Integration of Individual Residential Histories into Cancer Research (R21) | PA 17 295

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 295

The Integration of Individual Residential Histories into Cancer Research (R21) opportunity (PA 17-295) is an NIH discretionary grant designed to push cancer research beyond single-point-in-time location measures by bringing full individual residential histories into studies of cancer causes and cancer outcomes. The central idea is that where a person lives over the course of their life can shape exposures and risks in ways that are hard to capture with a one-time address, and NIH is looking to support projects that treat residential history as a key scientific input rather than a background detail. This includes work that links address histories to environmental, social, and built-environment factors over time and uses those time-varying exposures to better understand cancer etiology (how cancers develop) and outcomes (such as survival, recurrence, treatment response, or disparities).

A major emphasis of the FOA is methodological and analytical sophistication. The announcement explicitly encourages the development of complex analytical strategies that can handle the realities of residential history data: people move, exposures change, neighborhoods evolve, and different time windows may matter more than others. Competitive applications would typically propose rigorous approaches for reconstructing and using residential timelines, geocoding and harmonizing addresses across eras, dealing with missing or uncertain location periods, and modeling exposures that vary across both space and time. The intent is not just to build tools for their own sake, but to use these strategies in substantive investigations that clarify how cumulative, episodic, or critical-period exposures tied to place influence cancer risk and outcomes.

The mechanism is an R21, which generally supports exploratory or developmental research, often including early-stage but impactful ideas, proof-of-concept analyses, or novel integrative methods that may later scale into larger projects. The listed award ceiling in the provided source data is $200,000. The opportunity sits within NIH’s health-focused portfolio and is associated with CFDA number 93.393, aligning it with NIH cancer-related funding streams. The original closing date shown in the source data is 2020-09-07, and the FOA was created on 2017-06-22, which helps place it in time and suggests it may have had multiple receipt dates while active under the NIH announcement framework.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and several government and community sectors, reflecting NIH’s interest in bringing together data, expertise, and affected populations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional categories of eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. In practical terms, this means a wide range of institutions can lead projects, from universities and research institutes to community-based organizations and governmental bodies, which is important because residential history research often depends on partnerships, access to data systems, and community trust.

At the same time, the FOA is strict about non-U.S. involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. These restrictions mean that the project leadership, applicant organization, and funded work must remain within eligible U.S. organizational structures, without foreign components participating in a way NIH classifies as a foreign component.

Overall, this grant opportunity targets research that treats residential mobility and place-based exposures as central drivers in cancer research, and it favors proposals that combine strong cancer questions with credible plans to manage, integrate, and analyze residential history data over time. The expectation is that funded projects will help the field move toward more realistic exposure assessment and more nuanced models of cancer risk and outcomes, especially where cumulative or time-sensitive environmental and social factors tied to where people live may explain patterns that conventional approaches miss.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integration of Individual Residential Histories into Cancer Research (R21)" 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 2017-06-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

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