Addressing Barriers to Healthcare Transitions for Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA CA 24 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 24 027

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is soliciting research applications under the funding opportunity titled "Addressing Barriers to Healthcare Transitions for Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-CA-24-027). This is a discretionary grant opportunity using the NIH R01 mechanism, with clinical trials allowed but not required. The focus is on improving what happens when survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers move from pediatric-focused care to adult-oriented healthcare systems, a period where many survivors can fall out of recommended follow-up and miss risk-based surveillance for late effects of treatment.

At its core, the FOA is looking for multi-level intervention studies that tackle both individual-level and system-level barriers that make transitions difficult. Individual-level barriers can include limited knowledge of late effects and surveillance needs, low confidence in navigating adult healthcare, psychosocial challenges, insurance and financial obstacles, or practical issues like transportation and competing life demands. System-level barriers often involve fragmentation between pediatric and adult care settings, poor information transfer, lack of standardized transition processes, limited adult provider familiarity with childhood cancer survivorship guidelines, scheduling and referral bottlenecks, and gaps in care coordination. NCI is signaling interest in interventions that do more than educate survivors; the intent is to test strategies that also reshape clinical workflows, communication pathways, and care delivery structures so that survivorship care continues reliably into adulthood.

The main goal is to develop and rigorously test interventions and strategies that promote high-quality transitional care and sustained engagement with appropriate long-term follow-up. This includes ensuring survivors receive recommended surveillance and preventive care as they age, particularly for late effects that may emerge years after treatment. The FOA emphasizes generating evidence that can translate into best practices and standards of care, with the expectation that successful models will be suitable for broad dissemination and adoption across healthcare systems. In other words, NCI is not only funding programs that work in one specialized center; it is looking for approaches with a clear path to scalability, implementation, and real-world impact.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, and local governments; 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 that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as 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, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

There are important restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant can include certain foreign collaborations or activities if they meet NIH requirements and are justified scientifically.

Administratively, the opportunity falls under CFDA number 93.399. The original closing date listed is October 11, 2024, and the opportunity was created June 7, 2024. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source details, which is common in some NIH announcements where final award numbers and budgets depend on application quality, available funds, and program priorities.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at building a stronger evidence base for how to keep childhood and adolescent cancer survivors connected to the right care as they enter adulthood, using interventions that address both personal barriers and healthcare system shortcomings. The endgame is practical: establish transition approaches that improve continuity, surveillance, and outcomes, and that can be adopted widely as standards of survivorship care.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Barriers to Healthcare Transitions for Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent Cancers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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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