National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications (P01) | PAR 16 457

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 457

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is soliciting investigator-initiated Program Project Grant (P01) applications under funding opportunity PAR-16-457. This mechanism is meant to support larger, coordinated cancer research programs that bring together multiple related projects under one unifying scientific theme. Rather than funding a single stand-alone study, the P01 structure is designed for teams of investigators who can demonstrate that their work is stronger, more innovative, or more impactful when pursued as an integrated program with shared leadership, shared scientific direction, and clear synergy across projects.

Scientifically, the opportunity is intentionally broad. Applicants may propose programs across essentially any major area of cancer research, including cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cancer control. The announcement explicitly welcomes a range of study types, spanning basic research, translational efforts that move discoveries toward practical use, clinical studies involving patients, and population-based research that examines cancer in communities or larger demographic groups. The key expectation is that the collection of projects forms a coherent program aimed at a central objective, rather than a loose bundle of unrelated studies.

A required structural feature of any application is that it must include at least three distinct research projects plus an Administrative Core. The research projects must share a common central theme, focus, and/or overall goal, with the application making a compelling case that the projects are interdependent or mutually reinforcing. The Administrative Core is a standard P01 element that provides the management and coordination backbone for the entire program, typically covering overall governance, communication, program oversight, and coordination of milestones, reporting, and integration across the projects. The announcement does not specify an award ceiling in the provided source data, and the number of expected awards is not listed here, which typically means applicants should rely on the full FOA and NIH policies for budget guidance and expectations.

Eligibility is expansive and covers a wide range of U.S.-based applicant organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education institutions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible 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, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. A notable international participation rule applies: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may be included, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning international collaboration can be part of the program when justified, even though the prime applicant must be domestic.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the education and health activity area, associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399), reflecting NCI programs across different cancer-related domains. The opportunity record shows a creation date of October 3, 2016, and an original closing date of January 24, 2018, which is important for historical context; applicants would typically confirm whether this FOA is still active, has been reissued, or has updated due dates and policies in a current NIH listing. Overall, the core idea is straightforward: NCI is looking to fund multi-project, theme-driven cancer research programs where at least three integrated projects, supported by a strong administrative structure, can collectively tackle important cancer questions more effectively than isolated efforts.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications (P01)" 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, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 16 457

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: