Addressing Barriers to Healthcare Transitions for Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has issued funding opportunity RFA-CA-25-019 titled *"Addressing Barriers to Healthcare Transitions for Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)." This opportunity aims to support research addressing individual and system-level barriers that impact the transition of care from pediatric to adult healthcare systems for survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers. The overarching goal is to develop and test interventions that ensure high-quality transitional care and promote continued engagement in risk-based survivorship care into adulthood. This program is aligned with the STAR Reauthorization Act of 2023, which emphasizes improving survivorship care and care coordination for pediatric cancer survivors. The program recognizes the unique needs of childhood and adolescent cancer survivors, who often face increased risks for premature mortality and chronic illnesses resulting from cancer treatments. Challenges during care transitions include a lack of structured processes, poor coordination between pediatric and adult healthcare providers, and limited resources to support survivors. Research indicates that unstructured transitions result in care discontinuity, low treatment adherence, preventable hospital visits, and negative health outcomes. This funding opportunity seeks to identify scalable, sustainable, and evidence-based models of care that address these barriers and establish **best practices** for care transitions. Eligible research projects must focus on developing or evaluating interventions and strategies that facilitate effective care transitions. Potential research topics include improving care coordination between survivors and healthcare providers, engaging survivors in risk-based care, addressing physical and psychological conditions through multidisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing communication across healthcare systems. The program encourages multi-level studies that intervene at both individual and system levels. Examples of relevant endpoints include healthcare utilization (e.g., adherence to follow-up care), quality of care, and patient-centered outcomes such as quality of life and self-efficacy. The **NCI intends to allocate $10 million** across FY 2025 and FY 2026 to fund up to **12 awards** under this program. Each award has a **direct cost limit of $499,000 per year** for a project period of up to **5 years**. Applications may propose or exclude clinical trials. Multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged, and studies should consider eventual scalability, sustainability, and real-world integration of proposed interventions. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions (public and private), state and local governments, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, federally recognized and non-recognized Native American tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations, including small businesses. Foreign institutions are not eligible, but foreign components within U.S.-based organizations are allowed. Applicants must complete registrations with **SAM.gov**, **eRA Commons**, and **Grants.gov** prior to submission. Applications are due by **October 17, 2025**, at **5:00 PM local time** of the applicant organization. Letters of intent, though not required, are strongly recommended and should be submitted at least **30 days before the due date**. The earliest award start date is anticipated to be **July 2026**. Submissions must follow the **NIH ASSIST** system or institutional system-to-system solutions. Key review criteria include the **significance and innovation** of the proposed research, the **rigor and feasibility** of the approach, and the **expertise and resources** of the research team. Special consideration will be given to projects addressing **health disparities** and social determinants of health that impact successful transitions for underserved and high-risk populations. Successful applicants will provide critical evidence to inform survivorship care models that can be widely adopted and scaled to real-world settings. For further details, applicants may contact **Lynn S. Adams, PhD** at **adamsls@nih.gov**.