Related Announcements

PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

Issued by

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) announces an opportunity for supplemental funding to active, eligible NCI-funded grants and cooperative agreements to support integrative oncology research. These administrative supplements are intended to support NCI-funded investigators to leverage existing relationships/partnerships with investigators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to conduct research that will enhance understanding of the intersection of standard biomedical approaches and traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) for cancer control in LMIC settings.

Background

Cancer incidence and mortality are increasing in LMICs. To mitigate this growing challenge, continued efforts to implement evidence-based cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative and survivorship care using innovative and culturally appropriate solutions are needed. One potentially promising approach is to leverage TCAM with standard biomedical approaches. TCAM is used worldwide, often embedded in centuries of local traditions and culture. Leveraging TCAM alongside standard biomedical approaches can help increase the adoption and acceptability of cancer control interventions that are evidence-informed and patient-centered. This growing field of research, often referred to as ‘whole person research’, is leading to a better understanding of the important psychological and physical benefits of lifestyle interventions and mind/body therapies (e.g., acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga) on cancer prevention and treatment. Similarly, research on the molecular properties and psychological benefits of natural products used in TCAM can lead to the discovery of evidence-based, low-cost, and culturally acceptable methods for symptom management and quality of life improvement in cancer patients. Integrative oncology research seeks to understand how TCAM advances can be combined with standard biomedical approaches to systemically strengthen the efficacy, acceptability, and sustainability of cancer care worldwide. This NOSI focuses on research pertaining to the integration of TCAM with standard biomedical approaches to benefit cancer control in LMICs. Moreover, rigorous integrative oncology research can provide cancer patients in LMICs with access to safe, effective, evidence-informed, and culturally sensitive cancer care that is highly adapted to their local contexts.

Research Objectives

Proposed studies will investigate the integration of TCAM with standard biomedical approaches for cancer control in LMICs.

Examples of Responsive Proposals Include: Research encouraged through this Notice includes, but is not limited to, studies such as:

1. Pharmacology of TCAM agents with a focus on interactions (positive and negative) with standard cancer treatments;
2. Characterization of Phytotherapeutic Agents for Global Health with a focus on interactions (positive and negative) with standard cancer treatments;
3. Studies of the use of integrative oncology on palliative care and/or symptom management in different types of cancer;
4. Integrative oncology approaches to increase tolerance to and improve physical and psychological recovery from cancer therapy with a goal of increasing adherence to standard cancer treatments;
5. Research related to the psychologicaland physiological effects of TCAM;
6. Research related to the use of TCAM to enhance medication or pain tolerance during standard cancer treatment;
7. Implementation science to study barriers and facilitators to integration of TCAM into health care systems;
8. Studies of the integration of TCAM and standard biomedical approaches as implementation strategies to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based cancer control interventions.

Applicants are encouraged to leverage existing resources and partnerships, and to design projects that can reasonably be completed within the given time and budget. Supplemental funding may be applied toward attaining adequate LMIC populations for integrative oncology research. It is not essential for the parent award to have an integrative oncology research focus. The request for supplemental funding may propose to augment the parent award by introducing integrative oncology research and LMIC populations into the ongoing research project in a manner (i.e., within its approved scope) that increases its overall impact.

Applications responsive to this NOSI must:

1. Focus on studying TCAM in LMICs; and
2. Include LMIC-based investigators who are substantively engaged at all stages of the proposed research from design to implementation and dissemination.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the scientific/research contact person listed in this NOSI and with the Program Director on their parent grant prior to submission.

Administrative Review

NCI will conduct administrative reviews of submitted applications and will support the most meritorious applications based upon the programmatic priorities and availability of funds.

The following criteria will be used to assess the supplement requests:

1. Are the proposed activities relevant to the parent grant and original work scope?
2. Does the proposed project address a knowledge and/or research gap in global integrative oncology?
3. Does the proposed project appropriately justify the proposed LMICs research focus?
4. Does the proposed project appropriately justify its potential relevance to improve cancer prevention or care in culturally similar US populations, including disadvantaged groups?
5. Does the applicant demonstrate reasonable access to the appropriate populations or datasets?
6. Is the project design scientifically rigorous and does the study address the needs of the target population?
7. Does the proposal demonstrate the feasibility of accomplishing project goals within the time and budget?

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be within the scope of the parent award consistent with its originally approved objectives and 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:

• Administrative supplement applications from PDs/PIs are limited to currently funded and active R01, R21, R25, R33, R37, P01, P20, P30, P50, U19, U01, UH2, UG3, UH3, U54, or UM1 awards from NCI -- no other grant or cooperative agreement activity codes or mechanisms are eligible for this program.
• For supplements to parent awards that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement may be requested by any or all the PDs/PIs (in accordance with the existing leadership plan) and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent award.
• NCI grants in an extension (or needing an extension to be eligible) at the time the award is made in FY22 are not eligible for this supplement. In other words, requests for no-cost extensions on the parent grant or cooperative agreement to accommodate a supplement will not be permitted.
• Only one supplement application per grant or cooperative agreement award will be accepted for consideration through this Notice.
• Only electronic submissions will be accepted for this funding opportunity. Use one of the methods described in PA-20-272. Paper submissions and applications submitted as email attachments will be rejected without review.

Application Due Date:

• Submissions must be received by May 14, 2022 at 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization for FY 2022 funding.
• For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-CA-22-054 in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
• Applicants should begin the supplement application abstract by stating "This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as NOT-CA-22-054".

Budget and Period of Support:

• The budget should not exceed $125,000 in direct costs for the entire allowable 1-year project period of the application/award.

The Research Strategy must not exceed three (3) pages, should summarize the activities of the parent grant, and describe how those activities would be augmented and/or enhanced in the supplemental request by:

• Describing the supplement's purpose, its relationship to the parent grant (proposed research must be within scope of the parent grant), and the additional value to the research in the parent grant).
• Describing the proposed global population and/or data and how the applicant will access the same; and
• Justifying the global integrative oncology research question being investigated and how inclusion of the LMIC's population and/or data will advance the understanding of integrative oncology and/or interventions that address it.
• NCI requires applicants to submit electronically through Grants.gov. All applications (including those for multi-project activity codes) must be submitted electronically using a single-project application form package with the Competition ID of “FORMS-E-ADMINSUPP-RESEARCH”.
• The process for Streamlined Submissions using the eRA Commons cannot be used for this initiative.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact at the NCI that a request has been submitted in response to this NOSI to facilitate efficient processing of the application.

Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be considered for this NOSI initiative.

Inquiries

 Please direct all inquiries to:

Scientific/Research Contact

Alejandro Salicrup, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-5799
Email: salicrul@nih.gov

Financial/Grants Management Contact

Dawn M. Mitchum
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 202-430-2997
Email: dawn.mitchum@nih.gov