Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 12 015
Apply for RFA CA 12 015
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group A (R01)" 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 Sep 21, 2012 and posted on Sep 21, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts For profit organizations other than small businesses City or township governments Private institutions of higher education State governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) County governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Special district governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Research Answers to NCI's Provocative Questions - Group A (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-CA-12-015) is a discretionary research grant released by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. It was posted on September 21, 2012, with an application closing date of June 20, 2013, and it was archived on July 21, 2013. The core goal of this funding announcement is to support R01-level research projects that bring rigorous, creative, and forward-looking approaches to a set of specifically framed "provocative questions" in cancer research. Rather than functioning as a broad call covering all of NCI's priorities, the program is intentionally narrower: it spotlights particular problems, gaps, contradictions, or paradoxes that NCI believes are important but historically underexplored, and it invites investigators to tackle them directly.
At the heart of the FOA is the NCI Provocative Questions initiative, which is structured around identifying questions that can push the field to think differently about stubborn challenges in cancer biology, cancer prevention, detection and diagnosis, and treatment. The questions are meant to do more than encourage incremental progress; they are framed to provoke new hypotheses, new experimental strategies, or new ways of integrating knowledge across disciplines. In practical terms, a competitive application would be expected to show a clear connection to one of these designated questions and to propose an approach that is both scientifically sound and meaningfully innovative, with the potential to resolve a well-defined cancer research problem or clarify an apparent paradox that has slowed progress.
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, meaning it is designed for substantial, hypothesis-driven research projects that typically involve a multi-year plan, a strong rationale, well-developed aims, and a feasible strategy for execution. While the specific budget limits and project period rules would be detailed in the full announcement, the R01 format generally signals that NCI is looking for projects with enough depth and scope to produce decisive results rather than preliminary exploration alone. Importantly, there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, so applicants are not required to provide institutional matching funds as a condition of the award.
The funding activity categories associated with this FOA fall under education and health, and it is linked to multiple cancer-related CFDA program areas: 93.393 (Cancer Cause and Prevention Research), 93.394 (Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research), 93.395 (Cancer Treatment Research), and 93.396 (Cancer Biology Research). Those classifications underscore that the program is not limited to one slice of oncology; it can support work across the cancer continuum as long as the project is tightly aligned with one of the specified provocative questions and addresses an under-attended scientific challenge.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of organization types across the public, private, nonprofit, academic, and governmental sectors. Eligible applicants include nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the usual NIH distinctions), public and private institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations (including small businesses, though the opportunity is not limited to them), and numerous government entities such as city or township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and independent school districts. The eligibility language also explicitly includes several categories often called out in federal funding announcements, 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). In addition, certain federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are listed as eligible, reflecting NCI's willingness to consider strong science regardless of geography when appropriate and allowable under NIH policy.
For applicants or institutions needing the full technical requirements, the official announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide, and the FOA provided contacts for technical access issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster. Overall, this grant was positioned as a focused, challenge-driven research opportunity: it was less about funding cancer research in general and more about motivating the community to confront a curated set of difficult, high-impact questions that NCI believed could unlock progress if approached with fresh ideas and solid methods.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Research Answers to NCI's Provocative Questions - Group A (R01)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-CA-12-015.
Which agency is offering this grant?
This is a discretionary research grant released by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the main purpose of this funding announcement?
The core goal is to support R01-level cancer research projects that use rigorous, creative, and forward-looking approaches to address a set of specifically framed NCI "provocative questions." The program is intentionally focused on particular problems, gaps, contradictions, or paradoxes that NCI considers important but historically underexplored.
Is this a broad cancer research funding call?
No. This program is narrower than a general call for cancer research. Applications are expected to align clearly with one of the designated provocative questions identified by NCI, rather than broadly covering all NCI priorities.
What are "NCI Provocative Questions" in the context of this FOA?
They are specifically framed questions designed to push the cancer research field to think differently about persistent challenges. The questions highlight areas where progress has been slow due to gaps in knowledge, contradictions in findings, or unresolved paradoxes, and they are intended to stimulate new hypotheses, novel experimental strategies, or cross-disciplinary approaches.
What kind of research areas can be supported under this opportunity?
The initiative spans the cancer continuum, including cancer biology, prevention, detection and diagnosis, and treatment, as long as the project is tightly aligned with one of the specified provocative questions and addresses an under-attended scientific challenge.
What funding mechanism does this opportunity use?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism.
What does it mean that this is an R01 opportunity?
An R01 is designed for substantial, hypothesis-driven research projects. In general, it implies a multi-year research plan with a strong rationale, well-developed aims, and a feasible strategy for execution, and it signals that NCI is looking for projects with enough depth and scope to produce decisive results rather than preliminary exploration alone.
Does this grant require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The announcement specifies that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, so applicants are not required to provide institutional matching funds as a condition of the award.
When was this opportunity posted?
It was posted on September 21, 2012.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date was June 20, 2013.
Is this FOA still active?
No. It was archived on July 21, 2013.
What are the funding activity categories for this opportunity?
The funding activity categories associated with this FOA fall under education and health.
Which CFDA program areas are associated with this FOA?
This FOA is linked to multiple cancer-related CFDA program areas: 93.393 (Cancer Cause and Prevention Research), 93.394 (Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research), 93.395 (Cancer Treatment Research), and 93.396 (Cancer Biology Research).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, nonprofit, academic, and governmental sectors. The FOA lists eligible applicants such as nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations (including small businesses, though the opportunity is not limited to them).
Are government entities eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility language includes city or township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and independent school districts.
Are minority-serving institutions specifically included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes categories often called out in federal funding announcements, including 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).
Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility language includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) and also mentions that certain federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and regional organizations are listed as eligible.
What would make an application competitive under this FOA?
Based on the description provided, a competitive application would be expected to (1) show a clear and direct connection to one of the designated provocative questions, and (2) propose an approach that is scientifically rigorous and meaningfully innovative, with the potential to resolve a well-defined cancer research problem or clarify an apparent paradox that has slowed progress.
Where could applicants find the official announcement and technical requirements?
The official announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide. The FOA also provided contacts for technical access issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.
What is the overall focus or "spirit" of this grant program?
It is a focused, challenge-driven research opportunity. Rather than supporting cancer research in general, it was designed to motivate investigators to confront a curated set of difficult, high-impact questions using fresh ideas supported by solid methods.
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|---|
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group A (R21) Apply for RFA CA 12 016 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 016 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group B (R01) Apply for RFA CA 12 017 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 017 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group B (R21) Apply for RFA CA 12 018 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 018 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group C (R01) Apply for RFA CA 12 019 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group C (R21) Apply for RFA CA 12 020 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 020 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group D (R01) Apply for RFA CA 12 021 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 021 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group D (R21) Apply for RFA CA 12 022 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 022 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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| Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Molecular Analysis Technologies for Cancer Research (R33) Apply for RFA CA 13 002 Funding Number: RFA CA 13 002 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Early Stage Development of Innovative Technologies for Biospecimen Science (R21) Apply for RFA CA 13 003 Funding Number: RFA CA 13 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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