Optimizing the Management and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors Transitioning to Follow-up Care (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA CA 19 035

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The goal is to improve what happens to adults after they complete active cancer treatment and transition into follow-up (survivorship) care. The focus is on developing and rigorously testing interventions that make follow-up care more coordinated, clear in terms of responsibility, consistent in surveillance, and better connected to supportive services so that long-term health, quality of life, and timely detection of recurrence or late effects improve.

Which agency is offering this grant?

The grant opportunity was released by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

What is the FOA number for this opportunity?

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number is RFA-CA-19-035.

What type of grant mechanism is used?

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism and is described as a discretionary grant.

Is a clinical trial required under this FOA?

Yes. The FOA is designated as "R01 Clinical Trial Required," meaning applicants are expected to test their proposed intervention using a clinical trial framework to generate strong evidence of impact, not only feasibility or acceptability.

What kinds of interventions does NCI want to fund?

NCI is looking for provider-level and system-level interventions that improve survivorship follow-up care during the transition out of oncology-led treatment. The intent is to move beyond describing problems and toward testing practical approaches that health care providers and systems can use.

Does this FOA focus on patient education or individual behavior change?

The defining emphasis is not solely on patient education or individual behavior change. Instead, the FOA prioritizes interventions at the provider and health system levels, such as improving coordination, defining roles, and redesigning workflows across oncology and non-oncology care.

Why is the transition into survivorship care considered a key focus area?

The transition is described as a vulnerable period where gaps in coordination, unclear responsibility for surveillance, inconsistent follow-up, and uneven access to supportive services can affect long-term outcomes, quality of life, and detection of recurrence or late effects.

What types of care coordination challenges is this FOA trying to address?

The FOA highlights problems such as unclear responsibility for surveillance, poor information flow from oncology to primary care, inadequate management of late effects, lack of guideline-concordant follow-up, and uneven access to supportive services.

Which providers or services are expected to be involved in funded interventions?

The FOA expects strategies that strengthen collaboration between oncology and non-oncology providers, including primary care clinicians, specialists managing comorbidities, rehabilitation services, mental health providers, and other supportive services involved in survivorship care.

What are examples of interventions that align with this FOA?

Examples mentioned include shared-care models, structured survivorship care planning integrated into the electronic health record (EHR), team-based care pathways, referral coordination tools, decision support, navigation models, and new workflows that clearly define roles across oncology and primary care.

What outcomes is NCI trying to improve through this research?

The FOA is aimed at measurable improvements in survivorship follow-up care and outcomes, including better coordination, clearer accountability for follow-up, more consistent surveillance, improved access to supportive services, and improved long-term health and quality of life for adult survivors, including timely detection of recurrence or late effects.

How important are equity and underserved populations in this FOA?

Equity is a major emphasis. High priority is given to interventions tailored for or tested in racial and ethnic minority survivors and medically underserved adult survivors, as well as survivors receiving care in community settings.

Why does the FOA emphasize community settings?

The FOA recognizes that survivorship care can be unevenly delivered and that community practices may have fewer resources and less integrated infrastructure than large academic cancer centers. Interventions that can realistically be adopted or scaled outside highly resourced settings align strongly with the FOA priorities.

What barriers faced by underserved survivors are acknowledged in the FOA?

The FOA notes barriers such as limited access to specialty care, transportation challenges, fragmented insurance coverage, language barriers, and a greater comorbidity burden.

How many awards did NCI anticipate making?

NCI anticipated making about six awards.

What is the maximum award amount listed for this FOA?

The listed award ceiling is $500,000.

When was this FOA created and when did it close?

The FOA was created on March 27, 2019, and had an original closing date of June 28, 2019.

Is this FOA current or historical?

Based on the creation and closing dates provided, this specific announcement is historical. However, the content illustrates NCI priorities in survivorship care research, including coordinated care models, system redesign, and measurable improvements during the transition into follow-up care.

What is the program category associated with this opportunity?

The program is categorized under Education and Health.

Which CFDA numbers are associated with this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.353, 93.393, and 93.399.

Who is eligible to apply for this grant?

Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local 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; Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding universities when specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the FOA's additional eligibility language.

Why is eligibility so broad for this FOA?

The FOA is intervention-focused and recognizes that improving survivorship follow-up often requires partnerships across academic centers, community clinics, health systems, payers, and community-based organizations. Broad eligibility supports those cross-sector approaches.

What would a competitive application typically include under this FOA?

A competitive application would be expected to (1) identify a specific survivorship transition problem, (2) propose a provider/system-level intervention to address it, and (3) test the intervention using a robust clinical trial design to produce actionable evidence that health systems can use.

What is the overarching purpose of funding projects like these?

The purpose is to produce actionable, strong evidence about interventions that make survivorship follow-up care work better for adult cancer survivors, especially in populations and settings where gaps in care are most persistent.