NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 880

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 880

The NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (OIA), offered under the R35 mechanism and labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," is a National Cancer Institute funding opportunity designed to provide long-term, stable support to highly accomplished cancer researchers. Rather than focusing on a narrowly defined project with short time horizons, this award is meant to back an established investigator with a strong track record of productivity and impact, giving them the freedom to pursue ambitious ideas in any area of cancer research. The central purpose is to enable exceptional science by reducing the constant pressure of frequent grant renewals and encouraging investigators to take well-justified scientific risks, explore new directions, and invest time in developing novel methods or capabilities that could significantly accelerate progress.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on investigator excellence and the potential for unusually high-impact research. NCI is looking for proposals that either break new ground or extend prior discoveries into genuinely new directions or applications that could plausibly lead to major advances. The research scope is broad and can span biomedical, behavioral, or clinical cancer research, but the FOA explicitly indicates that clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement. In practical terms, that means the work proposed should not involve conducting a clinical trial as defined by NIH policy, even if the research is clinically relevant. The award is intended to support programs of research that can be more adventurous and creative than typical project-based grants, with an expectation that extended funding stability will help investigators undertake projects with "unusual potential" for breakthroughs.

Institutional nomination is another key component. Applications are submitted by an institution on behalf of an established Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI), reflecting the program's intent to recognize and support investigators who have already demonstrated sustained, outstanding contributions to cancer research. This structure signals that NCI is investing in the investigator's overall research trajectory and leadership rather than only a single, tightly bounded set of aims. The longer-term support model is meant to allow the investigator to adapt as discoveries emerge, pivot when warranted by new data, and pursue promising leads without needing to fit every step into a traditional, rigid grant framework.

Eligibility for applicant organizations is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities. 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights a wide range of other eligible organization types, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a clear boundary around non-U.S. applicants: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, foreign components, as defined in NIH Grants Policy, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant organization can include certain foreign elements within the project under NIH rules.

Administrative details in the source information indicate this is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health under the health-related assistance listing associated with cancer research (CFDA 93.393). The funding opportunity number is PAR-18-880, and the original closing date listed is 2018-11-02, with a creation date of 2018-07-30. The award ceiling is shown as $600,000. While the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, the overall framing makes clear that this mechanism is intended for a smaller number of highly competitive, investigator-centered awards aimed at enabling high-impact, forward-looking cancer research without supporting clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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 2018-07-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-11-02. (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 $600,000.00 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.

Apply for PAR 18 880

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: