Revision Applications for Mechanisms of Drug Resistance (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA CA 19 049

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 19 049

The grant opportunity "Revision Applications for Mechanisms of Drug Resistance (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" (RFA-CA-19-049) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding announcement tied to the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, a federal effort designed to speed progress in cancer research. This specific announcement is not for brand-new standalone projects. Instead, it is aimed at investigators who already hold an active, NCI-funded R01 Research Project Grant and want to submit a revision application (often called a competing or administrative revision, depending on the FOA terms) that adds new scientific aims or new research directions to the existing parent award. The overall idea is to leverage ongoing R01-funded work and extend it in a focused way to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in oncology: why cancers become resistant to treatment and how to overcome that resistance.

Scientifically, the FOA prioritizes research that deepens understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive therapeutic resistance, whether that resistance is intrinsic (present from the start) or acquired (emerges after treatment). It is intended to support work that can inform preclinical study design and accelerate the development of effective therapies, including single agents and combination approaches, for tumors that are resistant or refractory to standard treatments. Importantly, the scope is not limited to the tumor cells alone; it explicitly includes the tumor microenvironment, reflecting growing evidence that immune cells, stromal components, vasculature, and other contextual factors can enable cancers to evade drug effects. While the announcement emphasizes translational relevance and clinical-level impact, it clearly states that clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, so the work should remain in mechanistic, preclinical, and other non-clinical-trial research domains.

From an applicant eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is broadly available across many U.S.-based organization types typically eligible for NIH grants. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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/Indian housing authorities; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, among others. The FOA also highlights additional categories of eligible applicants, including 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), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, there are strict limits on foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. In practice, that means the proposed revision work must be carried out without foreign components and must be submitted by an eligible domestic applicant organization.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant funding instrument with a funding activity category listed as education and health (CFDA 93.396). The opportunity was created on 2019-09-05, and the original closing date was 2021-06-23, which indicates it was time-bound and may now be expired unless it has been reissued under a new announcement number. The listed award ceiling is $250,000, suggesting a cap on the additional funds that can be requested for the revision component (the incremental work added to the parent R01). The key practical implication is that applicants would need to propose a tightly justified set of new aims that fit within the revision budget cap, are clearly connected to the parent R01, and meaningfully advance understanding of resistance mechanisms and strategies to counter them without crossing into clinical trial territory.

Overall, the FOA is designed to quickly extend productive, already-funded NCI R01 projects into high-impact directions that address drug resistance in cancer. It encourages mechanistic and translationally oriented research that can clarify how resistance arises, how to model it properly in preclinical systems, and how to rationally design therapeutic strategies, including combinations, aimed at resistant or refractory tumors and the microenvironmental factors that support them.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Revision Applications for Mechanisms of Drug Resistance (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" 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 2019-09-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-23. (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 $250,000.00 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 RFA CA 19 049

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