Cancer Education Grants Program (R25)

Cancer Education Grants Program (R25) is sponsored by National Cancer Institute (NCI). This program supports educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs in cancer.

Cancer Research Education Grants Program (R25) The Cancer Research Education Grants Program (R25) supports research educational activities that complement other formal training programs in the mission areas of the NCI.

Consistent with this purpose, the R25 program is designed to advance several key educational and workforce development objectives: Support educational activities that complement and/or enhance training of a workforce to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs; Help recruit individuals with specific specialty or disciplinary backgrounds to research careers in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences; and Foster a better understanding of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research and its implications.

To help meet these objectives, the NCI participates in three Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) to support educational activities that are described below. Note: The details on this page are for informational purposes only. Please read and follow all requirements and instructions in the NOFO and the NCI ICO web page linked therein before applying for an award.

Application review information is described in the NOFO. If you have any questions before submitting your application, please contact the NCI program staff using the email listed at the end of this page. General Award Information Check out the NCI-supported Courses for Skills Development offering innovative, state-of-the-art, evidence-based cancer research education.

Frequently Asked Questions Do you have questions about your NCI application or award for training in cancer research or education? Make the NCI Frequently Asked Questions your first stop to getting answers! There are three Cancer Research Education Grant Program Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs).

1. NIH Research Education Program - Courses, Curriculum & Methods ( PA-27-034 ): Courses for Skills Development: The proposed course for skills development should provide innovative, state-of-the-art, evidence-based research education that is derived from biomedical, behavioral, social, and/or clinical research methods or findings.

The format of the course may involve a traditional in-person approach, online activities, or a hybrid of both approaches based on the needs of the program (for example, advanced courses in a specific discipline or research area, clinical procedures for research, or specialized research techniques). The course must be offered during each year that R25 support is requested.

If the time required to develop the course would preclude this during the first year of support, applicants should instead consider proposing a Curriculum or Methods Development program.

Curriculum or Methods Development: Proposed curriculum or methods development activities should have high potential to improve biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research education, or involve the development of novel instructional approaches or computer-based tools for research education.

While the proposed activities can provide a foundation for new courses at the grantee institution, it is expected that the curriculum or methods developed can be readily adaptable by the research education community. The Curriculum or Methods Development educational activity provides support to develop, test, and prepare the curriculum or methods developed for dissemination to the cancer research education community.

It does not provide support for the actual offering of the developed curriculum or methods to actual participants at the applicant institution or elsewhere, which may be able to be supported through the Courses for Skills Development educational activity. In this NOFO, NCI will prioritize funding of applications that are focused on Courses for Skills Development. 2.

Mentoring Activities & Networks ( PA-27-035 ) This NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on Mentoring Activities. These may include initiatives that strengthen professional development skills through mentoring and programs aimed at improving the quality of mentorship.

Such efforts will focus not only on providing technical expertise, but also on offering advice, insight, and professional career guidance to participants. NCI will prioritize funding applications that are focused on preparing postdoctoral scholars for scientific research careers, and applications focused on preparing early career faculty for establishing and running an academic research lab. 3.

Research Experiences ( PA-27-036 ) Proposed programs should provide mentored research experiences as part of a comprehensive program based on educational practices designed to stimulate the interest, skills, and knowledge base of participants.

In addition to providing mentored research experiences, programs are expected to include complementary activities appropriate to the educational stage of program participants that support the participants' scientific development, such as scientific writing and presentation skills, and instruction to enhance rigor and reproducibility in research.

Programs should have clear goals and objectives appropriate for the educational level and needs of the audience to be reached, including the content to be conveyed, and the intended outcome(s).

For example, outcomes may include the following: For undergraduate students or postbaccalaureate researchers: to provide hands-on exposure to research, to reinforce their intent to graduate with a science degree, to prepare them for graduate school admissions or careers in cancer research.

For masters, doctoral, medical, dental, nursing, and other health professional students: to provide research experiences and related training not available through formal NIH training mechanisms. For postdoctorates, clinical residents and fellows, and faculty: to extend their skills, experiences, and knowledge base in state-of-the-art biomedical cancer research approaches.

