Research Centers for Cancer Systems Biology (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 21 048

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 21 048

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is soliciting applications for U54 Research Centers under the Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC). The intent is to fund multi-project, team-based centers that tackle foundational questions in basic cancer biology where a systems biology approach is especially powerful. In practice, this means centers are expected to integrate quantitative experimentation with computational and mathematical modeling so that data generation and theory-building inform each other in repeated, iterative cycles. The work needs to stay grounded in disease-relevant contexts, and the overall center should be organized around a clear, unifying scientific theme rather than a loose collection of unrelated projects.

A key structural requirement is that each U54 Center is built around two or three tightly coordinated research projects. Each project should be hypothesis-driven and designed to move through a loop of measurement, analysis, modeling, and experimental validation. The emphasis is on coordination: projects should be interdependent in a way that strengthens the overarching theme, for example by sharing data types, model frameworks, experimental systems, or analytic pipelines, and by deliberately testing predictions that emerge from the modeling work. Clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity, so the focus is on basic and preclinical cancer systems biology rather than interventional studies in patients.

Centers must bring together interdisciplinary expertise, specifically combining deep cancer biology knowledge with strong quantitative skills (such as computational biology, statistics, physics-informed modeling, engineering, or related disciplines). Beyond the science, the FOA expects formal administrative management for the center, recognizing that multi-project efforts need coordination, governance, and clear operational processes. Applicants may propose shared resource cores if they would materially support the projects (for example, a data generation core, a modeling/analytics core, or a specialized technology core), but these are optional. In contrast, an Outreach core is part of the expected center structure and is meant to extend the impact of the center by supporting the broader research theme, engaging with the community, and helping build connections, training, dissemination, or other outward-facing activities aligned with CSBC goals.

Data and tool sharing is treated as a central deliverable, not an afterthought. Awardees are expected to prioritize the creation and dissemination of interoperable datasets and community-accessible tools, meaning resources that others can readily use, combine, and build on. This sharing is supported at the consortium level by a separate U24 Coordinating Center (referenced as being solicited under RFA-CA-21-049), and U54 Centers are expected to align with consortium-wide standards, practices, and collaborative activities. The FOA also places weight on active collaboration both within the CSBC network and with investigators outside the consortium when beneficial, reinforcing that these centers are meant to operate as nodes in a larger, cooperative research ecosystem rather than as isolated projects.

The opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement (U54), which typically implies substantial programmatic involvement from the NIH compared with standard research grants. The administering agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically NCI, and the CFDA number listed is 93.396. The funding opportunity number is RFA-CA-21-048, and the original closing date provided is 2022-10-19. The listing includes an award ceiling of $1,500,000, indicating the maximum annual direct cost level or total award level as defined in the announcement (applicants would need to confirm the exact interpretation in the full FOA text). The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided excerpt.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses as well as small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), among others. The FOA explicitly highlights eligibility for a range of institution types that often participate in NIH programs, 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 (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and certain tribal entities. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, but foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means discrete project elements carried out outside the U.S. can be included when well-justified and compliant with NIH policy.

Finally, the FOA reinforces community values alongside scientific goals. Centers are expected to contribute to a welcoming and diverse research environment, both within their local center teams and across the broader consortium. Taken together, the program is designed to fund coordinated, multi-project centers that can generate rigorous, quantitative, model-driven insights into cancer biology, while also producing shareable data resources and tools that strengthen the wider cancer systems biology community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Centers for Cancer Systems Biology (U54 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): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-19. (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 $1,500,000.00 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 RFA CA 21 048

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