Approaches to Identify and Care for Individuals with Inherited Cancer Syndromes (U01) | RFA CA 17 041

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 17 041

The NIH funding opportunity "Approaches to Identify and Care for Individuals with Inherited Cancer Syndromes (U01)" (RFA-CA-17-041) is a cooperative agreement grant tied to the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a national effort designed to speed up progress in cancer research and, in this case, cancer prevention and early detection. The central goal of the announcement is to find better, more practical ways to identify people and families who have an inherited genetic risk for cancer (often called inherited cancer syndromes) and to improve how health systems actually deliver proven, evidence-based care to those individuals once they are identified. Inherited risk can be under-recognized in routine care, so the FOA emphasizes both "case ascertainment" (locating and correctly identifying at-risk individuals) and "delivery" (making sure recommended testing, counseling, screening, and follow-up care happen reliably in the real world).

This FOA is explicitly aligned with a scientific priority highlighted by the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel, particularly Recommendation E, which focuses on realizing the potential of cancer prevention and early detection. The Blue Ribbon Panel language calls for initiatives that strengthen early detection, genetic testing, genetic counseling, and the broader knowledge base around mechanisms and biomarkers involved in cancer development. Importantly, it also stresses demonstration projects, meaning the projects should not stay theoretical. They should show, in practical and measurable ways, how improved approaches to genetic risk identification and screening can save lives, improve quality of life, and potentially reduce overall healthcare costs by catching cancers earlier or preventing them altogether.

The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement, which signals that NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement from the federal scientific staff during the project. In practical terms, that usually means awardees are not only funded to run their projects but also coordinate closely with NIH on milestones, study design considerations, data-sharing expectations, and cross-site collaboration when applicable. The activity category is listed under education and health, and the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity are 93.393 and 93.399, both tied to NCI-related research and cancer control efforts.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; 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; and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The FOA also allows public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), as long as they are not institutions of higher education in that category), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other entities as specified. It also 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, and U.S. territories or possessions. This breadth reflects an emphasis on reaching diverse communities and enabling projects that can operate in many different healthcare and public health settings.

At the same time, there are clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the FOA does allow "foreign components" as defined in NIH policy, meaning a U.S. applicant may, when justified and compliant with NIH rules, include certain foreign elements in the work (for example, collaborations, data, or specialized activities), even though the main applicant organization must be domestic.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the original closing date listed for applications was January 9, 2018, with a creation date of September 1, 2017. The public summary does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, indicating those details were either not provided in the excerpted source data or were left unspecified in the summarized listing.

In plain terms, this opportunity was designed to move the field beyond simply knowing that inherited cancer risk exists and toward building workable, scalable approaches that help health systems and communities find at-risk people earlier, connect them with genetic testing and counseling, and ensure they receive the right preventive care and screening over time. The Moonshot framing and the Blue Ribbon Panel emphasis suggest that applicants were expected to focus on high-impact, real-world implementation strategies and demonstration projects that can show measurable benefits in outcomes, patient experience, and potentially cost.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Approaches to Identify and Care for Individuals with Inherited Cancer Syndromes (U01)" 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 2017-09-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 17 041

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