CANCER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM

Release Date:  December 22, 1999 (see replacement PAR-03-093)

PA NUMBER:  PAR-00-033

National Cancer Institute

This Program Announcement (PA) replaces PAR-94-004, which was published in 
NIH Guide, Vol. 22, No. 37, October 15, 1993.

PURPOSE

The Cancer Education Grant Program (CEGP) of the National Cancer Institute is 
a flexible, curriculum-driven program aimed at developing and sustaining 
innovative educational approaches that ultimately will have an impact on 
reducing cancer incidence, mortality and morbidity, as well as on improving 
the quality of life of cancer patients.  The CEGP invites investigator-
initiated R25 Grant applications that pursue a wide range of objectives from 
short courses, national forums, seminars, and/or hands-on workshops designed 
to educate scientists, health care professionals and the lay community; to 
the design, development and evaluation of new curricula of special 
significance to cancer in educational institutions; to structured short-term 
didactic and research experiences designed to motivate high school; college; 
and medical, dental and other health professional students to pursue careers 
in cancer research; to the development and evaluation  of new educational 
methods and tools directed at different audiences with the intent of having 
an impact on reducing cancer incidence and mortality. The R25  can also be 
used to fund symposia and support rapidly evolving areas (e.g., courses  in 
innovative screening).  

Education Grants (i.e., R25s) can focus on education activities before, 
during and after the completion of a doctoral level degree (e.g., Ph.D., 
M.D., D.P.H., D.D.S., and D.N.S.) as long as they address a need that is not 
fulfilled adequately by any other grant mechanism available at the National 
Institutes of Health and are dedicated to areas of particular concern to the 
National Cancer Institute. The CEGP encourages innovative uses of the R25  
grant to explore educational approaches that will help promote progress in 
preventing and curing cancer.

This PA will be active for two years.

HEALTH PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health 
promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a 
PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas.  This Program 
Announcement (PA), Cancer Education Grant Program,  is related to the 
priority area of cancer education and community–based programs.   Potential 
applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" at 
http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/hp2000

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Any not-for-profit or for-profit organization engaged in health-related 
education, research, or training and located in the United States, its 
possessions, or territories may apply for a CEGP.  If a foreign institution 
wishes to apply, it must first receive a formal waiver of the above 
requirement in writing from the NCI. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, 
women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as principal 
investigators.

The R25 grant may not be used to conduct traditional biomedical research or 
as a training grant. Applicants who submit a research proposal that should be 
reviewed and funded like all other research grants (e.g., R01s, P01s) rather 
than as education grants (e.g., R25) will have their applications returned. 

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT 		

The mechanism of support for the Cancer Education Grant is the R25  grant 
mechanism.  R25 Education grants are not  typical research instruments but do 
involve experiments in education that require an evaluation  plan in order to 
determine  the degree of success or failure. 

Applicants may request up to five years of support in single grant period in 
order to develop or maintain a specific education program.  Short-term 
studies limited to five years or less with no plans for renewal are 
encouraged.  Long-term programs, however, may receive continued support in 
additional increments of five years or less.  In every case, however, the  
maximum duration will be recommended by peer reviewers.

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs are payable at the rate of 8 
percent of total modified direct costs.  The 8 percent F&A cost rate will 
also apply to all subcontracts on R25 awards.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The Cancer Education Grant Program was reorganized in 1993 to provide 
institutions a wide range of opportunities to develop and sustain unique, 
innovative curriculum-driven programs that focus on various cancer education 
activities as opposed to the conduct of biomedical research.  The development 
of more refined, more effective education methods and tools for biomedical 
scientists, health care professionals, for students and the lay community are  
essential components of the overall objective of the National Cancer 
Institute to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.  The R25 grant  often 
involves new educational or curriculum approaches that are subject to 
evaluation to determine their success or failure.   The NCI supports the R25 
so that better education methods and tools can be developed that focus on  
advancing  our understanding of cancer, early detection, diagnosis, 
prevention and treatment strategies in order to reduce cancer incidence and 
mortality.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN STUDIES INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and 
their sub-populations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification are provided that inclusion is 
appropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the 
research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 
(Section 494B of Public Law 103-43)

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
“NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical 
Research” which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994 
(FR 59 14408-14513), and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Vol. 23, 
No. 11, March 18, 1994.  It is also available electronically at the URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not94-100.html
   
