Barretts Esophagus Translational Research Network (U54) | Apply Online

BETRNet (U54) RFA-CA-10-014: Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the BETRNet (U54) funding opportunity?

The Barretts Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet) (U54) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) initiative (RFA-CA-10-014) to build a small network of large, multi-institutional Translational Research Centers focused on Barretts esophagus and its progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). The program is designed to move discoveries toward real clinical use, including validated diagnostics and improved patient management approaches that can be adopted in clinical settings.

2) What is the main purpose of BETRNet?

The central purpose is translational: not only generating new knowledge, but converting that knowledge into practical clinical applications. BETRNet is intended to bring together transdisciplinary teams across laboratory science, clinical research, and population-based research to accelerate progress from discovery to validated tools and better patient care strategies for Barretts esophagus and EA.

3) What diseases or conditions does this program focus on?

BETRNet focuses on Barretts esophagus and its progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), with an emphasis on understanding the biology of EA and improving prevention and patient risk management.

4) What are the overall scientific goals of BETRNet?

The scientific goals described in the opportunity include: sharpening understanding of esophageal adenocarcinoma biology; improving risk stratification and prediction of which patients with Barretts esophagus are most likely to progress to cancer; developing or refining strategies to prevent EA; and more clearly defining who is at increased risk.

5) What types of research are encouraged under this FOA?

The FOA emphasizes innovative, high-impact translational research that connects molecular and cellular mechanisms with clinical outcomes. It points toward work that supports reliable and actionable tools or models that help clinicians distinguish lower-risk from higher-risk patients, and that can be advanced toward validated diagnostics and improved patient management approaches.

6) How many awards did NCI anticipate making under this FOA?

NCI anticipated making three to four awards for Translational Research Centers under this U54 FOA.

7) What is being funded under RFA-CA-10-014 specifically?

This FOA supports the main scientific components of the network: three to four multi-institutional Translational Research Centers that serve as the core research engines of BETRNet.

8) What is a Translational Research Center in the context of BETRNet?

In this program, a Translational Research Center is expected to be a large, multi-institutional, collaborative research center that conducts transdisciplinary translational research spanning laboratory, clinical, and population-based studies, with the goal of accelerating findings into clinically adoptable applications.

9) Are the funded centers expected to collaborate with each other?

Yes. A key expectation is that the centers will work productively with each other as a coordinated network rather than operating as isolated grantees. The program structure emphasizes coordinated network activity to accelerate translation into clinical application.

10) What kinds of outcomes or deliverables does BETRNet aim to produce?

The opportunity describes intended outputs such as validated diagnostic tools, improved approaches to patient risk management, and practical strategies that help reduce the burden of esophageal adenocarcinoma by enabling better prevention, risk prediction, and clinical management.

11) Is there a Coordinating Center, and is it funded under this FOA?

BETRNet includes a separate Coordinating Center, but it is funded under a parallel announcement (RFA-CA-10-015) using the U01 mechanism. RFA-CA-10-014 is specifically for the Translational Research Centers under the U54 mechanism.

12) What does the Coordinating Center do for the network?

The Coordinating Center is intended to help the network function smoothly and consistently by supporting four cross-network functions: overall network coordination; data management and bioinformatics; a patient registry coupled with a virtual biorepository; and network evaluation.

13) What award mechanism is used for RFA-CA-10-014?

The award mechanism is the NIH Cooperative Agreement Specialized Centers (U54).

14) What does a U54 cooperative agreement imply for awardees?

A cooperative agreement generally implies substantial involvement by the funding agency compared with a standard research grant. In the context described here, applicants should be prepared for a networked, milestone-driven environment with harmonized practices, shared data expectations, coordinated governance, participation in network-level decision-making, and program-level evaluation.

15) How much funding did NCI plan for this program?

NCI planned about $6.0 million in total costs in FY2011 and approximately $30 million in total costs over five years for the program supported under this FOA.

16) Does the FOA indicate anything about the size or nature of the center budgets?

While specific per-center budgets are not listed in the provided summary, the FOA anticipates three to four awards within a substantial total program investment, which implies relatively large center-type budgets and an expectation that each funded center contributes meaningful capabilities and leadership to the network.

17) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status, with the caveat described in the announcement); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and various government entities such as state, county, and city or township governments. Other eligible applicant types listed include regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.

18) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching.

19) What are the key dates for this funding opportunity?

The posting date was August 13, 2010. The original and current closing date was January 5, 2011. The archive date was February 5, 2011.

20) Which agency is sponsoring this funding opportunity?

The sponsor is the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the full announcement was hosted by NIH.

21) What CFDA program areas are associated with this FOA?

The CFDA program areas associated with this FOA are: cancer cause and prevention research (93.393), cancer detection and diagnosis research (93.394), and cancer biology research (93.396).

22) Where can applicants find the full announcement?

The summary indicates that the full announcement was hosted by NIH, with additional details available through the NIH Grants Guide page for RFA-CA-10-014.

23) What does it mean that BETRNet is "explicitly translational"?

In this FOA, translational means the expectation is not limited to producing scientific findings. Projects should push discoveries toward real clinical use, including development and validation of diagnostics and better patient management approaches that can be adopted in clinical settings.

24) What kind of operating environment should applicants expect as part of the network?

The described structure indicates a shared, network-wide environment where data and resources are organized for broader value across the network, where centers align protocols and contribute to shared infrastructure, and where progress is tracked across the program rather than only within a single institution.

25) How is BETRNet structured at a high level?

BETRNet is structured around three to four U54 Translational Research Centers that conduct the primary research, alongside a separate U01 Coordinating Center (under a parallel FOA) that supports coordination, data management and bioinformatics, a patient registry and virtual biorepository, and network evaluation.