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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, the NCI Research Specialist Award (R50), aims to establish and support stable research career opportunities for exceptional, non-tenure track laboratory-based scientists working within existing NCI-funded cancer research programs. It provides salary and limited travel support to these vital scientists, enabling them to pursue research without sole dependence on grants held by others. - Target Recipient Type: Academic and research institutions applying on behalf of highly skilled, non-tenure track scientists. - Target Recipient Size: SECTOR-AGNOSTIC regarding organizational size, as it supports individuals within various institutional settings (universities, nonprofits, for-profits, government). - Geographic Scope: United States-based organizations; foreign institutions are not eligible. - Key Filtering Criteria: Applicant organization must be US-based; the individual scientist (PD/PI) must be a non-tenure track, lab-based scientist with an advanced degree, significant experience in NCI-funded cancer research, and currently supported by an NCI-funded Unit Director. - Grant Frequency: Recurring, with annual application due dates (November 2023, 2024, 2025).

Financial Structure

Funding Instrument: Grant
Award Budget: Funds may be requested for two specific expenses annually:
- Salary support for the Research Specialist commensurate with their level of funded effort (not less than 6 person-months) on the Unit Director's NCI-funded research grants.
- Travel costs to attend research meetings/conferences, not to exceed $2,500 per year.
Currency: USD
Eligible Costs: Salary support and travel costs only.
Ineligible Costs: Research expenses must be covered from other sources (e.g., separate R01, P01, P50 grants).
Matching Fund Requirements: Not required; this NOFO does not require cost sharing.
Financial Guarantees: Not specified.
Indirect Cost Policies: Not specified in the provided text, but implied to follow NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Financial Reporting: Required to submit Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility

Eligible Organization Types: This opportunity is open to a broad range of US-based institutions:
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
- State Governments, County Governments, City or Township Governments, Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized and Other)
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations
Geographic Location: Must be US-based organizations; foreign institutions and non-domestic components of US organizations are not eligible.
Required Registrations: Applicant organizations must be registered with and maintain active status in:
- System for Award Management (SAM)
- eRA Commons (with a Signing Official and at least one PD/PI account)
- Grants.gov
Prior Relationship with Funder: The Research Specialist must have been contributing to the Unit Director's NCI-funded research for at least the previous 2 years at the time of application submission.

Individual (Research Specialist PD/PI) Eligibility

Advanced Degree: Must possess an advanced degree (e.g., Masters, Ph.D., D.V.M., D.D.S., or M.D.) in a biomedical science or biomedical engineering area.
Position Type: Must hold a full-time, non-tenure track position at the academic or research institution.
Research Experience: Must have demonstrated research accomplishments in their primary discipline and demonstrated cancer research experience in behavioral, biomedical (basic or clinical), computational, or bioengineering research relevant to the NCI mission.
Effort Commitment: Must have been supported for not less than 6 person-months effort on the Unit Director's NCI-funded research grants during the relevant Federal Fiscal Year of application submission.
Independent Grant Support: Must not have held or applied for independent investigator grant support (e.g., R00, R01, R03, R21, R43, R44) within the past 5 years.

Unit Director Requirements

NCI-Funded: The Unit Director must be an NCI-funded Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI).
Grant Status: The Unit Director's NCI-funded grant(s) must have at least 1 full funding year remaining (exclusive of no-cost extensions and supplements) at the time of the R50 award.
Relationship: Must have an established working relationship with the Research Specialist and be committed to the Research Specialist and their research.
Designation: Only one Unit Director may be designated on the application.

Application Process

Application Procedure and Submission

Application Package: Must be accessed through NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution.
Submission Method: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov; paper applications are not accepted.
Error Correction: Applicants are encouraged to submit early to allow time for correcting any errors found during the submission process.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Latest Application Due Date (New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision): November 03, 2025, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. If this falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day.
Earliest Submission Date: October 02, 2023.
Letter of Intent Due Date(s): 30 days prior to the application due date (e.g., early October for November due date). While not required or binding, it helps NCI estimate review workload.
Award Project Period: Total project period may not exceed 5 years.

