The NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 22 041

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 22 041

The NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity designed to help exceptional doctoral-level graduate students move smoothly from the late stages of their PhD training into strong postdoctoral positions in cancer research. The core idea is to identify graduate students who have already been recognized by their home institutions as having unusually high potential and a clear interest in becoming independent cancer researchers, then provide structured support that bridges the often difficult transition between graduate school and a postdoc. By doing that, NCI aims to retain talented scientists in the cancer research pipeline and accelerate their development into future independent investigators.

This award uses a two-phase structure that is reflected in its name. The F99 portion supports the final part of the applicant's predoctoral training, helping them complete their doctoral work while also preparing for the next career step. The K00 portion then supports the early postdoctoral period, with an emphasis on career development and continued research growth in a new training environment. Taken together, the mechanism is meant to reduce the risk of losing promising researchers at the moment they finish their PhD and to give them time, resources, and mentoring to build the skills and record needed to compete for later-stage independent research funding.

A key boundary for this specific notice is captured in the label "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." That means projects proposed under this opportunity cannot include a clinical trial component as defined by NIH policy. In practical terms, applicants need to shape their training and research plan around cancer-related research activities that do not involve conducting a clinical trial, keeping the focus on research and development work that fits within NCI's non-clinical-trial training framework.

In terms of who can apply, the opportunity is broadly open to a range of U.S.-based organizations and institutions. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, along with other eligible applicant types described in the notice. The solicitation also explicitly calls out several categories of institutions as eligible, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). Eligible agencies of the Federal Government are included as well, reflecting NIH's standard eligibility framework for certain training and career development-related awards.

There are also clear restrictions regarding foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply either. However, "foreign components" are allowed when they meet the NIH definition in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning that certain portions of the work or collaborations can occur outside the United States if they are appropriately justified, structured, and compliant with NIH rules.

Administratively, this is an NIH discretionary grant opportunity in the education and health activity area, listed under CFDA number 93.398 and issued by the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity title is "The NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," and the funding opportunity number is RFA-CA-22-041. The original posting information indicates a creation date of 2022-08-18 and an original closing date of 2022-11-18. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided source data, which typically means applicants would need to consult the full announcement for budget and programmatic details.

Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted investment in people rather than a single standalone research project: it is intended to identify high-potential cancer researchers early, support their final stretch of doctoral training, and then provide a structured on-ramp into a high-quality postdoctoral experience that includes deliberate career development aimed at eventual independence in cancer research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00 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): 93.398.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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 22 041

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