Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Planning Grant Program (U34 Clinical Trials Optional) | PAR 22 174

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 174

The Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Planning Grant Program (U34 Clinical Trials Optional), funding opportunity number PAR-22-174, is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement designed to help research teams do the up-front work needed to launch stronger, more practical cancer prevention and control clinical trials. The central idea is that many trials have a solid scientific rationale based on prior studies or preliminary data, but still run into avoidable problems because key details are not fully worked out before the protocol is finalized. This program supports targeted planning and preparatory activities that close those gaps so that, when a full-scale trial begins, it is more likely to recruit on time, operate smoothly, stay within budget, and finish with interpretable results that matter for patients and communities.

The scope is broad across the cancer prevention and control continuum. Projects can focus on improving prevention and interception approaches, changing cancer-related health behaviors, increasing or refining screening and early detection, strengthening healthcare delivery, improving management of treatment-related symptoms, enhancing supportive care, and improving long-term outcomes for cancer survivors. In other words, it is not limited to testing new drugs or treatments; it is also meant for real-world interventions and systems-level strategies that affect risk, care access, symptom burden, quality of life, and survivorship.

A key motivation for the FOA is the recognition that investigators often lack critical information that can make or break a trial. Common unknowns include whether the intended study population can be identified and reached, whether recruitment and accrual will be feasible at the necessary pace, whether the intervention is deliverable as intended in the chosen setting, and whether outcome measures and endpoints are realistic and meaningful. Teams may also need to sort out data collection burdens, statistical considerations, or operational risks like site readiness, staffing, adherence challenges, or workflow integration. When these issues are discovered late, they can force repeated protocol amendments both before and after startup, increasing costs and timelines and sometimes preventing completion altogether. The U34 is meant to fund the careful planning work that prevents those cascading delays.

The announcement also highlights the need to assess newer, more efficient trial designs that can reduce infrastructure demands and cost. In practice, that means the planning phase can include testing whether a streamlined or pragmatic design will work for a specific intervention, at-risk group, symptom domain, or service venue, and whether the operational realities of that context support the design. By supporting preparatory studies that fill in practical unknowns and test feasibility, the program aims to save time and resources for both investigators and the National Cancer Institute by increasing the likelihood that subsequent trials are well-justified, executable, and informative.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means there is substantial involvement from the funding agency during the project to guide or collaborate on key aspects of planning. The activity areas are listed under education and health, and the CFDA number provided is 93.399. The listed award ceiling is $600,000, and the original closing date shown is 2025-09-07.

Eligibility is intentionally broad and includes many types of U.S.-based and other organizations that are positioned to plan and run cancer prevention and control trials. Eligible applicants include state, county, 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, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized, public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories 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 non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility aligns with the program’s emphasis on real-world settings and diverse populations, where community partners, healthcare systems, and minority-serving institutions often play a critical role in feasibility, recruitment, and implementation planning.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a planning and readiness mechanism for cancer prevention and control clinical trials: it funds the work needed to convert a promising trial concept into a fully operational, well-justified protocol with fewer surprises, fewer mid-course corrections, and a higher chance of completing on schedule with results that can translate into better prevention, better care delivery, and better survivorship outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Planning Grant Program (U34 Clinical Trials Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-06-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-07. (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 $600,000.00 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 22 174

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