Required Documentation and Materials

NIH Biosketch: Required for both the Research Specialist (PD/PI) and the Unit Director.
Research Strategy: Uploaded as a single attachment, organized into specific sections:
- Research Program(s) engaging the Research Specialist's activity/effort: Describe the Unit Director's NCI-funded research program(s) and the Research Specialist's current/future contributions.
- Role of the Research Specialist in Research Program(s): Explain the Research Specialist's particular activities, qualifications, experience, productivity, accomplishments, and training as critical to the Unit Director's NCI-funded research goals. Describe the Research Specialist's plans for meeting objectives and career goals over 5 years.
Letters of Support: Applications missing these will not be reviewed.
- One letter from the Unit Director, detailing:
  - Strong, well-established cancer research program and high-quality research environment.
  - Sufficient NCI-funded research support (at least 1 full funding year remaining).
  - Table attesting to Research Specialist's funded effort (person-months) on NCI grants (grant number, end date, person months paid).
  - Length of working relationship between Unit Director and Research Specialist.
  - (For Renewals) Description of how funds freed by the R50 were used to enhance research.
  - Commitment to the Research Specialist's career track.
- At least three letters of recommendation from PDs/PIs of other research programs attesting to the Research Specialist's qualifications and contributions.
Resource Sharing Plan: Generally expected for NIH grants, but not applicable for this specific NOFO.
Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for due dates on or after January 25, 2023.
Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information: Not applicable for this NOFO (Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Annual Reporting: Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) and financial statements are required annually.
Closeout: A final RPPR, invention statement, and expenditure data are required.
Funding Restrictions: Funds freed up on the Unit Director's award due to the R50 are restricted from other uses without NCI prior approval (cannot be used for personnel costs, but can be for other research items).
Effort Maintenance: The Research Specialist must maintain at least 6 person-months effort on NCI-funded research grant(s) during the award life.
Grant Relinquishment: The R50 must be relinquished if the Research Specialist obtains any other independent grant support.
Unit Director Reporting: The Unit Director must continue to report the Research Specialist as a Participant on any NCI-funded grant where the Research Specialist dedicates effort.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score reflecting the likelihood of the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved.

Scored Review Criteria

Significance:
- Importance of the Research Specialist's contribution to supporting NCI-relevant cancer research.
- Benefit of the proposed research area/programs from the Research Specialist's participation.
- Quality of the Research Specialist's role in achieving goals, improving scientific knowledge, technical capability, or clinical practice.
- Strength of the proposed hypotheses and research foundation.
Investigator(s) (Research Specialist):
- Appropriateness of the Research Specialist's training, experience, and competence for the award's purpose.
- Demonstrated ongoing record of accomplishments and productivity.
- Importance of the Research Specialist's role in the Unit Director's NCI-funded cancer research program.
- Suitability of the Research Specialist's career goals for the R50 award.
- Quality of letters of reference in attesting to continued success/productivity.
Innovation:
- How innovative are the Research Specialist's contributions to the Unit Director's area of cancer research?
- Does the Research Specialist utilize novel theoretical concepts, approaches, methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions?
Approach (Research Specialist's Activity):
- Appropriateness of the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses for the Research Specialist's goals within the program(s).
- Likelihood of the Research Specialist developing new research directions and/or approaches to advance the Unit Director's cancer research.
- Importance and reliability of the Research Specialist's contributions and data to the Unit Director's cancer research.
- Adequacy of plans to address weaknesses in prior research rigor and ensure a robust/unbiased approach.
Environment:
- Contribution of the scientific environment to project success.
- Adequacy of institutional support, equipment, and physical resources.
- Level of accomplishment and commitment of the Unit Director.
- Documentation from the Unit Director of sufficient NCI-funded research support to cover costs in excess of the R50 award.
- Clear commitment from the Unit Director to ensure the Research Specialist devotes a minimum of 6 person-months effort to NCI-funded research.

Additional Review Criteria (Not scored separately)

Concerns regarding Human Subjects Protections, Inclusion of Women/Minorities/Lifespan, Vertebrate Animals, Biohazards (generally not applicable for this NOFO, but reviewers will note concerns).
Budget and Period of Support: Reviewed for justification and reasonableness in relation to the proposed research.

Specific for Renewal Applications

Progress made in the last funding period will be considered, including achievements, contributions, innovations, publications acknowledging NCI grants, and other support activities to the Unit Director's NCI-funded research program(s).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

NIH Grants Policy Statement: All awards are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Federal-wide Standard Terms and Conditions for Research Grants apply.
Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment applies.
HHS Assurance of Compliance: Recipients of federal financial assistance from HHS must complete an HHS Assurance of Compliance form (HHS 690), agreeing to administer programs in compliance with federal civil rights and conscience laws.
FAPIIS: Awards are subject to Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements.

Data Management and Privacy

Data Management and Sharing Plan: Required for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, and must be implemented as described upon approval.

Ethical Standards

IRB/IEC Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure protocols are reviewed by their Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Independent Ethics Committee (IEC).
Civil Rights Compliance: Programs must comply with federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, and disability.
English Proficiency/Accessibility: Institutions must take meaningful steps to provide access to persons with limited English proficiency and ensure effective communication with persons with disabilities.
Safe Work Environment: Adherence to policies supporting a safe and respectful work environment, free from sexual harassment.

Unique Aspects and Considerations

Career Path: This award is specifically designed to create a stable career path for highly skilled, non-tenure track research scientists who are critical to research programs but do not wish to pursue independent investigator roles.
Clinical Trials: This NOFO explicitly states 'Clinical Trial Not Allowed', meaning applications proposing clinical trials will not be accepted.
Research Expenses: The R50 award does not cover research expenses; these must be funded separately by the Unit Director's grants or other institutional resources.
Flexibility for Specialist: With prior NCI approval, a Research Specialist may move to other research programs or institutions while maintaining R50 funding (e.g., if the Unit Director's laboratory closes).
PD/PI Change: Change of PD/PI (Research Specialist) is not allowed on the R50 award.
Application Content: Unlike many research grants, this R50 application does not require preliminary data, specific aims, or a detailed research plan, focusing instead on the Research Specialist's accomplishments and role.

Grant Details