Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 066

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 066

The Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) designed to strengthen the cancer research workforce through structured education activities rather than through conducting clinical trials. It uses the NIH Research Education Program (R25) mechanism, which is meant to support research education efforts that align with NIH mission areas and that add to, complement, or enhance existing training pathways. In practical terms, this program is aimed at building skills and competencies for people who will contribute to the nations biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs related to cancer, with the central emphasis placed on well-designed courses focused on skills development.

The main program goal is to support creative, high-quality educational activities, with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development. Competitive applications are expected to propose innovative, state-of-the-art course-based programs that equip participants with specific, usable research skills. The content focus must be connected to cancer in a meaningful way, including topics that address the cause of cancer, cancer diagnosis, prevention strategies, treatment approaches, rehabilitation after cancer, or the continuing care needs of cancer patients and their families. While the opportunity sits within an NCI education portfolio, its purpose is not to fund direct research projects or clinical trials; instead, it funds the educational infrastructure and programming that help trainees and professionals gain advanced or specialized capabilities relevant to cancer research and care.

This opportunity is identified as PAR-21-066 and falls under the discretionary grant category. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is Education, Health. The associated CFDA number is 93.398. The opportunity listing indicates an award ceiling of $300,000, which generally signals the upper limit for budget requests under the announcement (applicants would still need to ensure their proposed budget matches the scope and justification of their educational plan). The original closing date shown for the opportunity is 2021-08-26, and the record creation date is 2020-11-17, which helps place it in time for applicants reviewing historical or archived opportunities.

A wide range of organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Tribal entities are included, such as federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The eligibility list also includes public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where specified), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and other types of organizations that meet NIH eligibility requirements.

The announcement also explicitly encourages applications from additional categories of organizations that often play key roles in broadening participation and reaching underserved communities. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and U.S. territories or possessions. This emphasis signals that NCI is interested in education programs that can expand the pipeline and strengthen cancer research skills across diverse institutions and communities, not only within major research universities.

There are also important restrictions involving foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, described as foreign organizations or foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply directly. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant organization may be able to include certain foreign elements in the proposed program if they meet NIH definitions and policy requirements. This structure typically allows international expertise or resources to contribute to the educational program while keeping the applicant organization domestic.

Overall, this R25 opportunity is best understood as support for course-driven cancer research education that is modern, skills-focused, and workforce-oriented. It is intended for institutions and organizations that can design and deliver strong training experiences that build practical research skills aligned with NCI priorities, without proposing a clinical trial as part of the funded activities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.398.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-11-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 21 066

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