NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Minority/Underserved Community Sites (UM1) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Minority/Underserved Community Sites (UM1) funding opportunity, RFA-CA-13-014. It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement intended to strengthen and unify cancer research conducted in community settings that primarily serve racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations, including rural communities.

Which NIH institute is sponsoring the program?

The program is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the main purpose of NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Sites?

The central idea is to bring high-quality cancer research closer to where patients actually receive care in community settings, rather than limiting participation to large academic centers. The program is designed to build a single, integrated, community-based research network that expands on prior NCI-supported community research efforts.

What kind of award mechanism is UM1, and what does that mean for awardees?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (UM1). This means NCI anticipates substantial programmatic involvement in how the work is carried out, with an ongoing partnership between awardees and the federal program.

What types of research and activities are supported under this opportunity?

Supported activities include helping design and conduct cancer prevention, cancer control, screening, and post-treatment surveillance clinical trials, as well as cancer care delivery research. Another emphasis is improving patient and provider access to treatment and imaging trials run through the reorganized National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN).

What populations are the primary focus of this program?

The program focuses on racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations, including rural communities, with the intent to embed research within real-world community care contexts.

Does the program require a focus on cancer disparities research?

Yes. The funding announcement highlights an expectation that disparity-focused research questions will be integrated into both clinical trials and cancer care delivery studies so that differences in outcomes, access, and quality can be studied in community settings and used to guide improvements.

What is the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN), and how does it relate to this opportunity?

The opportunity emphasizes improving access to treatment and imaging trials run through the reorganized National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Sites are expected to help expand patient and provider access to those NCTN trials in community settings.

What prior NCI programs does NCORP build upon?

NCORP expands on earlier NCI-supported community research efforts, including the Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), Minority-Based CCOP (MB-CCOP), CCOP Research Bases, and the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

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

What activity category is associated with this opportunity?

The overall activity category listed for this opportunity is Education and Health.

Which CFDA numbers are associated with this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers: 93.393 (Cancer Cause and Prevention Research), 93.394 (Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research), 93.395 (Cancer Treatment Research), and 93.399 (Cancer Control).

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across domestic U.S. organizations but is closely tied to the ability to provide health care and serve a sufficiently large minority or underserved population. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, hospitals and integrated care systems, nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, special district governments, and a range of tribal and community-connected entities.

Are safety-net providers or community-based systems included in the eligible applicant types?

The eligibility language includes hospitals and integrated care systems, as well as community-connected entities such as faith-based or community-based organizations, and the FOA notes that the lack of cost sharing/matching reduces barriers for safety-net providers and community-based systems that may have limited discretionary funds.

Are minority-serving institutions specifically included as eligible applicants?

Yes. The FOA explicitly includes institutions and organizations 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 and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions (AANAPISIs), among others.

Are tribal entities and U.S. territories included?

Yes. The FOA includes tribally controlled colleges and universities and other tribal and community-connected entities, and it also includes U.S. territories or possessions among the eligible applicants described.

Must the applicant be a health care providing entity?

Yes. A key requirement is that applicant institutions must be health care providing entities (such as hospitals, academic medical centers, or integrated care systems) because the work depends on enrolling patients, implementing protocols, collecting data, and delivering clinical research activities in actual care settings.

Is there a catchment area requirement?

Yes. The FOA requires that the applicant have a defined catchment area in which at least 30 percent of the population is made up of racial/ethnic minorities or rural populations.

Can an NCI-designated cancer center apply?

Yes, an NCI-designated cancer center may apply if it meets the 30 percent minority or rural patient threshold, has a focus on research methodologies and outcomes related to cancer disparities, and can demonstrate experience with community outreach and enrolling minority or rural participants into studies.

Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?

No. Foreign institutions are not eligible under this announcement.

Are foreign components of U.S. organizations allowed?

No. The FOA states that foreign components of U.S. organizations are not allowed under this announcement.

When was this funding opportunity posted and when did it close?

The archived opportunity had a posting date of November 8, 2013. The original and current closing date listed was January 8, 2014, and the archive date was February 8, 2014.

Where was the full announcement made available?

The full announcement was made available through the NIH Grants Guide.

Who was listed for access or technical linking issues related to the announcement?

The FOA provided NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for access and technical linking issues.

What does it mean that this opportunity is archived?

Based on the dates provided, the FOA is described as an archived opportunity with an archive date of February 8, 2014, and a closing date of January 8, 2014.