Forecast to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)

The forecasted funding opportunity titled "Forecast to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)" is administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Department of Health and Human Services. This grant is part of the broader National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), which is designed to enhance the generalizability and dissemination of clinical trial results by involving community settings. The NCORP initiative is structured to include three main components: Research Bases, Community Sites, and Academic Community Sites. This specific NOFO pertains to the NCORP Research Bases. The primary objective of the NCORP Research Bases is to serve as research hubs within the NCORP network. These bases are tasked with the development, implementation, and analysis of multi-institutional clinical research focused on cancer control, prevention, and care delivery, along with quality-of-life studies embedded in treatment and imaging protocols. Institutions applying for this grant must demonstrate robust organizational infrastructure and leadership in scientific and statistical aspects of cancer clinical research. Furthermore, they are required to manage operations, protocol development, regulatory compliance, participant protection, training, and support functions for affiliated community and minority/underserved community sites. The scope of work expected under this funding opportunity encompasses three major research domains: Cancer Control Research, Cancer Prevention Research, and Cancer Care Delivery Research. Applicants must address Cancer Control Research (Area 1) as a mandatory component, while the other two areas are optional. The integration of health disparities into all research areas, as relevant, is also a fundamental expectation. Research must be conducted at institutions with proven expertise in cancer clinical research, such as cancer foundations, healthcare research organizations, or NCI-designated Cancer Centers. Applications for this cooperative agreement funding mechanism (UG1, Clinical Trial Required) are expected to be submitted in response to an RFA that will be published around August 29, 2025. The anticipated application deadline is November 14, 2025, with the projected award and project start dates set for August 1, 2026. This opportunity is classified as discretionary and falls under the funding activity category of health. A total of approximately $60 million in funding is projected to support about seven awards. Eligible applicants include a broad spectrum of entities such as state and county governments, Native American tribal governments and organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, for-profit and nonprofit organizations including small businesses. Importantly, applicants must have the infrastructure and experience necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of an NCORP Research Base. For further information, applicants may contact Dr. Brandy Heckman-Stoddard at the National Cancer Institute via email at heckmanbm@mail.nih.gov or by phone at 240-276-7048. Additional program details will be outlined in the full NOFO upon its release.