NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 888

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 888

The NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50; Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Cancer Institute funding opportunity meant to support highly skilled, career research staff who play essential roles in NCI-funded cancer research programs but are not seeking to become independent principal investigators. It targets scientists who typically operate within core facilities, shared resources, or centralized scientific support units, where their expertise, continuity, and technical leadership are often critical to keeping large research programs running smoothly. The overall intent is to create more stable, long-term research career paths for these specialists by providing direct salary support and a level of professional autonomy, reducing the common situation where their job stability depends entirely on other investigators grants.

In terms of scope, the FOA is open to applications that align with any area of NCI-funded cancer research, spanning basic, translational, clinical, or population science contexts, as long as the applicant is positioned as a specialist embedded in an existing NCI-funded program rather than proposing a fully independent research enterprise. The R50 mechanism is designed around the idea that some of the most impactful scientific contributors are the people who develop, optimize, and sustain platforms, assays, analytic pipelines, models, or specialized laboratory capabilities used by many projects and investigators. By supporting these individuals directly, NCI is signaling that maintaining technical excellence, reproducibility, and institutional research capacity is as important as funding individual investigator-led projects.

A key restriction is that clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement. That generally means the proposed work and responsibilities supported by the award cannot include leading or conducting an NIH-defined clinical trial. The position supported is intended to be laboratory-based and/or scientific support focused, even when embedded in programs that may have clinical research components.

Eligibility is broad across many types of U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city or township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as certain tribal governments and community-based or faith-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws clear lines around foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed.

Administratively, the opportunity is run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under an NCI funding announcement (PAR-18-888). It is a discretionary grant program within the Education and Health activity area and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers tied to NCI programs (93.393 through 93.399). The source record lists an original closing date of January 11, 2019, and while award ceiling and expected award counts are not specified in the provided data, the central purpose is clear: support and retain exceptional core and shared-resource scientists by funding them in a way that promotes career continuity, institutional research strength, and sustained, high-quality scientific support for NCI-funded cancer research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50 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 2018-08-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-01-11. (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 18 888

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