Investigators may also obtain a copy of the policy from the program staff or 
contact person listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide 
additional relevant information concerning the policy.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 
21) must be included in all human subjects research conducted or supported by 
NIH, unless there are clear and compelling scientific and ethical reasons not 
to include them.  This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications 
submitted for receipt dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposed studies involving human subjects should read the 
“NIH Policy and Guidelines on Inclusion of Children as Participants in 
Research Involving Human Subjects” that was published in the NIH GUIDE FOR 
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS, March 6, 1998 and is available at the following URL 
address: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes a 
descriptive title of the proposed education program; the name, address, and 
telephone number of the Principal Investigator; and the number and title of 
the PA in response to which this application may be submitted.  Although a 
letter of intent in not required, is not binding, and does not enter in the 
review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows 
NCI staff to estimate the potential review workload and avoid conflict of 
interest in the review.   The letter of intent should be sent approximately 
five weeks prior to the date of submission to the program individual listed 
under INQUIRIES.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applications are to be submitted using the PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application 
kit and will be accepted by the on the regular receipt dates for new and 
revised applications as listed in the 398 form.  The  R25 allows for a wide 
range of approaches and topics but applicants are expected to generally 
follow the instructions and Table of Contents provided in the 398 application 
kit with respect to the organization of the application. These application 
kits are available on the NIH website (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm 
), at most institutional offices of sponsored research or from the Division 
of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of 
Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Phone (301) 435-0714, Fax: (301) 480-
525, e-mail: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.  

All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within 
specified page limitations.  Unless otherwise specified in an NIH 
solicitation, internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide 
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation 
to view the Internet sites.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site (see  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-004.html).

Because of the wide spectrum of possible ways to use the R25, all applicants 
are urged  to contact NCI program staff  before preparing an application (see 
INQUIRIES). 

All applications when completing the Face Page (or Page AA) of the Form PHS 
398 must check YES on line 2 and write in the number and title of this PA. 

The original and three copies of the application must be submitted to the 
Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH to the following address:

Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040-MSC 7710
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7710
Bethesda, Maryland 20817 (for express/courier service)

To expedite the review process, which will be conducted by the NCI, two 
additional copies should be sent to:

MS. Toby Friedberg
Referral Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Room 8062, MSC 8239
Bethesda, MD 20892-8239
Rockville, MD 20852 (express/courier service)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The NCI requires a special section titled “Evaluation Plan” that clearly 
denotes how the proposed education program will be evaluated for success or 
failure based on its purpose and objectives.  One of the evaluation criteria 
should focus on the degree of portability that the proposed program may have 
to other cancer programs.   The NCI encourages the development of web 
versions of courses supported through the R25  grant mechanism. 

In general, allowable costs must be consistent with PHS policy and 
recommended by peer reviewers.  These costs include but are not limited to 
the following:  supplies, personnel costs, student compensation (when 
appropriate), consultant costs, equipment, travel, subcontractual costs, 
other expenses and other student costs (when appropriate).  Faculty members  
participating in the design and implementation of the education program can 
request,  with proper justification,  the percent of their time devoted to 
curriculum design and specialized organization, coordinating, and 
implementation activities which are essential to achieving the goals of their 
proposed education plan.

R25 grants many not be used to conduct traditional biomedical research or as 
training grants.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and 
adherence to all special requirements by the  NCI. Incomplete and/or non-
responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further 
consideration.  Applications that are complete and responsive to the PA will 
be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review 
group convened by the NCI in accordance with the review criteria stated 
below.  As part of the initial merit review, a process may be used by the 
initial review group in which applications receive a written critique and 
undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest 
scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications under review, 
will be discussed assigned a priority score, and receive a second level 
review by the National Cancer Advisory Board.

The review criteria that will be applied to the application are described 
below:

1.  Novelty and significance of the education program to cancer research 
and/or to the reduction of cancer incidence, mortality and morbidity and to 
the improvement of quality of life.  Development of  web versions of courses 
supported through the R25 grants, as well as symposia to support rapidly 
evolving areas (e.g. courses in innovative screening) are of major interest 
to the NCI.  

2.  Quality of the program leader (principal investigator) in terms of past 
track record of achievement and experience to provide direction, coordination 
and administration of the Education Program.

3.  Quality of the key personnel and/or faculty that will participate in the 
Program

4.  The overall quality and adequacy of the design of the Program to achieve 
its short-term and long-term objectives.

5.  Adequacy of the required “Evaluation Plan” to assess the effectiveness of 
the Program in achieving its objectives, and the degree of portability of the 
proposed program may have to other cancer programs.

