NCI Cancer Informatics Grant 2026: Up to $600,000 for Sustaining Research Software (RFA-CA-27-021)

​In contemporary oncology, data-driven research and digital tools are pivotal in shaping therapeutic strategies, diagnostic precision, and overall clinical outcomes. To ensure that the medical and scientific community retains access to robust digital infrastructure, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has issued a specialized Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Registered under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-CA-27-021 on Grants.gov, this initiative provides vital infrastructure funding designed specifically for the maintenance, refinement, and extended operation of widely adopted oncology informatics tools.

​Administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this program ensures that high-impact software, platforms, and databases built for cancer research remain reliable, secure, and technologically current. Rather than focusing on the initial creation of new software, this funding addresses a common gap in scientific development: the long-term sustainability and optimization of existing digital tools that the research community relies on daily.

​Quick Summary Box

Opportunity Overview

​This grant mechanism is a core component of the NCI’s Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) Program. The strategic mission of the ITCR is to foster research-driven informatics tools across their entire lifecycle to resolve critical challenges in modern oncology.

​Unlike companion ITCR grants that finance early-stage prototypes or advanced developmental scaling, RFA-CA-27-021 focuses exclusively on operations, maintenance, and evolving the scientific relevance of tools that have already achieved broad adoption. To qualify for support, applicants must clearly articulate the historical and ongoing benefits their resource brings to cancer research. The project description should demonstrate practical mechanisms for assessing the software's value, expanding its user base, and keeping it deeply integrated within the targeted scientific community.

​Benefits

​Recipients of this U24 cooperative agreement receive substantial operational resources to safeguard the continuity of their digital assets. The primary advantages include:

• ​Financial Stability: Individual awards can reach up to $600,000, providing the necessary capital to hire or retain dedicated software engineers, bioinformaticians, and data managers.
• ​Infrastructure Evolution: Funding can be utilized to upgrade user interfaces, optimize algorithmic code, migrate to secure cloud environments, and patch critical security vulnerabilities.
• ​Community Integration: Allocations support user workshops, documentation updates, and technical helpdesks, ensuring the resource remains accessible to the broader research community.
• ​Enhanced Academic Credibility: Alignment with the NCI ITCR network raises the profile of the informatics resource, potentially driving higher adoption rates and opening avenues for future collaborative research.

​Eligibility Criteria

​The NCI welcomes a highly diverse group of applicants to ensure that valuable tools across various sectors can secure operational longevity. Eligible entities include, but are not limited to, the following organizations:

• ​Higher Education institutions: Both public and private universities.
• ​Nonprofit Organizations: Entities with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status (excluding institutions of higher education).
• ​For-Profit Entities: Both small businesses and larger commercial organizations.
• ​Governmental Agencies: State, county, city, township, and special district governments.
• ​Tribal Organizations: Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments.

​Eligible Healthcare Professions

​While the primary applicants are often institutional entities, the principal investigators (PIs), co-investigators, and technical teams driving these projects usually originate from specific intersecting healthcare and computational fields.

IMG/International Applicant Considerations

​The primary applicant entity must be based within the United States or meet the criteria specified for domestic organizations under NIH guidelines. However, foreign components of domestic applications are generally permissible. International medical graduates (IMGs), foreign clinicians, and overseas researchers can frequently participate as co-investigators, consultants, or collaborators, provided their expertise is essential to the tool's sustainability and benefits the domestic cancer research landscape. All foreign involvements must be explicitly justified within the application regarding budget allocations and scientific value.

​Required Documents

​To successfully advance through the NIH peer-review process, applicants must assemble a comprehensive documentation package via Workspace on Grants.gov. The mandatory files include:

1. ​SF-424 (R&R): The standard application for federal assistance forms.
2. ​Research Strategy: A detailed document detailing the tool’s architecture, historical adoption statistics, and plan for future maintenance.
3. ​Justification of Value: Explicit evidence demonstrating how the tool benefits cancer research.
4. ​Detailed Budget and Narrative: A breakdown of how the funds will be allocated across personnel, computing infrastructure, and community outreach.
5. ​Letters of Support: Documentation from user communities, institutions, or partner networks verifying the tool's utility.
6. ​Biosketch Profiles: Formatted professional histories for all key personnel.

​Application Process

​The application must be completed electronically using the Grants.gov portal or the NIH ASSIST system. The sequential workflow is outlined below:

1. ​Verify Registrations: Ensure the applying organization has active accounts with SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.
2. ​Create a Workspace: Open the application package corresponding to RFA-CA-27-021.
3. ​Complete All Sections: Populate the required fields, upload the PDF attachments, and clear any system-enforced validation errors.
4. ​Submit via AOR: The designated Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must perform the final verification and electronic submission.

​Tips to Increase Your Chances

• ​Provide Objective Metrics: Use quantitative usage data (e.g., active monthly users, citation counts in peer-reviewed literature, download statistics) to prove the tool's existing popularity.
• ​Detail a Community Engagement Plan: Show reviewer panels that you have a proactive strategy to train users, handle bug reports, and host educational webinars.
• ​Focus on Sustainability, Not Novelty: Avoid overemphasizing new, unproven features. Instead, emphasize how the funding will stabilize core functionalities and ensure long-term availability.

​Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ​Treating the Proposal Like an R01: Proposing entirely new, unvetted research hypotheses rather than focusing on software maintenance and user retention will lead to poor review scores.
• ​Inadequate Budget Justifications: Failing to explain why specific engineering personnel or cloud infrastructure costs are necessary can result in budget scaling or rejection.
• ​Delayed Registrations: Forgetting that SAM.gov or eRA Commons updates can take several weeks to process, causing missed submission deadlines.

​Application Timeline

Deadline

​The official closing date for submitting applications under this funding opportunity is October 19, 2026. Applications must be successfully received and validated by Grants.gov no later than 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization on this date. Late submissions are not evaluated except under strictly defined NIH policy exceptions (e.g., natural disasters).

​FAQs

​Q: Can this grant be used to build a completely new software application?

A: No. This specific NOFO is reserved for existing informatics tools that have already achieved a documented level of adoption within the cancer research community.

​Q: Is a clinical trial required for this U24 mechanism?

A: No. Clinical trials are optional under this funding opportunity number, meaning applications can be submitted with or without a clinical trial component depending on the nature of the tool.

​Q: What is the maximum award ceiling?

A: The maximum ceiling per individual award is $600,000 for a given budget year.

​Official Link(s)

​For full programmatic guidelines, application packages, and contact details for NCI program officers, refer directly to the official listing:

• ​Grants.gov Search Results Detail - Opportunity 359853

​Final Thoughts

​Funding opportunity RFA-CA-27-021 represents a critical mechanism for preserving the digital tools that underpin modern cancer research. By securing these funds, computational teams and clinical investigators can ensure their software platforms remain robust, updated, and highly accessible to global oncology researchers, ultimately advancing the collective fight against cancer.