Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 276

The Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity designed to strengthen the cancer research workforce through high-quality education and skill-building courses. It sits under the NIH Research Education Program (R25), which is specifically meant to support structured educational activities that complement or enhance existing research training pathways. In practical terms, this program is about developing and delivering courses that help current and future researchers gain targeted, up-to-date skills needed to meet the nations biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research demands related to cancer, without funding clinical trials as part of the project.

The core focus of this notice of funding opportunity is Courses for Skills Development, meaning applicants are expected to propose organized, curriculum-based educational offerings rather than typical research projects. Competitive applications will generally emphasize innovative, state-of-the-art course content and teaching approaches that meaningfully expand learner capabilities. Proposed courses should clearly connect to cancer-related research priorities, including understanding cancer causes, improving diagnosis, advancing prevention strategies, refining or discovering treatments, supporting rehabilitation after cancer, and improving continuing care for cancer patients as well as support for families of cancer patients. The intent is to produce measurable improvements in research readiness and competence by filling training gaps with well-designed education experiences.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments that are federally recognized; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The program also explicitly 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, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. These inclusions signal an interest in reaching diverse institutions and communities that can expand access to high-quality cancer research education.

At the same time, there are important restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed when they meet the NIH definition in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning that certain international collaborations or elements may be permitted within a primarily U.S.-led application, as long as they are structured in compliance with NIH policy.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a discretionary grant mechanism in the education and health activity category, with CFDA number 93.398. The funding opportunity number is PAR 23 276, it was created on September 29, 2023, and the listed original closing date is January 7, 2027. The award ceiling is $300,000. While the number of expected awards is not specified in the provided details, applicants should interpret the ceiling as a key planning constraint for building a realistic course budget, staffing plan, and evaluation approach.

A final point that shapes project design is captured directly in the title: Clinical Trial Not Allowed. That means the funded activities must remain educational in nature and cannot include conducting a clinical trial under the award. Applicants can still train people in clinical research methods, trial design concepts, regulatory science, data management, or ethics, but the award itself cannot be used to run a clinical trial as an activity of the project. Overall, this grant is best understood as support for carefully planned cancer-focused skills courses that modernize and strengthen the research workforce through education, innovation in instruction, and clear alignment with NCI mission priorities.

  • 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 2023-09-29.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-01-07.
  • 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 23 276

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FAQs: Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is the Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), a National Institutes of Health (NIH) opportunity administered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It supports structured educational activities that strengthen the cancer research workforce through high-quality courses focused on skills development.

What is the purpose of the program?

The goal is to improve cancer research readiness and competence by creating and delivering curriculum-based courses that fill training gaps. The emphasis is on education and skill-building that complements existing research training pathways, rather than supporting typical research projects.

What does "R25" mean in this context?

R25 refers to the NIH Research Education Program, which is designed to fund structured educational activities that complement or enhance established research training. Under this mechanism, the expected outputs are educational (courses, curricula, instruction, assessment), not research studies.

What kinds of projects are expected to be competitive?

Competitive proposals generally focus on organized, curriculum-based educational offerings with innovative, state-of-the-art content and strong teaching approaches. The courses should clearly build targeted skills and produce measurable improvements in learner capabilities.

Is this funding meant for research projects?

No. This opportunity is centered on developing and delivering courses for skills development. While course content may relate to research methods and cancer research priorities, the funded project itself is expected to be an education-focused effort rather than a conventional research project.

What subject areas or themes should the courses address?

Courses should connect to cancer-related research priorities, including understanding cancer causes, improving diagnosis, advancing prevention strategies, refining or discovering treatments, supporting rehabilitation after cancer, and improving continuing care for cancer patients and support for families of cancer patients.

Are clinical trials allowed under this award?

No. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the award cannot be used to conduct a clinical trial as part of the funded project.

Can a course still teach clinical trial-related skills?

Yes. While the project cannot run a clinical trial, the educational content can train learners in topics such as clinical research methods, trial design concepts, regulatory science, data management, and research ethics, as long as the funded activities remain educational in nature.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic (U.S.) organizations and governmental entities. Examples listed include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities.

Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included in the eligible categories?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly 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, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Are foreign organizations eligible to apply as the applicant organization?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.

Can a U.S. organization with non-domestic components apply?

Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, the opportunity notes that foreign components may be allowed when they meet the NIH definition in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning some international collaboration elements may be permitted if structured to comply with NIH policy.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is PAR 23 276.

Which agency and institute are offering this opportunity?

This is an NIH funding opportunity offered through the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

What is the CFDA number and what does it indicate?

The CFDA number listed is 93.398. This is an administrative identifier associated with the education and health activity category for this discretionary grant opportunity.

What type of funding mechanism is this?

This is a discretionary grant mechanism in the education and health activity category, using the NIH Research Education Program (R25) structure.

How much funding is available per award?

The award ceiling is $300,000. Applicants should treat this ceiling as a central budgeting constraint when planning course development, delivery, staffing, and evaluation activities.

How many awards will be made?

The number of expected awards is not specified in the details provided.

When was this opportunity created and when does it close?

The opportunity was created on September 29, 2023, and the listed original closing date is January 7, 2027.

What does "Courses for Skills Development" mean in practice?

It means applicants are expected to propose organized, curriculum-based educational offerings. The focus is on course design, instructional methods, and measurable learning outcomes that build targeted skills relevant to cancer research needs, rather than conducting research studies.

What are the key design expectations for the educational activities?

Based on the description provided, strong projects typically emphasize innovative and current course content, effective teaching strategies, and clear alignment to cancer research priorities, with an intent to demonstrate measurable improvements in learner readiness and competence.

How should applicants think about aligning a course with NCI priorities?

Course topics should clearly tie to cancer-related research priorities mentioned in the opportunity, such as causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment advancement, rehabilitation, and continuing care, including support for families of cancer patients. Alignment should be explicit in the way course objectives and skill outcomes connect to these areas.

Is the program intended to broaden access to cancer research education?

Yes. The explicit inclusion of many institution types and categories (including minority-serving institutions, tribal entities, community-based organizations, and U.S. territories) signals an interest in reaching diverse institutions and communities to expand access to high-quality cancer research education.

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