Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 094

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 094

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is soliciting research applications for an R01 grant opportunity focused on understanding how climate change affects cancer across the full cancer control continuum. The funding opportunity is titled "Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is released under Funding Opportunity Number PAR-25-094. The overarching aim is to support rigorous, research-driven work that clarifies where, how, and for whom climate-related environmental and societal changes influence cancer risk, prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, and broader outcomes. Because this is an R01 mechanism, projects are generally expected to be well-developed and hypothesis-driven (or strongly conceptually grounded), with the scale and resources to produce meaningful, generalizable evidence. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation means applicants may propose studies that do not include a clinical trial, or they may include a clinical trial if it is scientifically justified and aligns with NIH requirements for clinical trial oversight.

This opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant program with an activity focus spanning education and health (CFDA 93.396). While the short description is brief, the title and NCI framing point to a broad scope: research can be anchored anywhere along the cancer control continuum, so long as climate change is a central driver or modifier of the cancer-related question. In practical terms, that can include investigating how rising temperatures, worsening air quality and wildfire smoke, changing patterns of ultraviolet exposure, shifts in infectious disease ecology, extreme weather events, flooding, drought, food and water insecurity, or climate-related disruptions to housing and healthcare access may affect cancer incidence, screening and diagnosis timing, continuity of care, treatment complications, survivorship needs, and mortality. It can also include understanding how climate change may amplify existing disparities, for example by disproportionately affecting communities that already face structural barriers to prevention and care.

A major emphasis implicit in this topic area is the need to connect climate exposures and climate-driven events to measurable cancer outcomes and real-world cancer control systems. Competitive applications typically clarify the climate-related exposure pathway (for example, chronic particulate exposure from longer wildfire seasons, or heat-related interruptions in healthcare delivery), specify the relevant population and setting (including geographic and community context), identify the cancer-related outcome(s) of interest, and explain why the proposed methods are appropriate for isolating climate impacts from other influences. Strong projects often integrate data sources across disciplines, such as environmental monitoring, geospatial and remote sensing products, electronic health records, cancer registries, claims data, cohort studies, and community-level vulnerability indices. Depending on the research question, projects might also involve intervention development and testing, implementation strategies, or health services research designed to reduce climate-related disruptions in cancer care, which is where a clinical trial component could be relevant.

The eligibility for this NOFO is broad and includes a wide range of domestic and international organizations. Eligible applicants listed 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The NOFO also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), 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, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility signals that NCI is encouraging participation from diverse institutional types, including those embedded in communities that may experience disproportionate climate burdens and cancer disparities.

Key administrative details provided include an original application closing date of 2026-05-07 and a creation date of 2024-11-18. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which usually means applicants should consult the full NOFO text and NIH policy pages for budget guidance, project period expectations, and any institute-specific constraints or preferences. As with most NIH R01 opportunities, budgets are typically justified based on the scope of work, and applications are evaluated through NIH peer review criteria, with added attention to whether the project is well aligned to the stated priority area of climate change impacts across cancer control.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best viewed as a call for interdisciplinary cancer research that treats climate change not as background context but as a key explanatory factor shaping cancer outcomes and cancer care systems. Projects that can clearly link climate-driven exposures or disruptions to actionable cancer control insights, especially those that identify modifiable points for prevention, preparedness, adaptation, or equitable service delivery, are likely to fit well within the intent of PAR-25-094.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Impacts of climate change across the cancer control continuum (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-05-07. (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.

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