Cellular Cancer Biology Imaging Research (CCBIR) Program (U54, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 21 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 21 002

The Cellular Cancer Biology Imaging Research (CCBIR) Program is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity that supports the creation of collaborative research Centers focused on inventing, improving, and rigorously testing advanced imaging technologies that work at cellular and organ scales. The program is designed around a simple idea: major leaps in cancer biology often follow major leaps in what researchers can actually see and measure. Under this FOA, NCI is looking for Center-based teams that pair imaging technology developers with leading cancer biologists so that tool-building is continuously guided by high-impact, fundamental questions in cancer biology, rather than technology development happening in isolation.

These CCBIR Centers are expected to pursue enabling imaging approaches that can be applied to basic and pre-clinical cancer research, with an emphasis on innovation and practical usability. A defining feature of the initiative is that Centers should become more experimentally sophisticated over time, building toward an interoperable suite of state-of-the-art imaging capabilities. In other words, the expectation is not just a single instrument or method, but a coordinated set of technologies that work together and have the potential to transform how a particular cancer biology process is studied, measured, and understood. The “process(es) that defines the Center” language signals that each Center should be organized around a coherent biological theme or problem area, with imaging technology development serving that theme in a tightly integrated way.

The award mechanism is a U54 cooperative agreement, which typically means NCI will have substantial involvement in the program beyond standard grant oversight. The Centers funded through this announcement are also intended to operate as a consortium, meaning they are expected to collaborate with each other and to engage with the broader cancer research community. This community-facing expectation usually implies sharing methods, knowledge, standards, and potentially data or platforms so that advances do not stay confined to a single institution. The FOA explicitly states that clinical trials are not allowed, reinforcing that the work should remain in the fundamental/basic and preclinical research space rather than testing interventions in humans.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with NCI as the sponsoring institute, and it falls under the health and education activity category. The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-CA-21-002, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.396. The original closing date provided in the source information is 2021-03-18, and the listed award ceiling is $1,250,000. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided text.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of U.S.-based organizations and governments, such as public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments, special district governments, independent school districts, federally recognized tribal governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also highlights several categories of institutions and organizations as eligible, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and tribal governments that are not federally recognized. U.S. territories or possessions are also included as eligible applicants.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant organization may, under NIH rules, include certain types of foreign collaboration or work segments as part of the project when justified and compliant with NIH policy, even though a foreign organization cannot be the primary applicant.

Overall, this program is aimed at building durable, collaborative Centers that push the frontier of cellular and organ-scale imaging for cancer research, with an explicit expectation of technology-biology co-development, increasing sophistication over the project period, consortium participation, and broad engagement with the research community, all within a non-clinical-trial scope.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cellular Cancer Biology Imaging Research (CCBIR) Program (U54, 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): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-18. (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 $1,250,000.00 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 21 002

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