PAR-23-242: NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2023.
National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on December 9, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed December 9, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR50
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNCI
- Median yearly award$160,959
- Typical project length5 years
- R50, Research Specialist Award. Salary support for career research scientists who work in a research team without leading it. Other open R50 notices.
Projects funded under PAR-23-242 were run by National Cancer Institute (NCI, 29 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read PAR-23-242 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAR-22-187 | May 25, 2022 | Closed November 2, 2022 | Closed |
| PAR-21-285 | July 21, 2021 | Closed November 1, 2021 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | August 9, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | December 9, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | February 7, 2026 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- 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 (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 7 programs behind this notice (63% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites grant applications for the Research Specialist Award (R50) in any area of NCI-funded cancer research. This FOA is specifically for laboratory-based scientists. The Research Specialist Award is designed to encourage the development of stable research career opportunities for exceptional scientists who want to continue to pursue research within the context of an existing NCI-funded basic, translational, clinical, or population science cancer research program, but not serve as independent investigators. These non-tenure track scientists, such as researchers within a research program, are vital to sustaining the biomedical research enterprise. It is anticipated that only exceptional scientists who want to pursue research within the context of an existing NCI-funded cancer research program, but not serve as independent investigators, will be competitive for this award.
Funded under PAR-23-242 so far
NIH funded 29 projects under PAR-23-242 in fiscal 2024 to 2026, at 23 institutions. The median yearly award was $160,959.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| The next generation of liquid biopsies: Predictive and pharmacologic biomarkers | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 2026 | $104,101 |
| Integrative Multiomics and Clinical Laboratory Translation for Advanced, Rare, and Pediatric Cancers | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor | 2026 | $159,803 |
| Exploiting tumor metabolism to optimize T cell therapy | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ | 2026 | $177,500 |
| Leveraging Nanoparticle Interactions with Host Immune Cells to Detect and Treat Cancer | Johns Hopkins University | 2026 | $144,581 |
| Structural Investigations Critical to Understanding DNA Damage Recognition and Repair in Cancer | University of Vermont & St Agric College | 2026 | $184,769 |
| Elucidating and overcoming T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer | University of Minnesota | 2026 | $119,858 |
| Investigating epigenetic mechanisms of cancer | Van Andel Research Institute | 2026 | $204,106 |
| Deciphering genome integrity maintenance using cytogenomics | Stowers Institute for Medical Research | 2026 | $125,619 |
Who has won Cancer Treatment Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Treatment Research (93.395) awarded $5.6 billion across 3,622 grant awards, an average of $1.5 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Texas | 144 | $188 million |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | Massachusetts | 68 | $185 million |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 35 | $179 million |
| Public Health Institute | California | 4 | $168 million |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Washington | 57 | $156 million |
Who has won Cancer Biology Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Biology Research (93.396) awarded $4.3 billion across 3,142 grant awards, an average of $1.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 70 | $151 million |
| The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Texas | 109 | $144 million |
| Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research | New York | 66 | $136 million |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | Massachusetts | 47 | $107 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 64 | $95.5 million |
Who has won Cancer Cause and Prevention Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Cause and Prevention Research (93.393) awarded $3.6 billion across 2,517 grant awards, an average of $1.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Texas | 81 | $107 million |
| Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research | New York | 65 | $99.1 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 48 | $85.3 million |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | Massachusetts | 51 | $83.1 million |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 49 | $76.1 million |
Other programs behind this notice
- Cancer Centers Support Grants
- Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research
- Cancer Research Manpower
- Cancer Control
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is PAR-23-242 still open?
No. It closed on December 9, 2025.
Who can apply for NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for NCI Research Specialist (Laboratory-based Scientist) Award (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed December 9, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
Who has been funded under PAR-23-242?
NIH RePORTER lists 29 projects funded under PAR-23-242 in fiscal 2024 to 2026, at 23 institutions. The most were at Van Andel Research Institute, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ.
Who has won Cancer Cause and Prevention Research grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. The program made 2,517 awards worth $3.6 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- NCI Research Specialist Award for Core and Laboratory-based Scientists (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- NIH Research Software Engineer (RSE) Award (R50 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
- Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional)
- NCI Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist) Award (R50 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Single Source for the Continuation of the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Scientific and Data Research Center (U01 Clinical Trial Required)
- Single Source for the Continuation of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study Research Center (Collaborative U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)