Community Clinical Oncology Program Groups (U10) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the Community Clinical Oncology Program Groups (U10) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) RFA-CA-12-007 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI). It used a cooperative agreement mechanism (U10) to support organizations that operate as "accrual groups" for NCI-approved cancer clinical trials within the Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) Network.

What was the main purpose of RFA-CA-12-007?

The central purpose was to strengthen and expand the CCOP Network by funding CCOP Groups: networks of community oncologists and clinical sites that enroll (accrue) patients and other participants onto NCI-approved cancer clinical trials. The practical aim was to bring high-quality prevention, control, and treatment trials into community settings so participation could occur closer to home.

What is a CCOP Group in the context of this FOA?

A CCOP Group is a network of community oncologists and related clinical sites that identifies eligible participants and enrolls them in NCI-approved clinical trials. In this FOA, CCOP Groups functioned as the community-facing enrollment infrastructure (the "accrual" engine) for trials designed and managed through the broader NCI clinical research system.

What does "accrual" mean here?

"Accrual" refers to enrolling patients and other participants onto clinical trials. This FOA emphasized accrual because higher enrollment rates can help studies complete faster and make participation more accessible to people receiving care in community practices rather than only at large academic centers.

What types of clinical trials were included?

The trials referenced in the FOA spanned major areas of cancer research, including cancer prevention, symptom management and supportive care, cancer control, and cancer treatment, as long as they were NCI-approved clinical trials.

Why did NCI emphasize community settings rather than only academic medical centers?

The FOA described a model intended to bring trials into community practices so patients could participate closer to home through local oncologists and healthcare systems. This approach was designed to improve accessibility, speed enrollment, and support adoption of evidence-based results in everyday community cancer care.

What were the broader goals of the CCOP Network described in the announcement?

The FOA described three core goals for the CCOP Network: (1) accelerate the development of interventions that prevent and treat cancer and its symptoms by increasing trial enrollment; (2) improve the quality of cancer care in community practice by encouraging adoption of evidence-based results from these trials; and (3) increase participation of minority and underserved populations in cancer clinical trials and related research.

How did this FOA fit into the overall CCOP Network structure?

The FOA described three CCOP Network components, each covered by its own funding opportunity announcement: (1) CCOP Groups (the focus of this FOA), (2) Minority-Based CCOP (MBCCOP) Groups, and (3) CCOP Research Bases.

What is the difference between CCOP Groups and Minority-Based CCOP (MBCCOP) Groups?

Both CCOP Groups and MBCCOP Groups function as community-based enrollment networks for NCI-approved trials. The FOA noted that MBCCOP Groups were specifically organized in communities with high proportions of minority patients and placed explicit emphasis on improving access and participation for those populations.

What are CCOP Research Bases and how do they relate to CCOP Groups?

CCOP Research Bases were described as the trial-design and operations hubs. They designed and conducted studies, managed and analyzed data, and reported results. CCOP Groups, in turn, served as the community enrollment sites that accrued participants to those NCI-approved studies.

Where were CCOP Research Bases required to be located?

The FOA specified that Research Bases had to be located at either an NCI-supported Clinical Cooperative Group or an NCI-designated Cancer Center, linking community enrollment networks with established national research infrastructure.

What does the U10 cooperative agreement mechanism mean for this program?

The FOA used a cooperative agreement (U10), which generally indicates substantial NIH/NCI programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant mechanism. In other words, it was structured as a cooperative effort rather than a purely investigator-driven award.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

How much funding was associated with this FOA?

The FOA estimated total funding of $12,000,000.

What were the key dates for this opportunity?

The FOA was posted/created on June 8, 2012. The original and current closing date was August 9, 2012. The archive date was September 9, 2012, indicating a time-limited solicitation rather than an open, continuously accepting opportunity.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. Based on the provided dates, the FOA closed on August 9, 2012 and was archived on September 9, 2012.

Which federal agency offered this funding opportunity?

The opportunity was offered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

What CFDA numbers were associated with this FOA?

The FOA listed CFDA numbers spanning major segments of cancer research: 93.393 (cancer cause and prevention), 93.394 (cancer detection and diagnosis), 93.395 (cancer treatment), and 93.399 (cancer control).

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations capable of operating clinical trial accrual infrastructure in community settings. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.

What community- and mission-focused organizations were explicitly included in eligibility?

The FOA explicitly included federally recognized Native American tribal governments, other tribal organizations, tribally controlled colleges and universities, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies.

Were non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible?

No. The FOA excluded non-U.S. (foreign) institutions, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy). The intent was that the work and organizational control remain domestic.

What kind of organizations did this FOA aim to support in practice?

In practical terms, it aimed to support organized networks of community oncology practices and institutions that could reliably enroll patients into NCI-approved clinical trials, while connecting those community sites to research bases responsible for trial design, coordination, data integrity, analysis, and dissemination of results.

What public benefit was expected from funding CCOP Groups?

The FOA described expected benefits such as faster completion of important cancer trials, better translation of trial findings into community cancer care, and more inclusive participation so results better reflect populations most affected by cancer, including minority and underserved groups.

When did CCOP begin, and what was the founding idea referenced in the FOA?

The CCOP model dates back to 1983. The FOA described the founding idea as ensuring community clinicians and the populations they serve have a direct, meaningful role in clinical research that shapes future standards of care.

What topic areas did the FOA classify under?

The activity category was listed under education and health.