Institutional career development (K12) award supporting newly trained clinician scientists to build independent research careers in community oncology, prevention, screening, intervention, control, treatment, and cancer care delivery—with special emphasis on improving access, representation, and outcomes for minority health populations and populations with cancer health disparities. Clinical trial participation is optional and permitted within scholar projects.
Eligibility Criteria:
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Applicant organizations: U.S. higher-education institutions and eligible nonprofits; strong cancer research environment and institutional commitment required.
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PD/PI: established investigator able to lead the program; expected to hold active R01 or R01-equivalent cancer-focused support. Multiple PD/PI model allowed with clear governance.
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Mentors: experienced investigators with track records in mentoring; if clinical trials are proposed, mentors must demonstrate relevant trial expertise.
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Scholars: U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, or permanent residents with clinical doctoral degrees (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DMD, PharmD, DNP, DVM, or clinically oriented PhD such as medical physics, nursing, clinical psychology, etc.); not yet independent; minimum 75% effort (9 person-months) to research/career development (surgeon-scientists may request 50% with justification).
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Non-U.S. applicant organizations are not eligible; foreign components of U.S. organizations are allowed.
Funding Details:
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Program direct costs (Type 1/new): up to USD 50,000 in year 1 for program setup/recruitment; up to USD 750,000 per year in years 2–5 when scholars are appointed.
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Program direct costs (Type 2/renewal): up to USD 750,000 per year for up to 5 years.
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Scholar salary: up to USD 110,000 for 75% effort (or 50% for eligible surgeon-scientists) plus fringe per institutional policy.
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Scholar research & development support: up to USD 30,000 per scholar annually (research expenses, tuition/fees for career development, necessary travel such as NCORP meeting, statistics support).
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Other program expenses: justified consultant/admin support (up to USD 26,000/year, years ≥2), key personnel/Advisory Committee travel, and K12 community conference travel (USD 1,500/person for one mentor and ~half of scholars annually, per program allocation).
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Indirect costs: 8% of modified total direct costs.
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Project period: up to 5 years. Clinical trial optional.
Deadline:
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Applications due by 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization on these cycles:
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February 18, 2026 (Earliest start December 2026).
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June 18, 2026 (Earliest start April 2027).
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February 18, 2027 (Earliest start December 2027).
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Where to go for further information:
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Grants.gov support: [email protected]