The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, has released a forecasted funding opportunity titled “Limited Competition: Biospecimen Banks to support NCI National Clinical Trials Network Biospecimen Banks (NCTN Biobanks) and the NCI Early-Phase and Experimental Clinical Trials Biospecimen Bank (EET Biobank)”. This opportunity is part of a strategic initiative to maintain and advance two specialized biobanking resources: the NCTN Biobanks and the EET Biobank. Both entities play a pivotal role in supporting NCI’s clinical research efforts, especially in ensuring the availability and quality of human biospecimens for cancer research.
The NCTN Biobanks support the National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). These biobanks collect, store, and distribute clinically annotated human biospecimens obtained from patients enrolled in NCI-supported cancer clinical trials. This infrastructure is vital for facilitating translational research, biomarker validation, and other studies that enhance understanding of cancer biology and treatment efficacy. The NCTN Biobanks are linked to large, multi-site clinical trials enrolling both adult and pediatric cancer patients, allowing for long-term follow-up and high-value specimen collection.
The EET Biobank complements this work by focusing on early-phase and experimental clinical trials. This resource is integral to the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN) and supports trials involving investigational new drugs. The EET Biobank ensures that biospecimens are collected and curated under rigorous standards, enabling advanced pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies, as well as research into mechanisms of drug action, resistance, and biomarker development. Unlike the NCTN Biobanks, which primarily support downstream clinical and translational research, the EET Biobank is designed to bridge basic and clinical science in support of new therapeutic development.
This grant opportunity is forecasted and not yet accepting applications, with an estimated open date of April 10, 2026, and an estimated due date of July 14, 2026. Awards are expected to be made by April 1, 2027, and projects would commence on the same date. The total anticipated program funding is $19,100,000, and six awards are expected. This is a cooperative agreement funding mechanism under CFDA 93.394 for Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research.
Eligibility for this limited competition is restricted. For the NCTN Biobanks component, only institutions/entities that are current recipients of NCTN biobank funding under RFA-CA-20-002 are eligible. Similarly, for the EET Biobank, only the entity funded under RFA-CA-20-003 is eligible to apply. This strict eligibility criterion ensures continuity and leverage of existing infrastructure and expertise. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity.
Applications will be subject to peer review, and awards will only be made if the applications are deemed meritorious. The NCI encourages early preparation, collaboration, and development of responsive proposals. Potential applicants should direct inquiries to the Program and Information Resources Branch via [email protected] or by phone at 240-276-7782. As this is a forecasted notice, it serves to give potential applicants time to prepare in advance of the official posting.
