National Cancer Institute Program Project Applications for the Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications under Funding Opportunity Announcement PAR-23-059 for Program Project (P01) grants, aimed at advancing integrated, multi-project cancer research. These P01 grants are part of NIH’s broader mission to support collaborative biomedical research efforts with the potential to substantially accelerate the generation of scientific knowledge and its translation into improved public health outcomes. This opportunity reflects NIH’s commitment to encouraging large-scale interdisciplinary projects that cannot be effectively accomplished by individual research efforts in isolation. Under this initiative, applicants are encouraged to propose projects in any area of cancer research, encompassing cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control. The P01 mechanism is specifically structured to fund cohesive, collaborative programs composed of at least three distinct but thematically integrated research projects. Each application must also include an Administrative Core to manage coordination, progress tracking, and resource distribution. Shared Resource Cores may also be included to support common research needs across at least two projects, thereby improving cost-efficiency and productivity. The grant supports basic, translational, clinical, and population-based studies. Applicants may include a variety of institutions and organizations, including public and private higher education institutions, state and local governments, tribal entities, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. International entities are not eligible to apply, although foreign components may be included under the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Applications may propose clinical trials, but doing so is optional. The award period is flexible and may extend up to five years. Budgets are not capped and should reflect the scope and scale of the proposed research. While there is no cost-sharing requirement, applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year must contact NIH program staff at least six weeks before submission. The review process will assess the scientific merit, significance, innovation, collaborative integration, and the environment in which the work will be performed, in addition to administrative management plans. The application process requires adherence to the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide with specific requirements for multi-project (M) applications. Letters of Intent are encouraged 30 days prior to each application due date. Submission is conducted via the NIH ASSIST system or an institutional system-to-system solution. Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization and are subject to NIH’s electronic submission and error correction protocols. Applications will be accepted through May 25, 2026, with cycles recurring multiple times per year: January 25, May 25, and September 25. As of February 2026, the opportunity has been extended through May 26, 2026. Review cycles follow a predictable schedule, with earliest potential award start dates falling approximately ten months after submission. Contact for programmatic inquiries is available via [email protected] and for administrative questions via [email protected]. Additional information, including application instructions and program updates, can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-059.html.

Ensure all projects share a central theme; follow SF424 (R&R) Multi-Project instructions precisely; early contact required if budget exceeds $500,000 per year