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Grant Details

https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/355297

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

  • Core objective: To encourage individuals without substantial biomedical research experience to pursue further studies or careers in research, specifically in cancer, via early intervention strategies.
  • Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Open to a wide range of U.S. organizations including higher education institutions, non-profits, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various government entities and other organizations (e.g., independent school districts). No specific organizational size based on employee count is stated.
  • MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC
  • Geographic scope and any location requirements: Limited to U.S. organizations only; non-U.S. entities or components are not eligible.
  • Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Must be a U.S.-based institution capable of developing and maintaining an institutional program focused on engaging grades 6-12 and/or undergraduate students in cutting-edge cancer research experiences. The program must include Research Experiences, Curriculum or Methods Development, and Outreach, and cannot involve clinical trials.
  • Grant frequency and program context: This is a reissue of a previous RFA, implying a recurring opportunity. It is part of the NIH Research Education Program (R25), supporting NCI's mission to build the cancer research pipeline from middle school to independent researcher status.

Financial Structure

  • Maximum direct costs: $400,000 per year.
  • Maximum project period: 5 years.
  • Total maximum direct costs over 5 years: $2,000,000.
  • Indirect Costs (Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and fees, expenditures for equipment, and consortium costs in excess of $25,000).
  • No cost sharing is required by this funding opportunity.
Eligible Costs:
  • Personnel costs for individuals designing, directing, and implementing the program, proportional to their effort and within institutional policy/congressionally mandated caps.
  • Up to $4,500 (Direct Costs) allowed for personnel/consultant costs per participant per year.
  • Participant compensation for program-required activities, if justified.
  • Per diem for participants with strong justification.
  • Partial tuition and other education-related expenses for participants.
  • Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key personnel, and other program-related expenses, provided they are justified and do not duplicate existing institutional resources.
  • Up to $1,500 per participant per year for research education-related expenses (e.g., lab supplies, poster production, books, travel to professional meetings).
  • Housing allowance up to $1,000 per participant per year.
Ineligible Costs:
  • Salary or stipend supplementation from this R25 program for individuals already supported by NIH training and career development mechanisms (K, T, or F awards).
  • Costs to support full-time participants (40 hours/week for 12 months), as the R25 program is not intended as a substitute for NRSA institutional training programs (e.g., T32).
  • Expenses for foreign travel without exceptional justification.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types and Status
  • Higher Education Institutions (Public/State Controlled, Private)
  • Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Higher Education Institutions)
  • For-Profit Organizations (Small Businesses, Other For-Profits)
  • Local Governments (State, County, City or Township, Special District, Federally Recognized Indian/Native American Tribal, Other Indian/Native American Tribal)
  • Federal Governments (U.S. Territory or Possession)
  • 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.
  • Must be a U.S. organization; non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities or components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
  • The sponsoring institution must demonstrate commitment through adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources.
  • Proposed educational experiences must be distinct from other federally funded training programs currently receiving federal support at the applicant institution.
Program Content Requirements
  • Proposed research experiences must be cancer-focused.
  • The research education program must include all three required components: Research Experiences, Curriculum or Methods Development, and Outreach.
  • Proposed projects must not involve clinical trials.
Participant Eligibility
  • Grades 6-12 and undergraduate students must be currently enrolled and in good standing at their respective institutions.
  • Teachers and faculty members (grades 6-12) must be currently employed at their respective schools or institutions and engaged in the teaching of sciences.
  • Participants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (i.e., in possession of a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551).
Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Requirements
  • The PD/PI should be an established investigator in the scientific area relevant to the application.
  • The PD/PI must be capable of providing both administrative and scientific leadership to the proposed program.
  • PD/PIs with a currently funded NCI R25 award may submit an additional application only if new, innovative, and distinctly different research experiences from their current project are proposed.
Registration Requirements
  • Applicant organizations must complete and maintain active registrations in: System for Award Management (SAM), Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov prior to submission. Registration can take 6 weeks or more.
  • All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account affiliated with the applicant organization.

Application Process

Application Submission
  • Application format: Electronic submission only. Paper applications will not be accepted.
  • Submission platforms: NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution.
  • Required registrations: Applicant organizations must complete and maintain active registrations in SAM, UEI, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov prior to application submission. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must also have an eRA Commons account.
  • Submission process: Submit to Grants.gov, then track the application status in eRA Commons. Applicants are responsible for correcting any errors and resubmitting by the due date. No late applications will be accepted.
  • Letter of Intent (LOI): Not required and not binding, but strongly encouraged to inform NCI staff of potential workload. Should include descriptive title, PD/PI names/contact, key personnel, participating institutions, and funding opportunity number/title. Submit via email to Sangeeta Ghosh, PhD, NCI.
Application Content & Materials
  • Follow instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, with specific modifications outlined in this NOFO.
  • Key components of the Research Plan: Proposed Research Education Program, Program Director/Principal Investigator, Program Faculty, Program Participants, Institutional Environment and Commitment, Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research, Evaluation Plan, Dissemination Plan.
  • An Advisory Committee plan is a required component, detailing its composition, roles, responsibilities, and how it will evaluate program effectiveness.
  • A Letter of Institutional Commitment is required as part of the Letters of Support section.
  • Detailed plans for student recruitment and mentor matching must be included.
  • Plans for tracking student participants for up to at least fifteen years after program completion are strongly encouraged.
  • If support for software development, maintenance, or enhancement is requested, a software dissemination plan addressing free availability, modification, commercialization permission, and transferability is required.
  • Only limited Appendix materials are allowed.
Timeline & Reporting
  • Application Deadlines: September 28, 2026 (latest due date) by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. Earlier deadlines are September 27, 2024 and September 26, 2025.
  • Project Period: Up to 5 years.
  • Annual Reporting: Recipients are required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually.
  • Closeout Reporting: A final RPPR and expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for award closeout.
  • Subaward Reporting: Recipients must report subawards over the specified threshold to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS).

