Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet): CP-CTNet Sites (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA CA 18 029

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 18 029

The Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet): CP-CTNet Sites (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) opportunity (RFA-CA-18-029) is a National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute cooperative agreement designed to build and support a set of clinical trial sites that can rapidly run early-stage cancer prevention trials. The central idea is to create consortia that are ready to test NCI-sponsored preventive agents in a disciplined, efficient way, with a strong emphasis on understanding what those agents do biologically in people and how those biological effects connect to clinically meaningful endpoints. Because the mechanism is a cooperative agreement (UG1), awardees should expect substantial programmatic involvement from NIH/NCI staff compared to a standard grant, with coordinated priorities, shared procedures, and network expectations.

The scientific purpose focuses on moving potential cancer preventive agents forward by generating high-quality early clinical evidence. Supported studies are explicitly early phase clinical trials, including phase 0 microdosing trials (to look at pharmacokinetics or target engagement at very low doses), phase I dose-finding trials (to establish dosing, safety, and tolerability in the prevention setting), and phase II trials aimed at preliminary efficacy signals (often using intermediate endpoints, biomarkers, or defined risk cohorts rather than cancer incidence alone). The agents of interest are NCI-sponsored and may span multiple classes, particularly those aimed at molecular targets or biological processes known to play important roles in carcinogenesis.

A major emphasis of the program is translational measurement: trials are not only meant to ask whether an intervention is safe or promising, but also to explain how it is working in humans. Applicants and funded sites are expected to measure effects on the intended molecular targets and on broader biological events tied to cancer development. The announcement highlights examples such as changes in cell proliferation, apoptosis, growth factor and oncogene expression patterns, and immune response. Just as important is linking those changes to clinical endpoints that matter in prevention research, such as validated or emerging biomarkers, tissue-based changes, lesion modulation in relevant settings, or other clinically relevant correlates that can help determine whether an agent should advance to later-stage prevention studies.

Beyond evaluating specific agents, CP-CTNet is also meant to deepen scientific understanding of prevention mechanisms and strengthen the marker-development pipeline. Sites are expected to help generate insights into why a preventive agent succeeds or fails, identify determinants of response, and continue developing novel markers that could be used in future trials to select participants, monitor biologic activity, predict benefit, or refine dosing strategies. In practice, this makes the program well-suited to institutions with strong capabilities in clinical trial operations plus integrated laboratory, pathology, biostatistics, and biomarker assay expertise.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is open to a broad range of U.S.-based organizations, including state governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education where specified); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The announcement also explicitly notes inclusion of several institution types often highlighted for federal eligibility outreach, including 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), and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant can include certain international elements under NIH rules when scientifically justified.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument. It falls under education and health activity categories and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.393 and 93.399. The posting indicates an award ceiling of $625,000 (as listed in the opportunity data). The original closing date was November 15, 2018, and the creation date was September 14, 2018, indicating this specific announcement is historical, though it reflects the structure and goals that can reappear in related NCI prevention network initiatives.

Overall, this funding opportunity is aimed at establishing or supporting high-performing CP-CTNet trial sites that can run coordinated, early-phase cancer prevention clinical trials of NCI-sponsored agents, generate rigorous pharmacologic and biologic readouts, and produce actionable biomarker and mechanism insights that reduce uncertainty and speed decision-making about which prevention strategies deserve larger, later-stage testing.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet): CP-CTNet Sites (UG1 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-09-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-11-15. (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 $625,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for RFA CA 18 029

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