It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Application Guide (SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, as appropriate) except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
The purpose of this trans-NCI Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to promote new cancer disparities research among investigators who do not normally conduct it and to encourage the partnership of experienced cancer research investigators with cancer disparities-focused researchers. This FOA is intended to accelerate and strengthen multi-disciplinary cancer disparities research in wide ranging areas. Cancer disparities research includes, but is not limited to basic, translational, behavioral, observational, interventional, environmental and population research studies that address the adverse differences in cancer incidence, prevalence, mortality, survivorship, burden and/or response to treatment in racial/ethnic minorities and/or underserved population groups. Proposed collaborations should focus on achieving research objectives that by necessity rely on diverse and complementary expertise, technical capabilities, and resource sets. Importantly, the supplemental proposal is required to be within the scope of the parent award and should expand the original aims to include a cancer disparity component and possible inclusion of international comparator cohorts. A trans NCI effort, the concept reissuance of the Collaborative Program is supported by NCI’s Division of Cancer Biology (DCB), Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) and now, also included Center for Global Health.
Significant advancements in cancer research have led to improved diagnosis, prognosis and outcomes for cancer patients. Despite this progress, cancer disparities remain among specific populations for numerous types of cancers including: breast, gastrointestinal systems, liver, prostate, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Cancer disparities pertain to adverse differences in cancer incidence, prevalence, mortality, survivorship, treatment and/or burden of cancer or related health conditions that exist
among racial/ethnic minority and/or underserved population groups in the United States. These population groups may be characterized by race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, geographic location, income, education, or other practices historically linked to discrimination or exclusion. The causes of these cancer disparities are multifactorial, including differences in access to health care, diet and lifestyle, cultural barriers, environmental exposures, and ancestry-related biological/genetic factors. Furthermore, the interplay of these determinants is exceedingly complex, making this field of research challenging.
An increase in the scope and depth of cancer disparities research including expansion of the pool of competitive researchers with expertise to conduct cancer disparities research, remains a priority for the NCI and is urgently needed to accelerate the progress in reducing cancer disparities.
Through this Administrative Supplement FOA, the NCI will support eligible NCI-funded investigators to expand their research, through collaboration with a cancer disparities investigator(s), and develop novel cancer disparities research questions.
This FOA provides support to NCI-funded investigators interested in expanding their research by adding a cancer disparity component to their currently funded project. This new component should address a cancer disparity research question and be implemented through a collaboration with a cancer disparities researcher who brings non-overlapping yet complementary expertise. Only parent grants that did not include cancer disparities research as part of their original scientific aims are eligible for supplemental funding under this FOA. The proposed collaborative cancer disparities research component should be within the scope of the parent award and an extension of the original aims. Cancer disparity research questions to be addressed are expected to include studies focused on racial/ethnic minority and/or underserved populations.
The collaborator should have a track record in conducting research (as demonstrated by publication record and/or funding support) in the areas of cancer disparities and/or minority health research.
Collaborations may include investigators from the same or different departments within an institution, or from different institutions. The parent grant must have at least 2 full years of active funding (excluding no-cost extension periods) remaining at the time of submission.
This FOA invites collaborative cancer disparities research studies in any of the broad areas of cancer research including (but not limited to) studies of cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and cancer control. Applicants are encouraged to focus upon cancer types for which health disparities are particularly well documented including cancers of the breast, gastrointestinal systems, liver, prostate, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Although studies involving these cancers are strongly encouraged, other cancer types can be included if a disparity is appropriately justified. Basic, behavioral, observational, interventional environmental, translational, clinical, and/or population-based studies in these research areas are appropriate.
Research areas that are appropriate to the goals of this FOA include but are not limited to studies that:
Basic Cancer Biology
Cancer Prevention
Population Sciences
Translational and Clinical Studies
Global Health
Examples of applications that are not appropriate for this FOA include:
Only small, pilot trials that can be completed from planning to execution within the two years of the supplement project period will be considered for support under this FOA. However, piloting of clinical trials-related supportive activities such as strategies for increasing participation/outreach to racial/ethnic minority and/or underserved populations, or collection of specimens that are in support of a clinical trial supported by the parent award would be appropriate.
Additionally, applicants with a demonstrated history of cancer disparities research are discouraged from serving as PD/PI of the supplement, but may serve as a collaborator (see definitions above).
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Scientific/Research Contact staff listed by scientific areas in Section VII. Applicants are also encouraged to discuss their proposed supplement project with the NCI Program Official of the parent grant prior to submission of a supplement application to ensure that the content area proposed is within the scope of the parent grant.
See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.
All organizations administering an eligible parent award may apply for a supplement under this announcement.
Higher Education Institutions
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For-Profit Organizations
Governments
Other
This announcement is for supplements to existing projects. To be eligible, the parent award must be active and the research proposed in the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment. The proposed supplement must be to provide for an increase in costs due to unforeseen circumstances. All additional costs must be within the scope of the peer reviewed and approved project.
IMPORTANT: The research proposed by the NIH recipient in the supplement application must be within the original scope of the NIH-supported grant project.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are
not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not
eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in
the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Applicant Organizations
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Since administrative supplements are made against active grants and cooperative agreements, many of these registrations may already be in place. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Individual(s) must hold an active grant or cooperative
agreement, and the research proposed in the supplement must be accomplished
within the competitive segment of the active award. Individuals are encouraged to
work with their organizations to develop applications for support.
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. Do
not use this administrative supplement application to add, delete, or change
the PDs/PIs listed on the parent award. Visit the Multiple Program
Director/Principal Investigator Policy in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide
for more information.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each is sufficiently distinct from any other administrative supplement currently under consideration by the awarding NIH Institute or Center.
Since applications to this announcement will only receive administrative review by the awarding Institute or Center, and will not receive a peer review, the NIH policy on resubmissions will not apply. However, applications not accepted by the Institute or Center for review, or not funded by the Institute or Center, should not be submitted again without either responding to any written concerns or contacting the awarding Institute or Center for instructions.
Applicants must prepare applications using current forms in accordance with the Application Guide.
The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.
All forms must be completed for the supplemental activities only and must not reflect funding or activities for the previously awarded parent award.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions for their submission option (SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, as appropriate) except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to documented requirements is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
All page limitations applicable to the parent award as described in the Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits for the activity code of the parent award must be followed, .
Administrative supplement requests must be submitted through Grants.gov using electronic submission processes.
Instructions for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov
Use the Apply button(s) in Part I of this announcement to access the application forms package posted at Grants.gov. If presented with more than one form package, use the Competition ID and Competition Titles provided to determine the most appropriate application forms package for your situation.
Prepare applications using the SF424 (R&R) forms associated with the chosen package. Please note that some forms marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this announcement. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate required and optional forms, with the following additional guidance:
See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and Times. Applicants are encouraged to submit electronic applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their electronic application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
For electronic application submission, information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424(R&R) Application Guide.
For paper-based application submission, information on the process of receipt and determining if your application is considered on-time is described in detail in the PHS 398 Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted using the instructions specified above.
Applicants must complete all required registrations prior to submission. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.
Important
reminders:
For applications submitted electronically on the SF424
(R&R) Application forms, all PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID
in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to
register in the eRA Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the
credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic
application to NIH.
The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier (DUNS number or UEI as required) provided on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Not Applicable
Administrative Supplements do not receive peer review. Instead, the administrative criteria described below will be considered in the administrative evaluation process.
The staff of the NIH awarding component will evaluate requests for a supplement to determine its overall merit. The following general criteria will be used:
Budget and Period of Support
NIH staff will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Overall Impact
NIH staff will consider the ability of the proposed supplement activities to increase or preserve the parent award’s overall impact within the original scope of award:
In addition, each of the following criteria will be evaluated as applicable for the proposed supplement.
For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.
For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.
When the proposed project involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals of all ages (including children and older adults) to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed.
NIH staff will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.
NIH staff will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.
Administrative supplement requests will undergo an
administrative evaluation by NIH staff, but not a full peer review. Applications
submitted for this funding opportunity will be assigned to the awarding
component for the parent award and will be administratively evaluated using the
criteria shown above.
Not Applicable
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. This may be as an NoA for the supplemental activities only; alternatively, it may be as either a revision to the current year NoA or included as part of a future year NoA. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient’s business official.
Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website. When calculating the award for additional funds, NIH will 1) prorate funding if the requested budget period is adjusted at the time of award, and 2) use the institution’s current F&A rate; i.e., the rate in effect when the new funding is provided.
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:
If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.
Should the applicant organization successfully compete for an award, recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy). This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency and persons with disabilities. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html
HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA.
Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.
In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 and 2 CFR Part 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
Any supplements to Cooperative Agreements will be subject to the same Cooperative Agreement terms and conditions as the parent award.
Reporting requirements will be specified in the terms and conditions of award as applicable to the supplemental activities. In most non-competing continuation applications, the progress report and budget for the supplement must be included with, but clearly delineated from, the progress report and budget for the parent award. The progress report must include information about the activities supported by the supplement even if support for future years is not requested. Continuation of support for the supplement activities in the remaining years of the competitive segment of the grant will depend upon satisfactory review by the NIH awarding component of progress for both the parent award and the supplement project, the research proposed for the next budget period, and the appropriateness of the proposed budget for the proposed effort. This information is submitted with the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH FOAs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR 200.301
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over the threshold. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/ (preferred
method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions,
application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred
method of contact)
Telephone: 301-480-7075
Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding
Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]
Cancer Disparities Research
Maria Jamela R. Revilleza, PhD, MS
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-620-0616
Email: [email protected]
Population Sciences
Amy Kennedy, PhD, MPH
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-781-3335
Email: [email protected]
Translational and Clinical Studies
Minkyung (Min) H. Song, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6139
E-mail: [email protected]
Cancer Prevention
Vikrant Sahasrabuddhe, MBBS., MPH., DrPH
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-7332
Email: [email protected]
Basic Cancer Biology Research
Natalia Mercer, PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6220
E-mail: [email protected]
Global Health
James Alaro, PhD
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 2402766429
Email: james. [email protected]
Not Applicable
Shane Woodward
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6303
Email: [email protected]
Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75. and 2 CFR Part 200