A Message to Potential Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) Applicants and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Grantees from Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, Director, DCCPS

Recently, Dr. Richard Klausner, Director of NCI, made presentations to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) and the Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) and outlined major budget challenges facing us today. I want to highlight some of the important issues for DCCPS grantees and potential applicants.

The Average Size of R01 Grants Has Increased Dramatically
Until 1998, it was almost unheard of for NCI to have R01s over $500,000. In 1999, there were only 14 R01s over $500,000; in 2001, there were over 35 grants in this category, and the number continues to rise. Total costs of awards for these large R01s also have risen dramatically as have average total costs - now above $1.75M in 2001. The rise in costs has been driven by many factors but has been aggravated by the fact that Center for Scientific Review (CSR) committees no longer routinely review and provide detailed feedback on applicant budgets. This change has paralleled the move to modular grants. Thus, for 27 DCCPS large grants in the last review round, the total costs recommended and those approved were identical.

The Consequences of This Increase
The rapid escalation in the number of large-cost grants and the rise in costs per award have serious implications for the NCI budget for two reasons. First, the unexpected dramatic increase in the number and costs of grants places great strain on a budget that is predicated on the assumption that a substantial part of the budget is required to meet outyear commitments to already funded initiatives. Second, because the growth was unexpected and unpredictable, it makes budget management extremely difficult. Whatever our final budget allocation for FY02, there will be a several percentage points shortfall between what we receive and our commitments (which require ~ a 16.5% increase).

Think of the NCI budget as your family budget. Out of your paycheck, you pay for your car, food, insurance, mortgage and so on. Suddenly, you find your mortgage is much higher than it was last year. You need your house. So, of course, you pay the mortgage first. The NCI's commitment to Type 5 grant awards and the Research Project Grant (RPG) pool is analogous to NCI's mortgage. We are committed to support these existing obligations but do not want to preclude funding new grants. Our budget increases have indeed been impressive, and we are grateful. But even with these increases, our commitments outstrip available funds.

The Remedies
I give you this background to explain the reasons for the NCI's recent cost control measures. These measures were needed urgently to protect the RPG pool, to insure that we meet our commitments and that we continue to fund exciting new science. As you probably have heard, we stopped processing Accelerated Executive Reviews (AERs) for this year. NCI's Executive Committee has not yet determined whether there will be AERs in FY 2002. Budget increases for competing (Type 2) P01s will be limited to 20% above current budgets. Due to the current fiscal situation, we cannot make exceptions to these policies.

In addition, NCI soon will be issuing a PAS--Program Announcement (with NCI review and a set-aside) for Cohort Studies in Cancer Epidemiology. Proposals for new and competing large epidemiologic cohort studies ($500,000 or more direct costs in any year) should be submitted only through this mechanism. The NCI will not accept "large" unsolicited cohort applications. This new policy is essential if NCI is to engage in budget planning in the face of rapidly escalating costs. It has the advantage of providing grantees direct review through NCI's processes by reviewers who have specific expertise in the conduct of epidemiologic cohort studies. Using the PAS strategy should permit us to improve budget planning by making the process of receiving, reviewing and awarding one significant group of large cost studies more manageable and reliable.

NCI's Commitment to Cohort Studies
We want our epidemiology colleagues to understand, as Dr. Klausner has stated on numerous occasions, how much we appreciate and value cohorts and the enormous body of knowledge that has come from them. The PAS strategy does not represent a lack of support for cohort studies. Indeed, this area of research has grown dramatically over the last few years. The PAS is our best approach to budgetary planning while assuring that this critically important area of research receives appropriate review and continued support.

We will keep you informed about any additional changes. In addition, we will post the PAS as soon as it is available. We are grateful for the generous budgets NCI has received and for the significant contributions our grantees have made to the science base in cancer control. Please contact our program directors if you have any questions about how these policies affect you. I am always available as well.

For More Information
Information on a number of NCI websites provides additional information that may be helpful to you.

NCI Web site

Extramural Funding Opportunities Web site

Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Web site

Information on Large Grants

Fiscal Year 2001 Funding Policy

Dr. Sandra Melnick, Branch Chief, Analytic Epidemiology Research Branch, will be the Program Director for the cohort PAS. She can be reached at 301-435-3914, or by email melnicks@mail.nih.gov.