Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 17 005
The Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers (CIMACs) (U24) opportunity, funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a cooperative agreement designed to build a coordinated national infrastructure for immune monitoring and correlative science tied directly to cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. The central aim is to fund two to three multidisciplinary CIMACs that function as the primary laboratory and analysis hubs for standardized correlative studies, meaning they generate and interpret immune-related data from patient samples collected in trials. These centers are intended to support consistent, high-quality immune profiling across multiple studies so that investigators can compare results, identify biomarkers, understand mechanisms of response or resistance, and generally accelerate progress in immuno-oncology.
A key feature of the program is that the CIMACs do not operate in isolation. They are part of a broader CIMACs-CIDC Network that combines the CIMAC laboratories with a single Cancer Immunologic Data Commons (CIDC), funded separately through a companion funding announcement (RFA-CA-17-006). In practice, the Network structure is meant to connect standardized sample testing and analytic workflows (handled by CIMACs) with centralized data management, integration, and sharing capabilities (handled by the CIDC). This design reflects an emphasis on end-to-end coordination: clinical trials generate specimens and clinical metadata, CIMACs process and analyze them using harmonized approaches, and the CIDC serves as the data backbone that enables aggregation, accessibility, and cross-trial analyses.
Administratively, this funding opportunity is a discretionary grant using a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24). Cooperative agreements typically indicate substantial NIH program involvement compared with standard research grants, which aligns with the Network concept and the need for cross-site coordination, shared standards, and unified operating procedures. The FOA is categorized under education and health activities and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.394 and 93.395. The original closing date listed for applications was March 17, 2017, and the opportunity was created on December 16, 2016. The award ceiling is listed as $1,400,000, indicating the upper bound expected for an individual award under this announcement.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types, reflecting an intention to draw on a wide range of institutional capabilities in immunology, oncology, clinical laboratory operations, and data analysis. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, 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 (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when specified in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other types of 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 (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
At the same time, the announcement draws a firm boundary around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. In addition, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. Taken together, those restrictions mean that while the program may ultimately support research with broad global relevance, the funded operational centers and the work supported under this specific FOA must be fully domestic in terms of applicant organization and project components.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an effort to professionalize and scale immune monitoring in cancer immunotherapy trials by creating a small number of highly capable, networked centers operating under shared expectations, with a parallel data commons to ensure that results are organized, interoperable, and useful beyond any single study. The expected outcome is a stronger national capacity to generate reliable correlative datasets and translate them into actionable biological and clinical insights that can inform future immunotherapy development and patient care.Apply for RFA CA 17 005
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394, 93.395.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2016-12-16.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-17. (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 $1,400,000.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers (CIMACs) (U24)
What is the CIMACs (U24) funding opportunity?
The Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers (CIMACs) (U24) opportunity is a cooperative agreement funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is designed to create a coordinated national infrastructure for immune monitoring and correlative science that is directly tied to cancer immunotherapy clinical trials.
What is the main goal of the CIMACs program?
The central aim is to fund two to three multidisciplinary centers that serve as primary laboratory and analysis hubs for standardized correlative studies. These centers generate and interpret immune-related data from patient samples collected in cancer immunotherapy trials, supporting consistent, high-quality immune profiling across multiple studies.
How many CIMACs are expected to be funded?
The opportunity is intended to fund two to three CIMACs.
What does "immune monitoring and correlative science" mean in this program?
In this context, it refers to standardized testing, profiling, and analysis of immune-related measurements from patient specimens collected during immunotherapy clinical trials, along with interpretation of those results to support biomarker discovery and understanding of response or resistance mechanisms.
What kinds of outcomes is the program trying to enable?
The program is intended to help investigators compare results across multiple studies, identify biomarkers, and understand mechanisms of response or resistance to immunotherapies, ultimately accelerating progress in immuno-oncology.
Do the CIMACs operate independently?
No. The CIMACs are designed to function as part of a broader CIMACs-CIDC Network. The network links standardized laboratory testing and analytic workflows at the CIMACs with centralized data management and sharing through the Cancer Immunologic Data Commons (CIDC).
What is the CIMACs-CIDC Network?
The CIMACs-CIDC Network is a structure that combines CIMAC laboratories (which process and analyze specimens using harmonized approaches) with a single Cancer Immunologic Data Commons (CIDC) that provides centralized data management, integration, and sharing capabilities.
What is the CIDC and how is it related to this opportunity?
The Cancer Immunologic Data Commons (CIDC) serves as the data backbone for the network, enabling aggregation, accessibility, and cross-trial analyses. It is funded separately under a companion funding announcement (RFA-CA-17-006).
What is the cooperative agreement mechanism (U24), and why is it used here?
This opportunity uses a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically indicates substantial NIH program involvement compared with standard research grants. That level of involvement aligns with the network model and the need for cross-site coordination, shared standards, and unified operating procedures.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $1,400,000, which indicates the upper bound expected for an individual award under this announcement.
When was this opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on December 16, 2016, and the original closing date listed for applications was March 17, 2017.
What agency is funding this grant?
The funding is provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
How is this opportunity categorized?
The FOA is categorized under education and health activities.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.394 and 93.395.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, 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 (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as allowed in the specified categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other types of entities.
Are specific institution types explicitly highlighted as eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly highlights categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; and U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Can a U.S. organization include a non-domestic component in its project?
No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible under this FOA.
Are foreign components allowed under NIH policy definitions?
No. Foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed.
What role do CIMACs play in relation to clinical trials?
CIMACs support cancer immunotherapy clinical trials by serving as the primary laboratories and analysis hubs for standardized correlative studies, generating and interpreting immune-related data from patient samples collected in those trials.
What does "standardized" or "harmonized" mean in the CIMACs context?
It refers to using shared standards and consistent approaches for specimen testing, immune profiling, and analysis so that results can be compared and integrated across different studies supported by the network.
What is the big-picture purpose of creating only a small number of centers?
The program is described as an effort to professionalize and scale immune monitoring by concentrating capabilities into a small number of highly capable, networked centers operating under shared expectations and linked to a centralized data commons.
What is the expected national impact of the CIMACs-CIDC Network?
The expected outcome is stronger national capacity to generate reliable correlative datasets from immunotherapy trials and translate them into actionable biological and clinical insights that can inform future immunotherapy development and patient care.
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