Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 655

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 655

The NIH funding opportunity titled "Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-18-655) supports basic, mechanistic research aimed at explaining why certain populations experience unequal cancer burden. The central focus is on biological and genetic contributors to cancer health disparities, meaning projects should dig into underlying mechanisms rather than testing interventions in people. As indicated by the "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" designation, applications should not propose clinical trials; instead, they should emphasize foundational biology, genetics, model systems, and analytic approaches that can clarify disparity-related differences in cancer risk, tumor behavior, or prevention biology.

The FOA is designed to fund innovative studies that directly address the biological or genetic bases of cancer disparities. Examples of supported work include mechanistic studies of biological factors linked to disparities, which could involve tumor biology, host biology, immune or inflammatory pathways, metabolism, hormonal regulation, environmental-biological interfaces, or other foundational processes that plausibly differ across populations and contribute to unequal outcomes. It also encourages the development and testing of new research methodologies and models, such as improved laboratory models, patient-derived model systems, or computational approaches that make disparity-focused biology easier to study. In addition, it allows secondary analyses of existing datasets, which can be especially valuable when large, well-annotated cohorts or omics datasets already exist and can be reanalyzed to test biologically grounded hypotheses about disparities.

A major programmatic goal goes beyond individual projects: the FOA aims to strengthen and expand a nationwide community of scientists who have deep basic-research expertise specifically in cancer health disparities. In practical terms, this means the NIH is looking to grow capacity in the field by enabling researchers to generate and share the kinds of tools that make this work possible. The announcement explicitly highlights the importance of expanding resources such as biospecimens, patient-derived models, and specialized methods. Projects that build or leverage these resources in ways that benefit the broader research community are well aligned with the FOA's longer-term intent, as they can help accelerate future mechanistic discoveries and improve reproducibility and comparability across studies.

Eligibility is broad, spanning many types of 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit and for-profit entities (including small businesses). The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories that reflect an emphasis on inclusive participation and capacity building, including 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 (AANAPISISs). Faith-based and community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and non-U.S. (foreign) entities are also listed as eligible, signaling an openness to diverse institutional settings and, where appropriate, international expertise and collaboration.

From the source details provided, the opportunity is a discretionary NIH grant in the education and health activity category (CFDA 93.393). The listed award ceiling is $200,000. The original closing date shown is February 18, 2021, and the FOA creation date is February 13, 2018; in other words, the specific submission window referenced in the source has already passed, but the summary still captures what the program was designed to fund and the kinds of applicants it sought to attract.

Overall, this FOA targets early-stage, hypothesis-driven basic research that can explain cancer disparities at a mechanistic level, while also building the field's shared infrastructure and expertise. Competitive applications under this umbrella typically center on clear biological questions tied to disparity patterns, rigorous experimental or analytic strategies, and a strong rationale for how the proposed work will illuminate underlying causes of unequal cancer incidence, progression, or outcomes without crossing into clinical trial territory.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R21 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): 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 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 18 655

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