NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 23 058

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 058

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity that uses the R03 mechanism to fund small, focused cancer research projects that can be completed in a relatively short time frame with limited resources. It is published as PAR-23-058 and is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials when appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required. The program is designed to support early-stage or targeted work that can generate preliminary data, test concepts, or move a research idea forward without needing the scale and budget of larger NIH mechanisms.

The FOA is intentionally broad in the types of projects it will support, as long as the work is clearly tied to cancer research. Common project types under this R03 include pilot and feasibility studies that explore whether a larger research direction is workable, secondary analyses of existing datasets to answer focused cancer-related questions without collecting new data, and small, self-contained research projects where the scope is deliberately limited and tightly defined. It also supports the development or refinement of research methodologies, as well as early development of new research technologies, which can include tools, approaches, or technical innovations that improve how cancer research is conducted. In practical terms, this makes the announcement well-suited for investigators who need modest funding to validate an approach, establish proof-of-concept, or produce the kind of evidence that strengthens a subsequent application for a larger grant.

Eligibility is wide and includes many sectors that participate in biomedical and public health research. Eligible applicants span government entities such as state, county, and city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, along with public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are eligible across the spectrum, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations (both those with 501(c)(3) status and those without that status, in each case other than institutions of higher education) and for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses themselves. Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) are included under eligible applicant categories, reflecting the program's openness to research efforts that may be rooted in or closely partnered with tribal communities.

In addition to the general categories above, the announcement explicitly highlights several "other eligible applicants" to make clear that the program welcomes proposals from a range of mission-driven and community-rooted institutions. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). It also calls out eligible agencies of the federal government, faith-based or community-based organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, regional organizations, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions. The overall effect is to lower barriers to participation for institutions that may not always be centered in traditional biomedical funding pipelines, while still supporting rigorous, cancer-relevant research.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is run by the National Institutes of Health with the National Cancer Institute as the sponsoring institute, and it is associated with CFDA (Assistance Listing) number 93.393. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is listed as Education and Health, consistent with NIH's biomedical research mission and training-through-research ecosystem. The record shows a creation date of 2022-12-05, and an original closing date of 2026-01-07, indicating that the omnibus announcement covers multiple receipt cycles spanning the 2023 through 2025 period under a single umbrella, rather than operating as a one-time competition.

In plain terms, this FOA is meant for cancer researchers who have a strong, specific idea that does not require a large team, large patient cohort, or expensive infrastructure to produce meaningful results. It fits projects where the key deliverable is a targeted dataset, a methodological advance, a validated assay or workflow, a feasibility demonstration, or a carefully scoped analysis that can inform the next step. Because it is an NCI omnibus small-grants announcement, it functions as a flexible entry point for many different corners of cancer research, including projects that are exploratory, technology-enabling, or focused on answering a single well-framed question using existing resources.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2023, 2024, and 2025 (NCI Omnibus) (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-07. (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 23 058

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