Cancer Biology Research
Active
- Assistance listing
- 93.396
- Agency
-
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
- Grant awards
- 17,918 $20,866,081,693 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 75-0849-0-1-550
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute funds fundamental research on the causes, mechanisms, and nature of cancer through the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396), with the most recent grant award disbursed on September 3, 2026. The program has supported 17,918 awards since 1975, distributed across 309 awards in 2026, 217 in 2025, 339 in 2024, and averaging around 360 annually in prior years, indicating sustained and consistent activity. Combined federal dollars obligated total $20.87 billion, with an additional $1.01 billion in non-federal cost-share contributions.
The program funds concrete research activities including cancer cell biology, cancer immunology and hematology, tumor biology and metastasis, DNA and chromosomal aberrations, and structural biology with molecular applications. Recent awards exemplify this scope: gut microbiota-driven tuft-2 cell expansion in early-onset colorectal cancer; mechanisms by which CAMK2B loss promotes metastasis and immune suppression in pancreatic cancer; lineage reprogramming drivers in diffuse gastric cancer; transcription factors enhancing CAR-T cell efficacy in solid tumors; and non-canonical splicing complexity using large language models and single-cell transcriptomics.
Project Grants comprise 87 percent of the portfolio (15,635 awards), with Cooperative Agreements at 10 percent (1,733 awards) and Block Grants at 3 percent (550 awards). The National Cancer Institute dominates funding, accounting for 4,796 awards and $14.91 billion in federal dollars obligated. The broader National Institutes of Health contributed 12,743 awards totaling $5.5 billion. The Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH Office of the Director, and the NIH National Institute on Aging round out the funder base.
Award magnitudes range from modest amounts—$5 thousand for a conference grant supporting the 2026 FASEB Protein Phosphatases meeting—to substantial research programs. Representative awards include $787.336 million for targeting stress hormone receptor signaling in triple-negative breast cancer, $793.679 million for whole-body redox maps in metastatic cancer therapy, $785.938 million for the Cancer Epitope Database and Analysis Resource, and $2.038 million for a program project investigating early breast cancer local and distant relapse mechanisms.
Regular grant applications are reviewed competitively on scientific merit, technical adequacy, investigator competency, facility adequacy, and budget necessity. Standard receipt dates for R01 and renewal applications are April 5, August 5, and December 5. The program structure permits receipt of applications for regular grants, cooperative agreements, and block grants; cooperative agreements and contracts typically respond to Requests for Applications or Requests for Proposals with specified receipt dates. New Investigator and Early Stage Investigator R01 resubmissions follow expedited review dates outlined in NOT-OD-11-057.
Multiple grant opportunities currently open under the broader NIH ecosystem support cancer biology research aligned with this program. The Parent R35 Investigator-Focused Award (PAR-28-037, posted July 30, 2026) provides research program support with scientific flexibility for investigators at all career stages. The Advanced Development and Sustainment of Informatics Technologies for Cancer Research and Management (RFA-CA-28-003, posted July 28, 2026) supports continued advancement of informatics tools and resources. The NCI Research Specialist Awards (R50, posted May 6, 2026) provide career stability for exceptional non-tenure-track scientists contributing to cancer research but not serving as independent investigators. The Metastasis Research Network U54 Cooperative Agreement (RFA-CA-27-012, posted November 19, 2025, due September 25, 2026) solicits comprehensive understanding of cancer metastasis through system-level approaches addressing early dissemination, microenvironment crosstalk, dormancy, and therapy response mechanisms.
Objective and description
- Objective
To provide fundamental information on the cause and nature of cancer in people, with the expectation that this will result in better methods of prevention, detection and diagnosis, and treatment of neoplastic diseases. Cancer Biology Research include
- Description
To provide fundamental information on the cause and nature of cancer in people, with the expectation that this will result in better methods of prevention, detection and diagnosis, and treatment of neoplastic diseases. Cancer Biology Research includes the following research programs: cancer cell biology; cancer immunology, hematology and etiology; DNA and chromosomal aberrations; tumor biology and metastasis; and structural biology and molecular applications.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
The awardee will be a university, college, hospital, public agency, nonprofit research institution or for-profit organization that submits an application and receives a grant for support of research by a named principal investigator. To be eligible for funding, a grant application must be approved for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific review group and a national advisory council.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Any nonprofit or for-profit organization, company, or institution engaged in biomedical research.
- Uses of assistance
Grants and cooperative agreements may be made to eligible institutions for the support of cancer research projects. The grants and cooperative agreements may be used for personnel, consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel, patient costs, animals, alterations and renovations, miscellaneous items, and Facilities and Administrative Costs (formerly known as indirect costs).
