Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Collaborations on Fusion Oncoproteins as Drivers of Childhood Cancer (Admin Supp) | PA 17 138

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 138

The funding opportunity titled "Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Collaborations on Fusion Oncoproteins as Drivers of Childhood Cancer (Admin Supp)" (PA 17-138) is an NIH/NCI administrative supplement program created under the Cancer Moonshot initiative. It was developed in direct response to a Blue Ribbon Panel recommendation aimed at speeding up high-impact cancer research by encouraging more coordinated, network-style science. The basic idea is to strengthen and accelerate ongoing NCI-supported projects by adding targeted, supplemental dollars specifically to build new interdisciplinary collaborations focused on fusion oncoproteins that drive some of the most challenging childhood cancers.

This announcement is not a stand-alone grant mechanism for brand-new projects. Instead, it provides extra funding to investigators who already hold an active NCI-funded parent award and want to expand the scope of that existing project in a way that remains scientifically within the parent grant's aims. The supplement is meant to support new collaborative work rather than routine extensions of what the parent lab already does. Emphasis is placed on forming dynamic, highly interactive teams that can combine expertise across disciplines, which often means linking groups that do complementary things such as mechanistic molecular biology, genomics, structural biology, chemical biology, model system development, computational approaches, and translational or clinically connected research.

Scientifically, the program targets fusion oncoproteins, which are abnormal proteins created when pieces of two different genes fuse together, often due to chromosomal rearrangements. These fusion proteins can act as powerful cancer drivers, particularly in pediatric malignancies where the genetic landscape can be dominated by such rearrangements rather than the high mutational burden seen in many adult tumors. The FOA focuses on improving the field's understanding of how these fusion oncoproteins function at a mechanistic level and how they contribute to disease initiation, maintenance, and progression. The cancers called out include childhood sarcomas, pediatric brain cancers, and high-risk leukemias, reflecting areas where fusion events are common and where outcomes can be poor or treatment options limited.

In practical terms, the supplement is meant to enable experiments or collaborative activities that would not happen as quickly, or at all, under the current funding of the parent award. That could include generating or characterizing model systems to study specific fusion drivers, performing deeper mechanistic studies of how fusion proteins regulate transcription or epigenetic states, mapping interaction partners or downstream pathways, or integrating data across multiple platforms to identify vulnerabilities. The central expectation is that the added work will advance understanding of fusion oncoprotein mechanisms in ways that are relevant to pediatric cancer biology and that benefit from genuine interdisciplinary collaboration.

From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is offered by the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health, and it falls under the NCI program associated with CFDA 93.396. A wide range of applicant organizations are listed as eligible in general terms, including various levels of government entities, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other entities as allowed in the full eligibility language. However, because this is an administrative supplement, the key practical eligibility requirement is that the applicant must have an active, eligible NCI-funded parent award to which the supplement can be attached, and the proposed supplement work must remain within the scientific scope of that parent project.

In terms of funding size and expected output, the announcement lists an award ceiling of $135,000 and anticipates about 6 awards, indicating a relatively selective program intended to fund focused, high-value additions rather than large multi-year expansions. The opportunity was created on January 26, 2017, with an original closing date of March 28, 2018, reflecting a time-bounded Moonshot-driven push to catalyze collaboration and accelerate progress in this specific area.

Overall, this FOA is designed to quickly inject resources into existing NCI-funded projects so investigators can form new collaborative connections and run targeted, mechanistic studies on fusion oncoproteins in pediatric cancers. The larger goal aligns with the Cancer Moonshot emphasis on speed, teamwork, and impactful biology: building collaborative networks that can clarify how these fusion drivers work and, by doing so, lay stronger groundwork for future diagnostic or therapeutic strategies for childhood sarcomas, brain tumors, and high-risk leukemias.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Collaborations on Fusion Oncoproteins as Drivers of Childhood Cancer (Admin Supp)" 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 Jan 26, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 28, 2018. (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 $135,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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