Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Research Experiences (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

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Description

This opportunity, offered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at NIH, funds research education programs with a primary focus on hands-on research experiences in cancer. The overarching goal is to complement and enhance the training of a workforce capable of meeting the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs in cancer. Programs should be innovative, state-of-the-art, and address the cause, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, or the continuing care of cancer patients and their families.

The program is intended to provide research experiences not available through formal NIH training mechanisms and should integrate participants into active research environments under the direct oversight of faculty mentors. Complementary educational activities (e.g., seminars, journal clubs) are encouraged but must not exceed 20% of the full-time effort.

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Due Dates

• May 25, 2025: New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision
• September 25, 2025: New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision
• January 25, 2026: New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision
• May 25, 2026: New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision
• September 25, 2026: New, Renewal, Resubmission, Revision

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The final deadline for this program is January 7, 2027.

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Funding Amount

• Maximum direct costs: $300,000 per year
• Project period: Up to 5 years
• Budget justification: Required and must reflect actual project needs; yearly fluctuations should be reflected.
• Indirect costs: 8% of modified total direct costs (excluding tuition, equipment, and certain consortium costs)

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Eligibility

Eligible Organizations

• Public/State controlled and private institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
• For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
• State, county, city, township, and special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
• Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and other)
• Faith-based or community-based organizations
• Regional organizations
• U.S. territories or possessions

Note: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed.

Eligible Individuals

• Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) should be an established investigator (Associate Professor or above or equivalent) with demonstrated administrative and scientific leadership.
• Program faculty and mentors must have relevant research expertise and a commitment to participant mentoring.

Participants

• May include undergraduate, graduate, and health professional students (medical, dental, nursing, etc.).
• Programs should primarily serve U.S. citizens and permanent residents unless strongly justified.

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Application Process

• Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
• Required registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are required for applicant organizations.
• Application format: Follow the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
• Key components:
  • Research Education Program Plan (including goals, rationale, innovative aspects, and evaluation plan)
  • Letters of support (including institutional commitment)
  • Plan for instruction in the responsible conduct of research
  • Budget and budget justification

Important: Applications proposing clinical trials are not allowed and will not be reviewed. Each application must be scientifically distinct; duplicate or highly overlapping applications are not permitted.

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Additional Information

• Program focus: Research experiences must be cancer-focused and completed within a 12-month period.
• Participant support: Most individuals may only participate once; up to 20% may participate a second time as peer mentors.
• Non-responsive applications: Proposals not focused on cancer, not completed within 12 months, or duplicating existing NCI R25 programs for a different population will not be reviewed.
• Evaluation: Programs are expected to track participant outcomes, including educational and career progress in cancer research.

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External Links

• NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (PAR-23-277)
• NIH Grants & Funding Main Page
• NCI Mission Statement
• NIH Application Guide
• Grants.gov Opportunity Listing

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Contact Information

For technical assistance with Grants.gov: support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726

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