6.  Evidence of institutional commitment and plans to continue the Program 
after the period of grant support ends when the program involves curricula 
development aimed at strengthening the educational capability of the 
institution (e.g., a new curriculum for researchers or health care 
professionals in training) or when the Program consists of educational 
activities directed toward the lay community and/or health care professionals 
in the community (e.g., outreach efforts of cancer centers).

7.  When appropriate, adequacy of plans to diffuse or disseminate knowledge 
learned from the program to the biomedical research and/or health care 
community through appropriate
publication in professional periodicals and journals, presentations at 
national meetings, etc.

8.  When appropriate, adequacy of proposed means for protecting human 
subjects against hazardous or unethical procedures and for protecting the 
privacy of human subjects.

9.  When appropriate, adequacy of plans to include both genders and 
minorities and their subgroups as appropriate for the goals of the education 
project and plans for recruitment and retention of subjects; adequacy of 
plans for including children as appropriate for the goals of the education 
project.  The applicant can also provide justification for exclusion of 
genders, minorities and children.

10. Appropriateness of the budget and duration of the support needed to 
achieve stated goals and objectives.  A recommendation of less than 5 years 
should reflect the peer reviewers’ judgement that the institution should 
accept responsibility for the program at an earlier time.  Within the overall 
budget review, evaluate faculty salary requests for specialized tasks, e.g., 
administrative and coordinating activities necessary for complex multi-
disciplinary or multi-institutional programs, or curriculum design and 
implementation activities.  These types of faculty activities should be 
distinguished from traditional preceptor-student type activities which are 
not allowable costs; preceptor-student relations are to be considered part of 
regular academic/professional duties.

The initial review group will also examine: the appropriateness of proposed 
project budget and duration; the adequacy of plans to include both genders 
and minorities and their subgroups, and children as appropriate for the 
scientific goals of the research and plans for the recruitment and retention 
of subjects; the provisions for the protection of human and animal subjects; 
and the safety of the research environment

In addition to the above mentioned  review criteria, additional criteria 
apply to proposed education programs that involves short-term experiences.

11.  The following review criteria apply specifically to any proposed 
education program that involves short-term experiences in a research 
environment:

- quality of the proposed short-term education program including the 
commitment of the participating faculty, the program design, the availability 
of research support, and the educational environment.

- access to candidates for short-term experiences and the ability to recruit 
high quality individuals from the applicant institution or other schools.

- characteristics of the education program that might be expected to persuade 
short-term participants to consider cancer research careers.

- success in attracting students back for repeated short-term appointments

- success in recruiting under-represented minorities.

- plan to follow former participants and to assess the effect of such a 
program on their research careers.
 
AWARD CRITERIA

Applications recommended by the National Cancer Advisory Board will compete 
for available funds with all other scored applications submitted in response 
to this program announcement.  The following will be considered in making 
funding decisions:  quality of the proposed project as determined by peer 
review, availability of funds and program priority.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries are encouraged.  The opportunity to clarify issues or questions 
from potential applicants is welcome.  You may consult the NCI website about 
its Cancer Education Activities.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues  to:

Dr. Brian W. Kimes
Office of Centers, Training and Resources
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 7011, MSC 8346
Bethesda, MD  20892-7390
FAX: (301) 402-4472
Email:  bk34t@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters  to:

Ms. Catherine Blount
Grants Administration Branch
National Cancer Institute 
Executive Plaza South, Room 243
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-3179
FAX: (301) 496-8601
Email: cb136g@nih.gov

Direct inquiries regarding review issues to:

Ms. Toby Friedberg
Division of Extramural Activities
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard, Room 8062, MSC 8239
Bethesda, MD 20892-8239 
Rockville, MD 20852 (express/courier service)
Telephone: (301) 496-3428
Fax: (301) 402-0275
Email: tf12w@nih.gov 

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, 
Number 93.398, Cancer Research Manpower.  Awards are made under authorization 
of the Sections 301 and 405 of the  Public Health Service Act as amended (42 
USC 241 and 284) and administered under NIH grants policies and Federal 
Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.  This program is not 
subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 
or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a 
smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In 
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking 
in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which 
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early 
childhood development services are provided to children.  This is consistent 
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of 
the American people.

Return to Volume Index

Return to NIH Guide Main Index

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Note: For help accessing PDF, RTF, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RealPlayer, Video or Flash files, see Help Downloading Files.