Metastasis Research Network (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 27 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 27 012

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is offering a cooperative agreement (U54) to support a coordinated set of Specialized Centers that will collectively serve as the hub of the Metastasis Research Network (MetNet). The central purpose of this opportunity is to push metastasis research beyond isolated observations and toward a comprehensive, cohesive, systems-level understanding of how cancers spread and establish disease in distant organs. The emphasis is on basic research that can explain metastasis as a complex, whole-body process driven by non-linear, dynamic, and emergent biological behaviors rather than a simple, step-by-step pathway.

Each funded MetNet Center is expected to organize its application around a clear overarching scientific theme and then pursue that theme through two or three integrated, inter- and multidisciplinary research projects. The projects are expected to fit together logically, share concepts, methods, and data where appropriate, and jointly build a mechanistic picture of metastasis using integrative, system-level approaches. In practical terms, NCI is looking for centers that can connect multiple biological scales (for example, molecular signaling, cell state transitions, tissue mechanics, immune interactions, organ-specific niches, and therapy-driven selection pressures) and use that integration to explain why metastasis behaves the way it does across time and across different physiological contexts.

A key requirement is that the overarching theme must address the interplay between at least two major elements of the metastatic process. The NOFO highlights examples of these elements, including early dissemination (how and when tumor cells leave the primary site), crosstalk with the microenvironment (cellular interactions, soluble factors, and physical or mechanical features of tissues), dormancy (how disseminated tumor cells persist without overt growth and what triggers reactivation), and the ways metastatic cells respond to therapies (including mechanisms that enable survival, adaptation, and resistance in metastatic sites). Proposals can focus on any cancer type, and the NCI explicitly welcomes studies involving rare cancers and pediatric metastatic cancers, which are often underrepresented but critically important for understanding diverse metastatic biology.

This is a “Clinical Trial Not Allowed” opportunity, meaning the supported work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH. The intent is to fund foundational, mechanistic research that can later inform translational efforts, but under this NOFO the emphasis remains on basic, discovery-oriented investigation and integrative modeling of metastatic processes rather than testing interventions in human participants.

Administratively, the funding opportunity is titled “Metastasis Research Network (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)” with opportunity number RFA-CA-27-012. It is issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the NCI, and uses the cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally indicates substantial programmatic involvement by the NIH in network coordination, data sharing expectations, and overall direction toward network-level goals. The opportunity is categorized under Health and lists CFDA 93.396. The original closing date is September 25, 2026. The anticipated number of awards is four, and the listed award ceiling is $1,300,000.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. International participation is also explicitly allowed: non-U.S. (foreign) organizations may apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components (as defined in NIH policy) are permitted. Overall, the NOFO is designed to assemble a small number of well-integrated centers whose combined work can accelerate progress toward a unified, mechanistic understanding of metastasis as a systems-level phenomenon.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Metastasis Research Network (U54 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): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-25. (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 $1,300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• 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 RFA CA 27 012

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