NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 278

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 278

The NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA), offered through the National Institutes of Health under FOA number PAR-20-278, is a discretionary grant mechanism (R35) designed to provide long-term, stable support to highly accomplished investigators in any area of cancer research. The central idea is to back investigators with an exceptional track record of productivity and impact, and to give them the freedom and time to pursue ambitious, potentially high-risk research directions that might be difficult to sustain under shorter, project-by-project funding models. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the supported work should not include clinical trials, even though the research may still be relevant to biomedical, behavioral, or clinical cancer research more broadly.

A key feature of this award is that applications are submitted by institutions nominating established Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs), rather than being positioned purely as an individual-initiated, narrowly defined project grant. NCI is aiming to create funding stability so investigators can be more adventurous, explore unconventional hypotheses, develop or refine new techniques, and extend prior discoveries into new directions or applications. In practice, NCI is looking for research programs that either break new ground or meaningfully push an existing line of work toward a new conceptual or practical frontier, with a credible chance of leading to a significant breakthrough in cancer research.

The scientific scope is broad: "any area of cancer research" is eligible so long as it aligns with the award’s intent to support exceptional, investigator-driven programs. The emphasis is less on a rigid set of aims and more on the overall quality, originality, and promise of the investigator’s vision and trajectory. The award is meant to support work that can advance cancer-related science across multiple domains, including fundamental biology, translational research that does not involve clinical trials, behavioral research, and other innovative approaches that can ultimately improve understanding, prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer.

Eligibility is expansive across organization types. Eligible applicants include a wide range of U.S.-based entities such as state, county, city or township, and 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 other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible categories such as 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, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is addressed with some nuance. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In other words, the main applicant must be eligible and based in the U.S., but parts of the work may involve approved foreign components under NIH rules.

From the source information provided, the opportunity sits within NIH’s health and education funding activity categories and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.393 through 93.399), reflecting its placement within NCI’s broader assistance programs. The original closing date listed is November 6, 2020, and the FOA creation date is July 23, 2020. No award ceiling or expected number of awards is specified in the provided details, which typically means applicants must rely on the full FOA and NIH budget guidance for the most accurate expectations around allowable costs and award size.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as NCI’s way of investing in people and long-term scientific programs rather than short, tightly scoped projects. It is geared toward established investigators with demonstrated excellence who are positioned to make major advances if given sustained support and the flexibility to pursue bold ideas, develop novel methods, and pivot as discoveries emerge, all within a framework that excludes clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35 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, 93.395, 93.396, 93.397, 93.398, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-07-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 20 278

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