Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Consortium: Therapeutic Development and Mechanisms of Resistance (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 361

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 361

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Cancer Institute, is seeking cooperative agreement applications (U01) to form research teams within its Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Consortium. The main purpose of this opportunity is to speed up progress on treatments for SCLC by supporting coordinated, team-based research that either (1) identifies and exploits molecular vulnerabilities in SCLC to develop better targeted therapies, including rational drug combinations, or (2) explains why SCLC so quickly becomes resistant to treatment, including resistance to both drugs and radiation. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, so the emphasis is on preclinical, translational, and mechanistic work that can directly inform future therapeutic strategies rather than testing interventions in patients under this specific award.

A central theme of the FOA is alignment with the National Cancer Institute's 2014 Scientific Framework for SCLC. While that framework laid out five broad research priorities, this funding call concentrates on two of them: therapeutic development and mechanisms of resistance. At the same time, applicants are expected to integrate additional framework priorities as appropriate, particularly by using modern, state-of-the-art tools and comprehensive molecular characterization methods. In practice, that means proposals should leverage or generate high-quality "omics" data sets (such as genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, proteomic, or other profiling approaches) and advanced model systems to ensure findings are relevant to the real biology of human SCLC, including how the disease evolves over time, spreads, and adapts under treatment pressure.

The work supported is intended to be done by individual, well-defined research teams that function as part of a larger consortium rather than as isolated projects. Awardees are expected to collaborate actively with one another and with a dedicated SCLC Coordinating Center, which is meant to help align scientific priorities, promote data and resource sharing, and increase consistency across projects. This consortium structure signals that the program is designed to produce more than just individual publications; it aims to generate shared tools, interoperable data, and collectively validated insights that can move the field faster than single-lab efforts. The announcement also notes that the overall consortium has a third component focused on prevention and early detection, even though this specific FOA is centered on therapeutics and resistance, which helps clarify how the funded projects fit into a broader, multi-pronged national strategy for SCLC.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic institutions and organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities. The FOA also explicitly calls out a wide set of additional eligible applicants, reflecting an intent to encourage participation from diverse institution types and communities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, among others. Federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments) are eligible, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) may also apply, along with U.S. territories or possessions and certain regional organizations. Faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies are included as well, which can be relevant for projects involving specialized infrastructure, unique sample resources, or collaborative translational capabilities.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH is expected to have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard research project grant. The opportunity number is PAR-19-361, and it falls under NIH activity categories related to education and health, with CFDA numbers 93.393, 93.394, and 93.396. The original posting date listed is August 29, 2019, and the original closing date shown is March 11, 2022. The award ceiling is listed as $450,000, indicating an upper bound on annual or total costs as defined in the full announcement details, and applicants would typically be expected to design a project scope that is realistic within that budget constraint while still producing consortium-relevant deliverables.

Overall, the grant is best understood as an effort to build a coordinated network of research teams focused on the practical, near-term scientific barriers that limit SCLC treatment success: finding durable therapeutic strategies and understanding, at a mechanistic level, how and why resistance emerges so rapidly. Projects that are likely to fit well are those that combine strong molecular rationale, sophisticated profiling or functional approaches, clinically relevant SCLC models, and a clear plan to share data and resources within a consortium setting so that findings can be compared, reproduced, and translated into better treatment concepts.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Consortium: Therapeutic Development and Mechanisms of Resistance (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.394, 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-08-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-11. (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 $450,000.00 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 19 361

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