Division of Cancer Biology Multi-Consortia Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 21 049

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 21 049

The Division of Cancer Biology Multi-Consortia Coordinating Center (MC2 Center) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-21-049) is a National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative agreement (U24; clinical trial not allowed) intended to strengthen and connect several major NCI Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) collaborative research programs. The core idea is not to fund new basic biology experiments directly, but to fund a central, shared coordinating hub that makes the separate consortia work better together. DCB describes its broader mission as maintaining continuity and stability in basic cancer research while also helping new concepts, technologies, and opportunities emerge; this coordinating center is positioned as an enabling mechanism to increase the collective impact of existing DCB-supported networks.

The MC2 Center is expected to serve as the common infrastructure for collaboration across multiple DCB programs, specifically: the Cancer Cell Biology Imaging Resource (CCBIR), the Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC), the Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC), the Metastasis Research Network (MetNet), the Patient-Derived Models of Cancer Initiative (PDMC), and the Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON). In practical terms, the center would be responsible for facilitating cross-consortium communication and joint activities, improving resource sharing and interoperability, and supporting outreach activities that help disseminate tools, data, models, standards, and best practices produced by these programs. Because this is a cooperative agreement, the awardee is expected to work in an active partnership with NCI program staff, along with investigators leading and participating in the DCB programs, rather than operating fully independently the way a traditional research grant might.

A key expectation is that the coordinating center functions as a connective tissue: organizing and supporting meetings, working groups, and collaborative planning across consortia; enabling sharing and visibility of resources (for example, imaging resources, patient-derived models, engineered tissue approaches, systems biology methods, metastasis research assets, and physical sciences oncology tools); and creating or improving mechanisms for outreach to the broader cancer research community. The aim is to reduce duplication, encourage complementary approaches, and make it easier for researchers inside and outside these programs to find, access, and use what the networks generate. Since the announcement explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," proposed activities should not include prospective clinical trials, and the focus should remain on coordination, integration, and community-facing support in the basic and preclinical research space.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based applicants: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The notice also highlights additional eligible applicant categories 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization; however, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may participate, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed, which typically means specific project elements can be conducted abroad under a U.S. applicant when well-justified and compliant with NIH rules.

Administratively, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement mechanism, reflecting NCI's expectation of substantial involvement in shaping, coordinating, and monitoring programmatic goals. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 93.396. The original closing date listed is 2021-11-12, and the award ceiling is stated as $1,200,000. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an investment in shared coordination capacity: building the organizational, technical, and communication frameworks needed so that multiple DCB-supported consortia can collaborate more efficiently, share resources more effectively, and amplify the reach and usefulness of their outputs to the wider cancer biology community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Division of Cancer Biology Multi-Consortia Coordinating Center (U24 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): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-12. (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 $1,200,000.00 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 RFA CA 21 049

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