The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities R01 Grant supports mechanistic studies investigating the biological and genetic factors that contribute to unequal cancer incidence, progression, treatment response, morbidity, and mortality in underserved and underrepresented populations.
The program is intended for more developed research projects examining areas such as cancer biology, prevention, tumor microenvironment, metabolism, immunology, microbiota, symptoms and treatment effects, and new experimental or computational models. Application budgets are not formally capped, and projects may run for up to five years. The next new-application deadline is October 5, 2026. (Grants.gov)
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education.
- Nonprofit organizations, with or without 501(c)(3) status, may apply.
- Foreign/non-U.S. organizations are eligible to apply.
- Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also eligible.
- Eligible foreign components may participate under NIH policy.
- Applicant organizations may submit more than one application if each is scientifically distinct.
- Required institutional registrations, including SAM, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons, must be active before submission.
Funding Details
- Grant mechanism: NIH R01 Research Project Grant.
- Budget: Application budgets are not limited, but must reflect the actual needs of the proposed research.
- Maximum project duration: 5 years.
- Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year must contact NCI scientific staff at least 6 weeks before submission.
Deadline
- Next new-application deadline: October 5, 2026.
- Renewal/resubmission deadline: November 5, 2026.
- Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
- Earliest project start: July 2027.
- NOFO expiration date: January 8, 2028.
Further Information
- Projects focused only on behavioral, social, environmental, or population-level disparities without biological mechanisms are not responsive.
- Studies examining only age or sex disparities without race/ethnicity variables are also not responsive.
- Immediate clinical translation is not required; the program emphasizes mechanistic and foundational cancer disparities research.
- Applications generating scientific data must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
- Official program page: View the NIH NOFO
- Simpler.Grants.gov listing: View the grant opportunity