Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 254

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 254

This funding opportunity, PAR-23-254, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project grant (R01) led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with other participating NIH Institutes. It supports projects that do secondary analysis and thoughtful integration of existing datasets and database resources to answer important cancer-related questions. The core idea is to get more scientific value out of data that already exist by applying strong study designs, modern analytic approaches, and creative dataset linkages to better understand cancer risk and cancer outcomes. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, so proposed work needs to focus on analysis of existing information rather than testing a new intervention in a prospective trial.

The scientific scope is broad and centered on elucidating cancer risk and related outcomes. Examples of outcomes and endpoints mentioned include cancer risk prediction, identifying factors that may reduce risk, survival patterns, and response to treatment. The NOFO emphasizes that the supported research should tackle key scientific questions in cancer, using existing clinical data as well as a wide range of other data types that influence cancer development and outcomes. That includes environmental exposures, cancer surveillance and registry data, health services and healthcare utilization information, vital statistics (such as mortality data), behavioral and lifestyle measures, and genomic or molecular profiling datasets. In practical terms, this could mean analyzing large observational cohorts, linking electronic health records to tumor registries, integrating claims and utilization data with outcomes, combining multi-omics profiles with clinical trajectories, or using geospatial exposure data alongside individual-level risk factors to explain disparities and variation in outcomes.

A major theme is innovation in how existing data are used. Applications are encouraged to go beyond straightforward re-analyses by introducing new research aims that can be answered with available data, deploying new or advanced analytic methods, or creating novel combinations of datasets that open up questions that could not be addressed with a single source alone. This can include methodological work where the key contribution is a better way to analyze complex, heterogeneous cancer datasets, as long as it is tied to answering meaningful cancer research questions. It can also include integrative projects that harmonize variables across sources, perform rigorous linkage, address bias and confounding, and extract insights from high-dimensional molecular data in ways that are clinically or population-health relevant.

The eligible applicant pool is very broad, reflecting NIH-wide eligibility for many R01 opportunities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education where that restriction applies); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The notice also explicitly highlights additional eligible groups and institution types, including 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, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This broad eligibility aligns with the intent to bring diverse perspectives and capabilities to cancer data science and to encourage participation from institutions serving populations that may be disproportionately affected by cancer.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the NIH, using the R01 funding instrument. The listed CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) numbers are 93.121, 93.393, and 93.866, reflecting NIH program areas that can support cancer-related research. The opportunity was created on 2023-08-01, and the original closing date shown is 2026-09-07. The opportunity listing shows an award ceiling of $350,000, which typically signals an upper bound presented in the listing data; applicants still need to align the budget with NIH R01 cost principles and the project scope described in the application and follow the specific budget guidance in the NOFO and NIH policy.

Overall, the program is designed for investigators who can pose strong, testable cancer research questions and answer them using existing data resources, either by applying more sophisticated methods, integrating multiple datasets, or both. The emphasis is on extracting actionable understanding of cancer risk and outcomes without collecting new interventional trial data, while still allowing ambitious, high-impact work that can influence prevention strategies, risk stratification, clinical decision-making, survivorship research, and understanding of disparities through careful secondary analysis and data integration.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01 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): 93.121, 93.393, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-07. (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 $350,000.00 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 23 254

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