NCI Cancer Screening Research Network: ACCrual, Enrollment, and Screening Sites (ACCESS) Hub (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA CA 23 020

FAQs: NCI Cancer Screening Research Network ACCESS Hub (UG1 Clinical Trial Required) - RFA-CA-23-020

What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Screening Research Network (CSRN): ACCrual, Enrollment, and Screening Sites (ACCESS) Hub (UG1 Clinical Trial Required), RFA-CA-23-020. It is a cooperative agreement intended to build practical, on-the-ground infrastructure to support large, multi-center cancer screening clinical trials and related studies.

What is the main purpose of the ACCESS Hub?

The ACCESS Hub focuses on the operational pieces that often determine whether screening trials succeed: participant accrual and enrollment, plus the availability and performance of screening sites. The goal is to create or expand a network of sites that can identify eligible participants, support informed consent, deliver screening interventions/procedures, and collect consistent, high-quality data across locations.

How does the ACCESS Hub fit into the larger CSRN initiative?

The ACCESS Hub is one of three coordinated funding opportunities that together form the Cancer Screening Research Network (CSRN). The CSRN is designed to make it easier to launch and execute national cancer screening research by using real-world healthcare settings and routine care populations, improving the speed and representativeness of multi-site studies.

What kinds of research is the CSRN intended to support?

The CSRN is intended to support studies that test and compare cancer screening strategies, including evaluation of emerging screening modalities. The overall aim is to improve the effectiveness, reach, and equity of cancer screening, ultimately reducing cancer incidence and cancer-related illness and deaths.

What does "UG1 cooperative agreement" mean in this context?

A UG1 is a cooperative agreement, which means the awardee is expected to work in close partnership with NCI. NCI will have substantial programmatic involvement to coordinate activities across the broader CSRN and to help ensure trials are implemented efficiently and using consistent standards across sites.

Why is there an emphasis on accrual and enrollment?

Accrual and enrollment are central because large screening trials need to enroll and follow large and diverse groups of participants. The ACCESS Hub is meant to strengthen the ability to recruit participants from real-world settings and routine care populations so results are more reliable, generalizable, and representative of the U.S. population.

What types of settings are expected to be involved?

The CSRN and the ACCESS Hub are designed to leverage heterogeneous populations receiving routine care across many types of healthcare environments. This reflects an emphasis on conducting screening research in settings where screening actually happens, rather than only in highly specialized research centers.

What infrastructure is the ACCESS Hub expected to build or expand?

Based on the description, the infrastructure is expected to support multi-center execution of cancer screening trials by enabling sites to: find and verify eligible participants, conduct or support informed consent, deliver screening interventions/procedures, and collect standardized, high-quality data consistently across locations.

Is this opportunity focused on running a single trial or building ongoing capacity?

The opportunity is described as infrastructure-building, with an emphasis on creating durable capacity for multi-center work. A stated aim is to shorten the time needed to initiate trials, increase enrollment capacity, and improve the reliability and generalizability of results across studies.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many public and private organizations. Standard eligible categories 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; 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.

Are any additional organization types specifically highlighted as eligible?

Yes. The opportunity highlights applicant types aligned with reaching diverse populations and community-based care settings, 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; tribal governments other than federally recognized; and U.S. territories or possessions.

Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?

No. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as applicants, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.

Are any foreign activities allowed at all?

The information provided indicates that foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. This means a U.S.-based awardee could potentially include certain foreign activities or collaborations if they meet NIH policy definitions and are justified within the project.

Which agency is issuing and administering this opportunity?

The opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with the program described as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative agreement.

What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.393, 93.394, and 93.399.

What is the funding activity category?

The funding activity category is education and health.

What is the listed application due date?

The original application due date listed is February 28, 2023.

What is the award ceiling shown?

The award ceiling shown is $750,000.

What problem is this program trying to solve?

The program is trying to address common bottlenecks in multi-center screening trials: slow or insufficient enrollment, limited readiness or performance of screening sites, and inconsistent data practices across locations. By strengthening infrastructure in real-world care settings, the CSRN aims to make national screening trials faster to launch, more diverse in enrollment, and better able to evaluate screening approaches.

What outcomes is the CSRN ultimately aiming for?

The stated overarching aim is to improve early detection through better screening research, which in turn is intended to reduce cancer incidence as well as cancer-related illness and deaths.