Coordinating Center for the Barretts Esophagus Translational Research Network (U01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the grant opportunity RFA-CA-10-015 about?

RFA-CA-10-015 is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity that invites applications to establish and operate a single Coordinating Center for the Barretts Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet). The award uses the NIH cooperative agreement mechanism (U01) and supports the infrastructure and leadership hub for the network rather than a standalone research project.

2) What is BETRNet intended to accomplish?

BETRNet is designed to speed progress on esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), particularly in the setting of Barretts esophagus, by moving research findings toward real clinical use. The network is meant to strengthen understanding of EA biology, improve stratification and prediction of cancer risk, develop practical prevention strategies, and better define which individuals are most at risk.

3) Is this funding for a research project or for network infrastructure?

This opportunity funds the Coordinating Center that enables multiple research teams to operate as a coordinated network. It focuses on alignment, standardization, data/resource sharing, and network-wide operations rather than funding an individual translational study as the primary purpose.

4) How does the Coordinating Center relate to the BETRNet Translational Research Centers?

BETRNet includes three to four multi-institutional Translational Research Centers funded separately under a parallel announcement (RFA-CA-10-014) using the U54 mechanism. The U01 Coordinating Center funded through RFA-CA-10-015 supports and connects those centers by coordinating network functions and ensuring interoperability across sites.

5) How many awards were expected under this opportunity?

Only one Coordinating Center award was anticipated, meaning applicants competed to become the single central hub supporting all BETRNet Research Centers.

6) What NIH funding mechanism is used, and what does it imply?

The opportunity uses the NIH cooperative agreement mechanism (U01). A U01 is intended to be run as a partnership with NIH involvement, typically involving substantial programmatic coordination and shared responsibilities between the awardee and NCI staff compared with a standard grant.

7) What are the major functional responsibilities of the Coordinating Center?

The Coordinating Center role is described across four major functional areas: (1) network coordination, (2) data management and bioinformatics, (3) a patient registry paired with a virtual biorepository, and (4) network evaluation.

8) What does "network coordination" mean in this announcement?

Network coordination includes organizing the collaborative structure of BETRNet by supporting communication across sites, helping plan and run network meetings, facilitating cross-center working groups, harmonizing policies, and reducing operational bottlenecks so the research centers can collaborate efficiently.

9) What does "data management and bioinformatics" include for this Coordinating Center?

Data management and bioinformatics refers to handling multi-site clinical and research data in consistent, secure, analyzable formats. This includes developing or operating shared data systems, setting data standards, supporting data submission and quality control, and enabling analyses that combine information across centers.

10) What is meant by a "patient registry" in BETRNet?

The patient registry refers to an organized way to track participating patients across institutions to support longitudinal research, validation studies, and coordinated network activities tied to patient-level clinical and research information.

11) What is a "virtual biorepository" and how is it different from a physical biorepository?

A virtual biorepository is an inventory that tracks the existence and location of biospecimens across institutions, even if samples remain physically stored at local sites. It supports coordinated access to specimens and associated clinical annotations across the network without requiring all specimens to be stored in one central location.

12) What does "network evaluation" involve?

Network evaluation involves helping define and track performance measures for BETRNet, monitoring progress toward milestones, and creating feedback loops so the network can improve operations and scientific throughput over time.

13) What is the overall funding level mentioned for this opportunity?

NCI planned to commit about $500,000 in total costs in FY2011 and approximately $2.5 million in total costs over a five-year project period for the Coordinating Center.

14) What is the project period described in the opportunity?

The opportunity describes a five-year project period, with approximate total costs of $2.5 million over that timeframe.

15) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

16) Who was eligible to apply for RFA-CA-10-015 based on the information provided?

Eligible applicants included nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), as well as private institutions of higher education and public or state-controlled institutions of higher education.

17) What were the key posting and deadline dates for this opportunity?

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

18) What does it mean that the opportunity was archived?

The archive date (February 5, 2011) indicates the opportunity is no longer active for applications under the listed announcement timeline.

19) Which NIH/NCI program areas (CFDA numbers) are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is tied to NIH CFDA program areas covering cancer cause and prevention research (93.393), cancer detection and diagnosis research (93.394), and cancer biology research (93.396).

20) How do the CFDA areas align with BETRNet's focus?

They align with the network emphasis on understanding esophageal adenocarcinoma biology, improving risk prediction and stratification, and translating research into clinical tools for detection, diagnosis, prevention, and patient management.

21) What is the relationship between Barretts esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma in this program description?

The program emphasizes accelerating progress on esophageal adenocarcinoma, particularly in the setting of Barretts esophagus, by improving knowledge and tools that can be moved toward clinical application.

22) What kind of outcomes is the broader BETRNet program aiming to enable?

The broader program aims to help produce validated diagnostic tools and improve patient management, supported by coordinated operations, standardized processes, and shared data and biospecimen tracking across the network.

23) What distinguishes the U54 Translational Research Centers from the U01 Coordinating Center?

The U54 centers (funded separately under RFA-CA-10-014) are expected to run innovative, high-impact, transdisciplinary translational studies. The U01 Coordinating Center (this opportunity) is responsible for keeping the network aligned, productive, and interoperable through coordination, data systems, registry/virtual biorepository functions, and evaluation.