Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research through Transformative Solutions Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA CA 23 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 23 027

The Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research through Transformative Solutions Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-23-027) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to create a single, dedicated Coordination Center for the ACCERT Consortium. The larger goal of ACCERT is to improve cancer control equity by tackling how social determinants of health (SDOH) drive worse cancer prevention, screening, treatment, survivorship, and related outcomes in underserved and disproportionately affected populations. In practical terms, this award is not primarily about running one standalone research project; it is about building the shared infrastructure and coordination needed so that up to four ACCERT research Centers (funded under the companion opportunity RFA-CA-23-026) can work as a unified, productive consortium and generate usable, broadly disseminated outputs.

The Coordination Center is expected to serve as the backbone of the consortium, with four main responsibilities. First, it must lead consortium-wide data efforts, including establishing processes to manage, harmonize, govern, and share data across the participating research Centers. This typically means setting up common data elements or crosswalks, developing data dictionaries and documentation, creating secure sharing workflows, supporting data quality and standardization, and enabling analyses that compare or pool findings across sites. Second, it must connect the research Centers to capacity building and training opportunities and help disseminate synthesized research products. This can include organizing trainings (for investigators, trainees, and community/clinical partners), developing toolkits and guidance documents, translating findings into practice-friendly products, and ensuring research outputs reach stakeholders such as health systems, public health agencies, community organizations, and policy audiences. Third, it must stimulate and coordinate collaborative activities across the consortium, such as convening regular meetings, creating cross-center working groups, aligning timelines and deliverables, promoting joint publications and presentations, and troubleshooting barriers to collaboration. Fourth, it must evaluate the impact of the consortium itself, meaning it should define success metrics, track progress toward consortium goals, assess how well coordination functions are working, and document outcomes such as scientific productivity, data sharing, uptake of tools, partnership strength, and contributions to reducing inequities in cancer control.

Because this is a cooperative agreement (U24), NIH will have substantial involvement in the project’s direction and oversight compared with a typical research grant. Applicants should expect an active partnership model where NIH program staff participate in governance, provide input on priorities, and help ensure the consortium stays aligned with the initiative’s goals. The “clinical trial optional” designation indicates a clinical trial is not required, but applicants can propose clinical trial-related activities if they are appropriate to the Coordination Center’s role (for example, supporting trials conducted by the Centers through common measures, coordination, or data infrastructure), as long as those activities fit the scope and requirements of the award.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, city, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts non-U.S. participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed under this NOFO.

From the funding details provided, the opportunity is administered by NIH under CFDA 93.396 and falls under the broad activity category of education and health. The award ceiling is listed as $500,000, and the original closing date was September 14, 2023. The intent is to fund one Coordination Center that will serve the ACCERT Consortium and support coordination across up to four ACCERT Centers. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an infrastructure and leadership grant aimed at making multi-site cancer equity research more integrated, more comparable across settings, more efficient in producing shared products, and more accountable in demonstrating measurable impact related to SDOH-driven disparities in cancer control outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research through Transformative Solutions Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA CA 23 027

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