projects funded by the non-NIH organizations with peer review funding systems listed at https://cancercenters.cancer.gov/documents/PeerReviewFundingOrganizations508C.pdf

All other aspects of the FOA remain unchanged.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Office of Cancer Centers
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5600
Email: ncicenters-r@mail.nih.gov