Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: March 3, 2025 (First application) | July 1, 2025 (Extension requests) | November 1, 2025 (Extension requests)
Funding Amounts: Up to 2 additional years of support; budget limited to direct costs of the final year of the initial project period.
Summary: Provides NCI Early Stage Investigator MERIT (R37) awardees with an opportunity to request a two-year extension, supporting career development and research continuity.
Key Information: Only current NCI ESI MERIT (R37) awardees are eligible; extension requests must be submitted during the penultimate award year.
Description
This opportunity supports currently funded National Cancer Institute (NCI) Early Stage Investigator (ESI) MERIT (R37) awardees by providing a mechanism to request a two-year extension (second phase) of their initial award. The goal is to offer longer-term, stable support to promising early career cancer researchers, enabling them to further establish their research programs, pursue innovative directions, and enhance their career trajectory before needing to submit renewal applications. The extension is intended to foster creativity, flexibility, and sustained progress in cancer research, including clinical trials.
Due Dates
- First Application Due Date: March 3, 2025
- Extension Request Deadlines: July 1, 2025; November 1, 2025 (and annually on March 1, July 1, or November 1 during the penultimate year of the award)
- Expiration Date: September 8, 2028
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow time for corrections.
Funding Amount
- Project Period: Up to 2 additional years (extension phase)
- Budget: Limited to the direct costs committed in the final year of the initial project period
- Number of Awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications
Eligibility
- Who Can Apply: Only current NCI ESI MERIT (R37) award recipients are eligible to request an extension.
- Eligible Organizations:
- Public and private higher education institutions
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, local, and tribal governments
- Other eligible entities (see full eligibility details)
- Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and components are eligible
- Key Individual Eligibility: The applicant must be the PI of an active NCI-funded R37 (MERIT) award, and the extension request must be within the original scope of the parent award.
Application Process
- Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
- Required Registrations: Applicant organizations must have active registrations in SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.
- Application Content: Complete all forms for the supplemental activities only; do not include funding or activities from the parent award.
- Review: Administrative review only (no peer review); evaluated for merit, progress, alignment with NCI priorities, and justification of budget and period of support.
- Instructions: Follow the How to Apply - Application Guide and program-specific instructions in the NOFO.
Additional Information
- Clinical Trial Optional: Applications may propose or not propose clinical trials, but must not change the clinical trial designation of the parent award.
- Scope: The extension must remain within the original scope of the parent R37 award.
- Reporting: Progress and budget for the supplement must be included in the annual progress report (RPPR) and clearly delineated from the parent award.
- No Cost Sharing Required: Cost sharing is not required for this opportunity.
- Policy Compliance: All NIH and HHS policies, including data management and sharing, apply.
External Links
Contact Information
| Topic | Contact |
|---|
| General Grants Info | GrantsInfo@nih.gov | 301-480-7075 |
| Application Support | eRA Service Desk | 301-402-7469 / 866-504-9552 |
| Grants.gov Support | support@grants.gov | 800-518-4726 |
| Scientific/Research | Program Officer listed on the Notice of Award (NoA) for the parent R37 award |
| Financial/Grants Mgmt | Grants Management Specialist/Officer listed in eRA Commons for the parent award |
For additional details, see Section VII. Agency Contacts in the full announcement.