Implementation Science for Cancer Control: Advanced Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA CA 19 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 19 006

The NIH funding opportunity "Implementation Science for Cancer Control: Advanced Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)" (RFA-CA-19-006) is designed to create and support advanced, multi-project research centers focused on implementation science in cancer control. The central aim is to strengthen the field's ability to move proven cancer control interventions into routine practice more effectively, more equitably, and with better long-term staying power. Rather than emphasizing discovery of brand-new interventions, the program is geared toward improving the real-world adoption, implementation, and sustainment of evidence-based approaches across the cancer control continuum, including prevention, screening, and symptom management.

A major emphasis of the FOA is building capacity and infrastructure that can accelerate implementation science. These P50 Advanced Centers are expected to function as hubs that can (1) develop and test innovative implementation strategies, (2) create "implementation laboratories" by leveraging existing clinical and community service sites, (3) advance implementation science methods, and (4) improve measurement by developing and validating reliable measures for key implementation constructs. In practical terms, the centers are meant to bring together interdisciplinary teams and real-world settings (health systems, community clinics, public health programs, and other service environments) so researchers can rapidly iterate on how evidence-based cancer control interventions are delivered, evaluated, scaled, and sustained under everyday conditions.

The scientific focus areas align with Cancer Moonshot priorities and the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) recommendations, particularly around prevention and screening implementation of evidence-based approaches, symptom management, and prevention and screening for high-risk cancers, along with other cross-cutting Moonshot priorities. This framing signals that applicants should target problems where there is already strong evidence for what works clinically or programmatically, but persistent gaps in reach, uptake, quality, equity, fidelity, cost, or long-term maintenance. Competitive centers would typically be expected to show they can tackle high-impact implementation bottlenecks, produce generalizable implementation knowledge, and generate tools and methods that other researchers and systems can use.

A defining feature of the initiative is its intent to build a broader national consortium of implementation scientists. The FOA positions each funded center as part of the Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control (ISCCC) Program, which is meant to collectively speed progress by sharing laboratories, measures, methods, lessons learned, and potentially harmonized approaches across projects and sites. The program includes both P50 Advanced Centers (this FOA) and P50 Developing Centers (a separate companion announcement, RFA-CA-19-005), creating a pipeline that supports centers at different stages of maturity while still contributing to a shared Moonshot-aligned network.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NIH grant using the P50 center mechanism, and clinical trials are optional under the announcement. The public record lists an award ceiling of $1,200,000 and identifies NIH as the sponsoring agency. The original closing date shown is February 11, 2019, and the opportunity was created November 15, 2018, which indicates this specific solicitation is historical; applicants would typically look for any reissues, successor FOAs, or related current funding announcements if planning a new submission.

Eligibility is broad across government, academic, nonprofit, and for-profit entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when applicable); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other organizations. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization; however, foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign collaborations when justified and compliant with NIH rules.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH's push to professionalize and scale implementation science for cancer control through well-resourced, collaborative centers that can generate faster, more rigorous, and more transferable evidence about how to deliver proven cancer interventions in the settings where patients and communities actually receive care. The intended payoff is not just better local programs, but a stronger national toolkit of implementation laboratories, measures, and methods that can improve cancer prevention, screening, and symptom management outcomes at population scale.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Implementation Science for Cancer Control: Advanced Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.353, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-11-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-02-11. (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 $1,200,000.00 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 19 006

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