Research Funding Opportunities

Funding Opportunities by Type

All NCI Funding Opportunities
Browse all active NCI funding opportunities, including Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs), from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

Requests for Applications (RFAs)
Find current NCI-supported RFAs that provide funding for various areas of cancer research from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

Program Announcements (PAs)
Find current NCI-supported PAs that invite requests for funding applications to support specific areas of cancer research from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

NCI and Trans-NIH Initiatives
Find current NCI and trans-NIH research project grants, including R01, R21, and R33 mechanisms, that provide funding for specific areas of cancer research from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

Contracting Opportunities
Explore the different ways to find NCI contracting and subcontracting opportunities from the NCI Office of Acquisitions.

NCI Special Initiatives

Funding Announcements and Notices for COVID-19
When the pandemic began, NCI issued and revised certain existing grants and cooperative agreements to make funds available to study COVID-19. Open funding notices can be found on this page.

Cancer Grand Challenges
NCI is partnering with Cancer Research UK to provide multiple rounds of funding for international, interdisciplinary teams to submit approaches addressing one of the open Cancer Grand Challenges. This page shares information on open opportunities and how to apply.

MERIT Award (R37)
Early Stage Investigators who have submitted an R01 application within the NCI payline may be eligible for consideration for the Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) (R37) Award.

Outstanding Investigator Award (R35)
The Outstanding Investigator Award gives investigators the freedom to work on long-term projects with unusual potential in cancer research.

Research Specialist Award (R50)
The R50 encourages the development of stable research career opportunities for exceptional scientists who want to continue to pursue research within the context of an existing NCI-funded basic, translational, clinical or population science cancer research program, but not serve as independent investigators.

NCI Funding Opportunities by Research Topic

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI research is supported by a wide variety of grant and contract programs across NCI.

Basic Biology
Research projects in basic cancer biology are supported and coordinated through the Division of Cancer Biology (DCB).

Behavioral Research
Behavioral research in cancer prevention and control is supported by the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).

Biorepositories and Tissue Sample Collection
Development of biospecimen-related policies and practices affecting NCI Biorepositories is coordinated and managed through the Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB).

Cancer Health Disparities
Basic cancer research from a health disparities perspective is supported by the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD).

Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Research contributing to the advancement of evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine practice is supported by the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM).

Epidemiology and Cancer Control
Research in genetic, epidemiologic, behavioral, social, and surveillance cancer research is supported by the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).

HIV /AIDS and Cancer
Research on HIV/AIDS pursued throughout the NCI, including programs in AIDS-related cancer are coordinated by the Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy (OHAM).

Nanotechnology
Research supporting the application of nanotechnology to all aspects of cancer research is supported by the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program that is managed by the Office of Cancer Nanotechnology Research (OCNR).

Physical Sciences-Oncology
Research supporting the establishment of scientific teams and individual scientists from the fields of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering to develop novel approaches for cancer research is managed by the Physical Sciences in Oncology Initiative.

Prevention
Research that determines and reduces a person’s risk of developing cancer, as well as research to develop and evaluate cancer screening procedures, is supported by the Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP).

Proteomics
Research supporting the development of technologies and reagents that will advance our understanding of protein biology in cancer is supported by the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research (OCCPR).

Small Business and Small Business Technology Transfer
Opportunities to increase small business and private sector participation to develop and commercialize novel technologies to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer are managed by the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR and STTR) programs.

Statistical Methodology
Resources for statisticians are available from StatFund, an online resource that provides information about biostatistical funding opportunities.

Technology Development
Research supporting the development of technologies in clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological research are managed by the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies Program (IMAT).

Translational Research
Research supporting the translation of promising research areas into improved diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for cancer patients is supported by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD).