Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 278

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 278

The Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity administered through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that focuses on strengthening cancer-related research education. It uses the NIH Research Education Program (R25) mechanism to support structured educational activities that help build and improve the national workforce needed for biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research. The central idea is not to fund research projects themselves, but to fund high-quality education and training experiences that complement existing training pipelines and fill skills gaps in the cancer research ecosystem.

This particular announcement emphasizes "Courses for Skills Development" as the primary supported activity. In practice, that means applicants are expected to design and deliver course-based, curriculum-driven programs that teach practical, modern, and relevant research skills. The opportunity encourages creative, state-of-the-art educational approaches, which can include innovative course formats, updated content aligned with current scientific advances, and training methods that measurably improve participant competence. The subject matter must clearly connect to cancer, including areas such as cancer causes and mechanisms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation after cancer, and the ongoing care of cancer patients and their families. The intent is to grow a workforce that is better prepared to address real-world cancer challenges by learning the tools, concepts, and methods that current research demands.

A key restriction is embedded in the title: "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." This means the grant is not intended to support clinical trials or clinical trial-related conduct as part of the proposed activities. The program is education-centered, so proposed work should stay focused on training and skills development rather than testing interventions in human participants as a trial.

Eligibility is broad and spans many organization types, reflecting the goal of expanding access and building capacity across different settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other unspecified entities that meet NIH requirements. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This breadth signals an emphasis on reaching diverse communities and leveraging many kinds of institutions to deliver cancer research skills training.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the education and health category, listed under CFDA number 93.398. The funding opportunity number is PAR-21-278, and the opportunity was created on 2021-08-26, with an original closing date shown as 2023-09-29. The listed award ceiling is $300,000. The provided source text does not specify the expected number of awards, but it does make clear that the program is designed to support educational course offerings rather than research studies.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as support for organizations that want to build or modernize cancer-focused research education through skill-based courses. Competitive applications are likely to be those that present a clear educational need, a strong and current curriculum tied to cancer research priorities, and an effective plan for delivering training that strengthens the competence of the biomedical and clinical research workforce, while staying firmly within the education mission and avoiding clinical trial activities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.398.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-08-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-29. (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 $300,000.00 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 PAR 21 278

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: