NCI Grant Programs (At-A-Glance)

F31 Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award
Provides predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas leading toward the research degree (e.g., Ph.D.).

F32 Individual National Research Service Award (Fellowships)
Provides postdoctoral research training in nonprofit institutions here and abroad. Applicants must establish their acceptance by a preceptor and must present a detailed description of the research project they will undertake as part of their research training. Residencies may not be supported by this program. Recipients are subject to service and/or payback requirements.

F33 National Research Service Award for Senior Fellows
Provides opportunities for experienced scientists to make major changes in the direction of research careers, broaden scientific background, acquire new research capabilities, or take time from regular professional responsibilities for increasing capabilities to engage in health-related research. 

K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award
Provides research scientists with an additional period of sponsored research experience as a way to gain expertise in a research area new to the applicant or in an area which would demonstrably enhance the applicant's scientific career. 

K07 Academic Career Award
Provides support for more junior candidates who are interested in developing academic and research expertise in a specific area or to support more senior individuals with acknowledged scientific expertise and leadership skills who are interested in improving the curricula and enhancing the research capacity within an academic institution.

K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
Supports the development of outstanding clinical research scientists. It provides specialized study for clinically trained professionals who are committed to a career in research and have the potential to develop into independent investigators. 

K12 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Program Award
Supports newly trained clinicians appointed by an institution for development of independent research skills and experience in a fundamental science within the framework of an interdisciplinary research and development program.

K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
Provides clinical investigators with didactic training and mentored research experience. 

K24 Mid-Career Investigator in Patient-Oriented Research Award
Provides clinical investigators the opportunity to have dedicated research time and to mentor other investigators. 

K30 Institutional Curriculum Award
Supports the development, conduct, and evaluation of the curriculum designed to improve the quality of the training available to aspiring clinical investigators. 

P20 Cancer Education Grant
Supports planning for new programs, expansion or modification of existing resources, and feasibility studies to explore various approaches to the development of interdisciplinary programs that offer potential solutions to problems of special significance to the mission of the NIH. These exploratory studies may lead to specialized or comprehensive centers.

R25 – Cancer Education Grant
Cancer Education Grants (R25s) support the development and implementation of programs related to education, information provision, training, technical assistance, coordination, or evaluation. The NCI supports the following two distinct Cancer Education programs:

The NCI Cancer Education Grant Program (R25E) is a flexible, curriculum- driven program aimed at developing and sustaining innovative educational approaches that will ultimately reduce cancer incidence, mortality, and morbidity, as well as improve the quality of life of cancer patients. These awards address a need that is not fulfilled adequately by any other grant mechanism available at the NIH and are dedicated to areas of particular concern for the NCI.

The NCI Cancer Education and Career Development Program (R25T) is an institutional grant program that supports the development and implementation of curriculum- dependent programs to train predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates in cancer research settings that are highly interdisciplinary and collaborative.

R25 Cancer Education Grant
Pursues a wide spectrum of objectives ranging from short courses, seminars, and hands-on experiences for the continuing education of health care professionals, biomedical researchers, and the lay community; to structured short-term research experiences designed to motivate high school, college, medical, dental, and other health professional students to pursue careers in cancer research; to comprehensive, integrated curricula and professional education programs within and between academic institutions intended to develop specialized scientific expertise of critical importance to the Nation's cancer research effort.

T32 Institutional National Research Service Award
Supports training opportunities at the predoctoral or postdoctoral level at qualified institutions. Applicants must have the staff and facilities for the proposed program. After the award is made, the institution's training program director is responsible for selecting the trainees and for administering the program. Residencies may not be supported by this program.

U54 Specialized Center - Cooperative Agreement
Supports any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These differ from program project in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes, with funding component staff helping to identify appropriate priority needs.

U56 Exploratory Grant - Cooperative Agreement
Supports planning for new programs, expansion or modification of existing resources, and feasibility studies to explore various approaches to the development of interdisciplinary programs that offer potential solutions to problems of special significance to the mission of the NIH. These exploratory studies may lead to specialized or comprehensive centers. Substantial Federal programmatic staff involvement is intended to assist investigators during performance of the research activities, as defined in the terms and conditions of award.