The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intends to release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award under the funding opportunity number NOT-CA-25-016. This upcoming grant opportunity, forecasted to open on April 1, 2025, is focused on enhancing cancer research training for early-stage postdoctoral researchers. It aims to help individuals expand their scientific capabilities and advance their research careers, specifically in the field of cancer research.
The ACE Award (K32) is designed to support late-stage graduate students and early-stage postdoctoral scholars who are interested in continuing their career development in cancer research. Applicants must be either within 12 months of transitioning into a postdoctoral position or within the first two years of their postdoctoral training. The program specifically excludes independent clinical trials.
The funding supports structured research training and professional development. Applicants must have identified a postdoctoral research group and developed a detailed training and research plan either before or shortly after beginning work with their mentor. This ensures a seamless transition from predoctoral to postdoctoral research, with targeted support for expanding professional research capabilities.
This grant opportunity is open to a wide range of eligible institutions and organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, tribal organizations, county and state governments, and certain types of businesses. Additional details regarding eligibility are provided in the funding forecast and will be further clarified upon release of the official NOFO.
The anticipated application due date is June 12, 2025, with awards expected to be announced by March 2, 2026. The same date, March 2, 2026, is set as the estimated start date for funded projects. No cost-sharing or matching is required for this funding opportunity.
Interested applicants should prepare to submit a complete application package once the NOFO is officially released. At this stage, only a forecast is available, with no specific details about award ceiling, floor, or total program funding disclosed. Questions can be directed to the NIH OPERA DGSI Systems Policy Branch at operasystemspolicy@nih.gov.
