Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 13 020
Apply for RFA CA 13 020
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group C (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 93.399 Cancer Control.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 30, 2013 and posted on Sep 30, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Special district governments Private institutions of higher education County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses City or township 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 Faith based or Community based Organizations 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 Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Research Answers to NCI's Provocative Questions - Group C (R01) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-13-020) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program designed to push cancer research in directions that are both high-impact and underexplored. Instead of funding broad, investigator-defined cancer topics, this announcement is built around the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) "Provocative Questions" initiative, which identifies specific puzzles, contradictions, and stubborn gaps in knowledge across cancer research. The central idea is to motivate researchers to tackle clearly framed questions that highlight areas where progress has been slow, where the biology is paradoxical, or where conventional assumptions may be limiting discovery. These questions are not meant to represent the entire set of NCI priorities; they are intentionally targeted prompts meant to spark creative, sometimes unconventional approaches to problems that matter but have not received enough focused attention.
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, meaning it supports investigator-initiated research projects of substantial scope, typically involving a well-developed set of aims, strong preliminary rationale, and a clear strategy for producing actionable new knowledge. While the FOA summary does not list individual question topics in the provided excerpt, the structure of the program implies that applications are expected to align directly with one or more of the NCI-designated provocative questions for "Group C." In practice, that means proposals should not simply be general cancer studies; they should clearly map the proposed research plan to a specific provocative question and explain how the work resolves the underlying scientific roadblock or paradox.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program under NIH, categorized under education and health-related funding activity areas, and it spans several cancer-focused CFDA listings: cancer cause and prevention research (93.393), detection and diagnosis (93.394), treatment (93.395), biology (93.396), and control (93.399). That breadth signals that NCI was open to a wide range of disciplines and approaches, as long as the work directly addressed the targeted provocative questions. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which is typical for NIH research project grants and reduces financial barriers for applicants.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. organizations such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), small businesses, and a variety of government entities (state, county, city/township, special district). The announcement also explicitly includes independent school districts and public/Indian housing authorities, reflecting NIH's willingness to fund research-capable organizations beyond the traditional university setting when appropriate. Importantly, the FOA allows participation from tribal governments and tribal organizations, including federally recognized tribal governments as well as other tribal entities, and it highlights eligibility categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions. Faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies are also included, reinforcing that the key requirement is research capability and alignment to the FOA's scientific intent rather than a narrow institutional type.
A notable feature of this opportunity is its openness to international participation. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations may participate, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement. This matters because some provocative cancer research questions can benefit from unique populations, specialized expertise, or resources located outside the United States, and the FOA language indicates that NIH anticipated and permitted those kinds of collaborations when scientifically justified.
Timing-wise, the FOA was posted and created on September 30, 2013. The original and current closing date listed is June 20, 2014, and the archive date is July 21, 2014, meaning it is no longer an active competition and is provided primarily for historical and reference purposes. Applicants who were preparing proposals during that cycle would have been expected to follow the full announcement instructions, including the specific list of "Group C" provocative questions and any special review considerations tied to the initiative.
For applicants seeking the authoritative details, the full FOA was available through the NIH grants guide at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-13-020.html. The contact information provided is primarily technical support for accessing or linking to the announcement, routed through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster addresses, which suggests the excerpt is a condensed record rather than the full program text.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the NIH/NCI program titled "Research Answers to NCI's Provocative Questions - Group C (R01)" under FOA number RFA-CA-13-020. It is designed to encourage cancer research that targets specific, high-impact scientific gaps identified by NCI through its "Provocative Questions" initiative.
What is the main purpose of the NCI "Provocative Questions" approach?
The purpose is to push research toward clearly framed problems where progress has been slow, where findings appear paradoxical, or where common assumptions may be limiting discovery. Rather than supporting broad, investigator-defined cancer topics, the initiative uses targeted questions to focus attention on stubborn gaps and contradictions in cancer research.
What does "Group C" mean in this announcement?
Is this a general cancer research grant?
No. While the program spans many areas of cancer research, proposals were expected to map clearly to a specific NCI-designated provocative question for Group C. The intent is not to fund broad cancer studies that do not directly address one of the targeted questions.
What grant mechanism does this opportunity use?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism. An R01 typically supports investigator-initiated research projects of substantial scope with a well-developed set of aims, a strong rationale, and a clear strategy to generate actionable new knowledge.
What kinds of research areas could be supported under this FOA?
The excerpt indicates coverage across multiple cancer-focused CFDA program listings, including cancer cause and prevention (93.393), detection and diagnosis (93.394), treatment (93.395), biology (93.396), and control (93.399). This suggests a wide range of disciplines and approaches could be considered as long as they directly address the targeted provocative questions.
Does this FOA require cost sharing or a matching contribution?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduces financial barriers for applicants.
Who is eligible to apply in the United States?
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), small businesses, and multiple kinds of government entities (state, county, city/township, and special district). The FOA also explicitly includes independent school districts and public/Indian housing authorities.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The announcement allows participation from tribal governments and tribal organizations, including federally recognized tribal governments as well as other tribal entities.
Does the FOA mention eligibility for minority-serving institutions?
Yes. The excerpt highlights categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions.
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The excerpt explicitly includes faith-based and community-based organizations as eligible applicants, assuming they have the capability to conduct research aligned with the FOA's scientific intent.
Can federal agencies apply?
Yes. Eligible federal agencies are included in the eligibility description provided in the excerpt.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations allowed to apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are eligible to apply under this FOA.
Can a U.S. organization include a foreign component in the project?
Yes. The FOA allows non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations to participate, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Why does the FOA allow international participation?
The excerpt indicates that some provocative cancer research questions may benefit from unique populations, specialized expertise, or resources located outside the United States, and the FOA language permits those types of collaborations when scientifically justified.
When was this FOA posted?
The FOA was posted and created on September 30, 2013.
What was the application due date for this opportunity?
The original and current closing date listed is June 20, 2014.
Is this FOA still open for applications?
No. The archive date is July 21, 2014, which indicates it is no longer an active competition and is provided for historical or reference purposes.
Where could applicants find the full, authoritative FOA text?
The full FOA was available through the NIH Grants Guide at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-13-020.html
Does the excerpt include the specific list of Group C provocative questions?
No. The excerpt does not list the individual question topics. It indicates that applicants were expected to follow the full announcement instructions for the specific Group C questions and any special review considerations associated with the initiative.
What does the contact information in this excerpt cover?
The contact information provided is primarily technical support related to accessing or linking to the announcement, routed through NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster addresses. This suggests the excerpt is a condensed record rather than the full program text.
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| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group D (R21) Apply for RFA CA 13 023 Funding Number: RFA CA 13 023 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group B (R21) Apply for RFA CA 13 019 Funding Number: RFA CA 13 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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| Research Answers to NCIs Provocative Questions Group E (R01) Apply for RFA CA 13 024 Funding Number: RFA CA 13 024 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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