Programs proposed through this R25 can vary in structure and duration. For example, programs can be short-term (e.g., 8–12-week summer research experiences for students) or a full academic or calendar year (e.g., postbaccalaureate research experiences). Programs should be designed consistent with the stated goals and objectives, and the educational stage of the participants to be reached.

The proposed program is expected to align with the mission of NCI. US Citizens and Foreign Nationals U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizen/permanent residents are eligible to apply for R25 awards, provided that the U.S. institution where the applicant is employed allows non-U.S. citizens to apply for grant support.

Degree/Academic Appointment Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)). Commitment Salary support is allowed; see NCI ICO web page for details. Duration of Award Up to 5 years for Courses, Curriculum & Methods, Mentoring Activities & Networks, and Research Experiences.

NCI will support applications focused primarily on Curriculum & Methods for up to 2 years. Only R25 awards supporting Courses for Skills Development, Mentoring Activities & Networks, and Research Experiences are renewable.

Citizens, Foreign Nationals and Student Visas Unless strongly justified on the basis of exceptional relevance to NIH, research education programs should be used primarily for the education of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. R25 Allowable Costs- vary according to the particular NOFO. Consult the NCI ICO web page for details.

Program PI and Faculty Salary and fringe benefit support for the design, direction, and implementation of the research education program Administrative Support Limited administrative and clerical salary costs associated with their work on the program, with justification Other Program-Related Expenses Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key personnel, and other program-related expenses, with justification Program Participant Costs Only allowed for Courses for Skills Development, Mentoring Activities & Networks, and Research Experiences Direct Costs Courses for Skills Development: Up to $300,000/year for up to 5 years Curriculum or Methods Development: Up to $150,000/year for up to 2 years Mentoring Activities & Networks: Up to $300,000/year for up to 5 years Research Experiences: Up to $300,000/year for up to 5 years F&A Costs/Indirect Costs 8% Applications must be submitted electronically.

Applicants must follow the instructions in the SF424(R&R) Application Guide , as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. of the NOFO, and the NCI ICO web page . When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions in the NOFO, and the NCI ICO web page .

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not be accepted for review. For assistance with application submission, please see the NIH Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact eRA Commons Help Desk/Grant. gov Contact Center .

Application Receipt Dates and Review Schedule Receipt Cycle Application Receipt Date: New, Renewal, Revision, and Resubmission Initial Review Council Review Earliest Possible Start Date* 1 January 25 June/July September/October December 2 May 25 October/November January/February April 3 September 25 February/March May/June July * Start dates are determined by the availability of NCI funds and may not occur until well after the earliest possible start date.

Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time. If the Application Receipt Date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day and must be submitted by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.

Review and Selection Process The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) reviews the applications for completeness and for conformance to all eligibility requirements and special provisions and requirements. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. Peer Review Panel to be determined by CSR.

Before an award is made, the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) conducts a second level of review and ensures that an application meets the broad program needs and priorities of the NCI and the National Cancer Program. For review criteria for the R25 grant mechanism, see section V. Application Review Information of the NOFO.

PA-27-034 -- NIH Research Education Program - Courses, Curriculum & Methods (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-27-035 -- NIH Research Educational Program - Mentoring Activities & Networks (Parent R25/UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-27-036 -- NIH Research Education Program - Research Experiences (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Current List of NCI CCT R25 Awards Overview of the Grant Process NCI Resources for Researchers NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS) For additional information regarding policies and/or guidance in preparing an application for the R25 Award, contact: For information regarding fiscal and/or budget issues, contact: Office of Grants Administration Email: NCIFinancialContact@nih.

gov For information regarding referral issues, contact: Email: ncirefof@dea. nci. nih.

gov For information regarding review issues, contact: Center for Scientific Review, Division of Receipt & Referral Email: csrdrr@mail. nih. gov Scientific Review Officer Email: found in your eRA Commons account