Evaluation Criteria

The overall impact score will assess the likelihood of the project to strongly advance research education by fulfilling the program's goals. Scored Review Criteria
  • Significance: Assesses the importance of the proposed program in addressing the NCI's mission and contributing to the biomedical research pipeline, particularly in cancer.
  • Investigator(s): Evaluates the qualifications and experience of the Program Director/Principal Investigator(s) and Program Faculty, including their research/teaching experience and ability to serve as role models.
  • Innovation: Considers whether the program proposes novel or creative concepts, approaches, or interventions to inspire interest and retention in cancer research.
  • Approach: Examines the soundness of the overall strategy, methodologies, and plans for the proposed program. This includes the integration of Research Experiences, Curriculum/Methods Development, and Outreach activities, as well as detailed plans for student recruitment, mentor matching, participant tracking, and program evaluation.
  • Environment: Reviews the institutional commitment to the program, including the availability of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources.
Additional Review Criteria (Not Separately Scored)
  • Protections for Human Subjects (if applicable)
  • Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Individuals Across the Lifespan
  • Vertebrate Animals (if applicable)
  • Biohazards (if applicable)
  • Training in Methods for Enhancing Reproducibility
  • Resubmissions/Renewals/Revisions (for renewal applications, changes in formal instruction and plans to address weaknesses are reviewed).
Additional Review Considerations (Not Scored)
  • Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research.
  • Resource Sharing Plans (e.g., software dissemination plans).
  • Budget and Period of Support: Justification of the requested budget and project duration in relation to the proposed activities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance
  • All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
  • Compliance with all applicable nondiscrimination laws is required (agreed upon registration in SAM.gov), and an Assurance of Compliance (HHS-690) must be submitted.
  • For projects involving human subjects research, compliance with Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) approval is required, including providing NIH with documents related to major protocol changes.
  • SAM.gov requirements: Federal agencies will review applicant integrity and performance information in SAM.gov prior to making an award.
  • Recipients with active Federal grants over $10,000,000 must report and maintain current information in SAM regarding civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings.
Programmatic Requirements
  • Proposed educational experiences must be distinct from other ongoing federally funded training programs at the applicant institution.
  • An Advisory Committee is a required component of the NCI YES Research Education program, and a plan for its appointment and function must be provided.
  • A detailed plan for instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is mandatory. The plan must address: format (not online-only), subject matter, faculty participation, duration, and frequency (at least once every four years). Applications lacking this plan will not be reviewed.
  • This funding opportunity does not allow clinical trials.
Equity and Inclusion
  • The race, ethnicity, or sex of prospective program participants or faculty may not be considered as an eligibility or selection criteria in program design or implementation. NIH will not consider these factors in the application review process or funding decisions.
Data and Resource Sharing
  • A Data Management and Sharing Plan is not applicable for this NOFO.
  • If support for software development, maintenance, or enhancement is requested, a software dissemination plan is required. This plan should ensure software source code is freely available to non-profit biomedical researchers/educators, allows users to modify/share modifications, permits commercialization of enhanced versions, and ensures transferability for continued development.
Non-Responsive Applications (Will Not Be Reviewed)
  • Applications where proposed research experiences are not cancer-focused.
  • Applications where the proposed research education program does not include all three required components: Research Experiences, Curriculum or Methods Development, and Outreach.
  • Applications proposing educational experiences that aim to replace or circumvent Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) programs.

Grant Details

cancer biomedical research education youth science stem grades 6-12 undergraduate teachers faculty development outreach curriculum development science education health education r25 nih nci training career development us government funding non-profit higher education for-profit small business local government tribal government
National Cancer Institute Youth Enjoy Science Research Education Program (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
RFA-CA-24-026
NIH Research Education Program (R25)
UNIVERSITY NGO SME ENTERPRISE PUBLIC OTHER
US
HEALTHCARE EDUCATION OTHER
OTHER
OTHER
SDG3 SDG4
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT TRAINING_EDUCATION CAPACITY_BUILDING OTHER
400000.00
None
2000000.00
USD
None
Sept. 28, 2026, 5 p.m.
March 2025 - May 2027