NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA CA 18 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 18 015

The NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases funding opportunity (RFA-CA-18-015) is a National Cancer Institute cooperative agreement (UG1, clinical trial required) that supports organizations serving as "Research Bases" within NCORP, a national, community-focused cancer research network. The central purpose is to expand and strengthen the ability to design and run cancer-related clinical trials and other human subjects studies in real-world community settings, while also ensuring that research addresses prevention, screening, symptom management, survivorship, and how cancer care is delivered. Unlike grants where the awardee operates largely independently, this cooperative agreement structure reflects substantial NCI programmatic involvement, meaning awardees are expected to work closely with NCI to plan, conduct, and oversee the research portfolio.

NCORP as a whole is built to bring high-quality cancer research beyond large academic medical centers and into the places where many patients actually receive care. Within that system, Research Bases function as the scientific and operational hubs. They are responsible for designing and conducting cancer clinical trials and care delivery research studies, coordinating study implementation across participating community sites, and handling core research operations such as data management, statistical analysis, and reporting results. A key element of this announcement is that Research Bases are expected to support studies across the cancer continuum, including cancer prevention, cancer control, screening, and care delivery research, as well as quality-of-life components that may be embedded within treatment trials. In practical terms, this means the funded groups are not only expected to propose and run trials, but also to build the infrastructure and expertise needed to manage multi-site studies and produce analyzable, publishable outcomes.

A major emphasis of NCORP is equitable participation and relevance of research for populations that have historically been underrepresented in clinical studies or that face unique barriers to care. The announcement highlights the expectation that Research Bases incorporate the specific research needs of diverse communities into study design and execution, including adolescents and young adults (AYAs), older adults, racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender minority populations, and rural residents. Beyond simply acknowledging these groups, the program expects intentional efforts to enhance their participation, which typically implies thoughtful eligibility criteria, recruitment strategies, culturally and linguistically appropriate engagement, and site support that makes enrollment feasible for community clinics and their patients.

This FOA also positions NCORP as a bridge to the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). One of the program goals is to enhance patient and provider access to treatment and imaging trials run through NCTN by leveraging NCORP's community footprint. Research Bases therefore operate in an ecosystem where they may support or align with NCTN studies and help ensure that patients treated in community settings can access advanced treatment and imaging trials without needing to travel to distant academic centers. At the same time, NCORP explicitly integrates cancer disparities research into the community network, so Research Bases are expected to embed disparity-relevant questions and methods into their trial portfolios and study operations, rather than treating disparities as a separate or optional topic.

Structurally, NCORP is described as having three components, each covered by a separate funding opportunity announcement: NCORP Research Bases (this FOA), NCORP Community Sites, and NCORP Minority/Underserved Community Sites. Research Bases differ from community sites in that they lead the research agenda, develop protocols, coordinate the research network functions tied to those protocols, and serve as the analytic and reporting engine. Community sites, in contrast, are generally the locations where patients are enrolled and study procedures occur. Minority/Underserved Community Sites are similarly focused on enrollment and implementation but with an emphasis on serving populations that are minority or otherwise underserved. The interplay among these components is core to NCORP's model: Research Bases supply study leadership and infrastructure, while sites supply broad access, diversity, and real-world care settings.

From an administrative perspective, the opportunity is offered by the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health, specifically NCI. It is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement mechanism. Eligible applicants are broad and include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, a range of nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other entities as described in the full eligibility text. The FOA indicates an expected number of awards of seven. An explicit award ceiling is not specified in the provided summary (listed as 0), which typically means applicants need to consult the full FOA for budget expectations, allowable costs, and any limits or guidance that may be stated elsewhere.

In short, this opportunity funds a small number of organizations to serve as NCORP Research Bases that design, coordinate, and analyze community-based cancer clinical trials and care delivery research, with strong expectations around inclusivity, relevance to diverse and underserved populations, connection to national treatment and imaging trials, and robust data management and reporting. The overall intent is to generate practical, generalizable evidence about cancer prevention and care in the settings where most patients receive treatment, while improving access to trials and embedding cancer disparities research directly into the community research infrastructure.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 13, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA CA 18 015

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