National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications (P01) | Apply Online

What is PAR-15-023?

PAR-15-023 is a National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that invited investigator-initiated Program Project (P01) grant applications. The opportunity was designed to support coordinated, multi-project cancer research programs that pursue significant research questions through a unified, integrated strategy rather than a single stand-alone study.

What does the P01 Program Project grant mechanism support?

The NIH P01 mechanism supports a team-based program made up of multiple, related research projects that are organized around a shared central theme, focus, and/or overall objective. The intent is to create scientific synergy and shared resources so the combined program has a stronger overall impact than the individual projects could achieve on their own.

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The purpose of PAR-15-023 was to fund well-coordinated, multi-project cancer research programs that address important cancer research questions through an integrated program structure. The FOA emphasized collaboration across related scientific aims and the use of shared strategies, resources, and/or infrastructure to strengthen the overall program.

Is the scientific scope narrow or broad?

The FOA was intentionally broad in scientific scope. Applicants could propose program projects spanning essentially any major area of cancer research, as long as the overall program was coherent and scientifically integrated under a central theme.

What cancer research areas could be included under PAR-15-023?

The announcement welcomed program projects across major areas of cancer research, including cancer biology, prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, and cancer control. Examples of topic areas mentioned or implied in the FOA summary include tumor mechanisms, biomarker discovery, screening strategies, therapeutic development, survivorship, implementation of evidence-based interventions, and health disparities, provided the program is unified and integrated.

What types of research approaches were allowed?

A wide range of approaches were welcomed, from basic laboratory science to translational research that moves discoveries toward clinical use, as well as clinical studies and population-based research. The key expectation was that the work fit together as a single integrated program.

How many research projects were required in a P01 application?

Each P01 application under this FOA had to include at least three distinct research projects.

Do the projects in a P01 application have to be related?

Yes. The projects could not be loosely connected. They were required to share a common central theme, focus, and/or overall objective that ties the projects together as a single program rather than a collection of separate grants.

What does "synergy" mean in the context of this FOA?

In this context, synergy means the projects are designed to inform and strengthen one another, leading to greater impact as a coordinated program than would be expected if the projects were pursued independently. The FOA summary describes integration through things like shared hypotheses, complementary methods, common patient cohorts or model systems, coordinated data strategies, or shared cores/resources.

Does the FOA require shared resources or cores?

The summary highlights expectations for shared resources and coordinated strategies that enable the group to operate as a single program, often through shared cores and resources. The central requirement described is scientific integration across at least three projects under a unifying theme.

What federal agency and institute offered this opportunity?

This opportunity was offered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What type of funding instrument was used?

It was a discretionary grant opportunity using the NIH P01 funding instrument (Program Project grant).

Which CFDA program areas were associated with this FOA?

The FOA mapped to multiple CFDA program areas aligned with NCI's research mission, including:

• 93.393 - Cancer Cause and Prevention
• 93.394 - Cancer Detection and Diagnosis
• 93.395 - Cancer Treatment
• 93.396 - Cancer Biology
• 93.399 - Cancer Control

Was cost sharing or matching required?

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

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (in the categories described), small businesses and other for-profit organizations, and a variety of governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities).

Were community-based, faith-based, or mission-driven organizations included in eligibility?

Yes. The eligibility language recognized a wide range of community-connected and mission-driven institutions, including faith-based or community-based organizations.

Were minority-serving institutions and tribally affiliated institutions eligible?

Yes. The FOA eligibility language explicitly recognized 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, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with certain tribal governments and regional organizations.

Could non-U.S. (foreign) organizations apply as the applicant organization?

No. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply as the applicant organization under this FOA.

Could international collaborators be included in a P01 application?

Yes, within NIH policy as described in the summary. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed. This means international collaboration could be included when justified and compliant with NIH rules.

When was PAR-15-023 posted and when did it close?

The announcement was posted and created on October 28, 2014. The original and current closing date was January 7, 2017.

Is this funding opportunity still active?

No. The archive date was February 7, 2017, which indicates the FOA is no longer active for new submissions under that specific announcement.

Where could applicants find the full FOA text?

The full announcement was available through the NIH grants guide page referenced in the FOA.

Who was listed as a support contact for technical access or linking issues?

NIH provided support contacts through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for technical access or linking issues.

What is the simplest way to determine whether a proposed program fits this FOA (based on the summary)?

Based on the summary, a good fit would be a cancer-focused research program that (1) contains at least three distinct projects, (2) is clearly unified by a central scientific theme/objective, and (3) is designed to operate as a coordinated program with clear integration and added value from collaboration (for example, shared strategies, resources, cohorts/model systems, or coordinated data approaches).