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Grants and Cooperative Agreements: Average 3 to 5 years, and a maximum of 5 years. Renewals may be awarded for additional periods of up to 5 years based on competitive peer review. Funding is provided through Monthly Demand Payment System or an Electronic Transfer System.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
The major elements in evaluating applications include assessments of: (1) The scientific merit and general significance of the proposed study and its objectives; (2) the technical adequacy of the experimental design and approach; (3) the competency of the proposed investigator or group to successfully pursue the project; (4) the adequacy of the available and proposed facilities and resources; (5) the necessity of the budget components requested in relation to the proposed project; and (6) the relevance and importance to announced program objectives. The following will be considered in making funding decisions: 1) Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review; 2) Availability of funds; and 3) Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.
- Award procedure
Grant applications are evaluated by scientific authorities for scientific and technical merit. Applications must also be reviewed by the National Cancer Advisory Board. All competitive applications compete for available funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit, program relevance, and program balance, consistent with NCI and NIH priorities and strategic plans. Initial award provides funds for the first budget period (usually 12 months) and Notice of Grant Award (Form PHS 1533-2) indicates support recommended for the remainder of the project period, allocation of Federal funds by budget categories, and special conditions, if any.
- Deadlines
All Grants including renewals and supplements: April 5, August 5, December 5. Cooperative Agreements and contracts are usually submitted in response to a Request for Applications (RFA) or a Request for Proposals (RFP). The receipt date is stipulated in the RFA or RFP. Note that for New Investigator and Early Stage Investigators applying for an R01 resubmission there are expedited review dates described in NOT-OD-11-057 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-11-057.html).
- Time to approval or disapproval
Regular Grants: Approximately 10 months.
- Renewals
Applications submitted for renewal are reviewed and selected for funding on a competitive basis.
- Appeals
A principal investigator may question the substantive or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not97-232.html
Grant opportunities
Show 40 more
Latest 50 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 17,918 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Univeristy Of Texas M.d. Anderson Cancer Center | $617,166,316 | 3% |
| 2 | Sloan-Kettering Institute For Cancer Research | $541,074,560 | 3% |
| 3 | The Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York | $517,945,181 | 2% |
| 4 | The Regents Of The University Of California. San Francisco | $420,914,797 | 2% |
| 5 | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | $420,396,430 | 2% |
| 6 | The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania | $364,731,797 | 2% |
| 7 | The Leland Stanford Junior University | $346,521,204 | 2% |
| 8 | Regents Of The University Of Michigan | $345,539,239 | 2% |
| 9 | University Of California, San Diego | $339,831,728 | 2% |
| 10 | The Washington University | $317,991,675 | 2% |
10 of 719 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $981,729,443 |
| FY2025 | $1,640,963,672 |
| FY2024 | $1,983,032,919 |
| FY2023 | $2,173,518,455 |
| FY2022 | $1,828,803,156 |
| FY2021 | $1,617,355,968 |
| FY2020 | $712,324,701 |
| FY2019 | $615,583,071 |
| FY2018 | $584,849,375 |
| FY2017 | $569,618,769 |
| FY2016 | $556,880,791 |
| FY2015 | $531,091,051 |
| FY2014 | $490,158,885 |
| FY2013 | $481,280,897 |
| FY2012 | $511,023,256 |
| FY2011 | $510,572,755 |
| FY2010 | $507,313,774 |
| FY2009 | $500,294,421 |
| FY2008 | $273,413,803 |
| FY2007 | $345,310,332 |
| FY2006 | $533,373,280 |
| FY2005 | $549,817,862 |
| FY2004 | $560,883,778 |
| FY2003 | $519,302,962 |
| FY2002 | $465,623,461 |
| FY2001 | $233,684,321 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 93.396?
Assistance Listing 93.396 is Cancer Biology Research, a federal grant program run by National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services).
What is the CFDA number for Cancer Biology Research?
Its CFDA number is 93.396: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 93.396 awarded?
17,918 grant awards under 93.396 have obligated $20,866,081,693 in federal funds to 719 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 93.396?
The recipients obligated the most under Cancer Biology Research are The Univeristy Of Texas M.d. Anderson Cancer Center ($617,166,316), Sloan-Kettering Institute For Cancer Research ($541,074,560) and The Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York ($517,945,181).
How much did 93.396 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 93.396 obligated $1,640,963,672 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 93.396?
31 of the latest 50 opportunities under 93.396 are open or forecasted. The latest, Investigator-Focused Award (Parent R35), was posted on July 30, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
- Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
- Alerts for new opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this program