Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 11 010
Apply for RFA CA 11 010
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTDD) Network (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research 93.396 Cancer Biology Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 26, 2011 and posted on May 26, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 22, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $10,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Foreign (non U.S.) components on applications submitted by U.S. Organizations are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTDD) Network (U01) funding opportunity, released by the National Institutes of Health under RFA-CA-11-010, is designed to push cancer drug discovery forward by supporting innovative, high-throughput research aimed at finding and validating new therapeutic targets and identifying molecules that can modulate those targets. The central idea is to close a well-known gap in modern cancer research: scientists can now generate massive amounts of genomic, proteomic, and other molecular data across many tumor types, but turning those data into actionable targets and, ultimately, new treatments remains slow and difficult. This program is meant to accelerate that translation by funding projects that systematically discover, prioritize, and characterize targets in ways that scale, rather than relying only on one-target-at-a-time approaches.
The FOA emphasizes research that uses high-throughput methods to either (1) identify and/or characterize potential cancer therapy targets or (2) discover small molecules that affect already-validated targets. In practical terms, the initiative is looking for projects that can take advantage of large-scale datasets from comprehensive tumor profiling and then move beyond correlation to functional evidence. That often means demonstrating that a candidate gene, pathway, or molecular dependency actually drives cancer cell survival, growth, metastasis, or therapy resistance, and then showing that it can be influenced in a controllable way. A strong application under this announcement would typically outline a pipeline that can move from data-driven hypotheses through scalable functional testing and into early-stage therapeutic modulation, especially where automation, screening platforms, or systematic validation strategies are central to the approach.
This opportunity uses the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally indicates more active programmatic involvement by NIH than a standard research grant. While the specific management structure is not detailed in the excerpt you provided, cooperative agreements commonly involve coordinated milestones, network-style collaboration, data sharing expectations, or other NIH-guided elements to ensure the funded projects collectively serve the broader CTDD initiative. The focus on a “network” also signals that individual awards are intended to fit into a larger, coordinated effort that speeds target discovery and development across the cancer research community.
On the administrative side, the FOA was posted on May 26, 2011, with an original and current closing date of August 22, 2011, and an archive date of September 22, 2011. The estimated total funding amount listed is $10,000,000, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowers the barrier for applicants who may not have access to non-federal funds to support the proposed work. The activity is categorized broadly across cancer cause and prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, and biology, reflecting that target discovery can start from many kinds of biological insights but should ultimately support therapeutic development.
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and state governments. The eligibility language also explicitly includes a wide range of additional institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, U.S. territories and possessions, and eligible federal agencies. Foreign organizations are eligible as non-domestic entities, and foreign components are allowed on applications from U.S. organizations, which makes it possible to assemble international expertise or leverage specialized resources outside the United States when scientifically justified.
Overall, this FOA is best understood as a translationally focused, technology- and scale-driven cancer research program. It is aimed at teams that can handle large datasets, run systematic discovery and validation workflows, and produce results that directly enable therapeutic development, whether by nominating and validating new cancer dependencies or by finding small molecules that can act on targets with strong evidence. The official announcement and full requirements were made available through the NIH Grants Guide page linked in the listing (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-11-010.html), with NIH Office of Extramural Research contact points provided for technical access issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTDD) Network (U01) funding opportunity?
The Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTDD) Network (U01) is an NIH funding opportunity (RFA-CA-11-010) designed to accelerate cancer drug discovery by supporting innovative, high-throughput research that discovers, prioritizes, and validates therapeutic targets and/or identifies small molecules that can modulate those targets.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
This funding opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The main goal is to close the gap between large-scale cancer profiling data (genomic, proteomic, and other molecular data) and actionable therapeutic development by funding scalable, systematic workflows that move from data-driven hypotheses to functional validation and early-stage target modulation.
What problem in cancer research is this program trying to address?
The program addresses the challenge that, while researchers can generate massive molecular datasets across tumor types, translating those data into validated therapeutic targets and ultimately new treatments is often slow and difficult. CTDD aims to speed up that translation through high-throughput, scalable approaches.
What types of research does the FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasizes high-throughput methods that either (1) identify and/or characterize potential cancer therapy targets or (2) discover small molecules that affect already-validated targets.
Does the FOA focus on discovery, validation, or both?
Both. It supports projects that systematically discover and prioritize targets using large datasets and then move beyond correlations to functional evidence, as well as projects that identify small molecules to modulate validated targets.
What does "high-throughput" mean in the context of this opportunity?
Within this opportunity, "high-throughput" refers to approaches that can scale across many candidate targets or molecules using systematic testing, screening platforms, automation, or other scalable validation strategies, rather than focusing on one target at a time.
What kinds of evidence are expected to move from correlation to actionable targets?
The FOA highlights the need for functional evidence showing that a candidate gene, pathway, or molecular dependency drives cancer cell survival, growth, metastasis, or therapy resistance, and that it can be influenced in a controllable way.
What kinds of project "pipelines" are competitive under this FOA?
A strong application would typically describe a scalable pipeline that starts with data-driven hypotheses from comprehensive tumor profiling, proceeds through systematic functional testing and target characterization, and advances toward early-stage therapeutic modulation (including discovery of small molecules where appropriate).
Is this opportunity focused on any particular stage of therapeutic development?
Based on the description provided, the emphasis is on target discovery, prioritization, and validation, plus early-stage efforts to identify molecules that can modulate targets (especially for already-validated targets). The central objective is enabling therapeutic development by producing validated targets and modulatory molecules.
What is the funding mechanism used by this FOA?
This FOA uses the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism imply?
A U01 cooperative agreement generally implies more active NIH programmatic involvement than a standard research grant. Cooperative agreements often include coordinated milestones, network-style collaboration, data sharing expectations, or NIH-guided elements to help ensure projects align with the broader initiative.
Why does the FOA describe this as a "network"?
The "network" framing indicates that individual awards are intended to contribute to a coordinated, larger effort to speed target discovery and development across the cancer research community, rather than operating as completely independent projects.
When was this FOA posted?
The FOA was posted on May 26, 2011.
What is the application closing date?
The original and current closing date listed is August 22, 2011.
When was the FOA archived?
The archive date listed is September 22, 2011.
How much total funding is estimated under this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount listed is $10,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What broad research areas does the activity cover?
The activity is categorized broadly across cancer cause and prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, and biology, reflecting that target discovery can begin from many types of biological insights but should support therapeutic development.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and state governments.
Are minority-serving institutions and other special institution types explicitly included?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly includes institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, as well as U.S. territories and possessions and eligible federal agencies.
Are foreign organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign organizations are eligible as non-domestic entities.
Are foreign components allowed on applications from U.S. organizations?
Yes. Foreign components are allowed on applications from U.S. organizations, enabling international collaboration or use of specialized resources outside the United States when scientifically justified.
What kinds of outcomes is the CTDD Network trying to produce?
The program aims to produce results that directly enable therapeutic development, including validated cancer targets (cancer dependencies with functional evidence) and/or small molecules that can modulate targets with strong supporting evidence.
Does the FOA encourage use of large-scale tumor profiling datasets?
Yes. The FOA highlights leveraging large-scale datasets from comprehensive tumor profiling and then advancing beyond correlation to functional, scalable validation.
Where can applicants find the official announcement and full requirements?
The official announcement and full requirements are available through the NIH Grants Guide page: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-11-010.html
Is there any mention of where to get help for technical access issues?
Yes. The listing notes that NIH Office of Extramural Research contact points are provided for technical access issues.
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