Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center for: A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 21 058

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 21 058

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-CA-21-058 supports a single Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center (DECC) for the CUSP2CT program, short for "A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials." This is a cooperative agreement (U24), meaning the awardee is expected to work closely with NIH staff in a more collaborative, guided relationship than a typical research grant. The DECC is designed to serve as the central hub that helps the overall CUSP2CT initiative function smoothly by standardizing data-related work, carrying out cross-site evaluation, and coordinating shared learning across the program. The FOA is explicitly "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," so the DECC is not meant to conduct or lead clinical trials; instead, it provides infrastructure, analytics, and coordination that support the companion CUSP2CT intervention projects funded under the related announcement (RFA-CA-21-057).

At its core, this opportunity is about improving how underrepresented populations connect to and participate in clinical trials by strengthening the program-level backbone that enables consistent measurement, accountability, and continuous improvement. The DECC role typically includes developing common data elements and reporting structures, ensuring data quality and harmonization across multiple projects, establishing secure and efficient data workflows, and producing analyses that allow NIH and participating sites to understand what is working, for whom, and under what conditions. In addition, the DECC is expected to run or support a learning collaborative, which is essentially an organized structure for funded sites and stakeholders to share experiences, troubleshoot barriers, exchange tools, and spread effective strategies across the network. The emphasis on evaluation and coordination signals that NIH wants comparable metrics and a coherent story of impact across the CUSP2CT portfolio, rather than isolated results from individual sites.

The applicant pool is broad and includes many common U.S. organizational types: state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other organizations. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories often connected to serving historically underrepresented communities, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the FOA clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) may not apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health and falls under the broad Education and Health activity area, with CFDA listings including 93.353 and multiple NCI-related lines (93.393 through 93.397). The original closing date listed is November 19, 2021, and the award ceiling shown is $350,000. While the notice does not specify the exact number of awards in the provided text, the DECC concept generally implies a centralized center supporting a broader set of companion awards, rather than multiple separate DECC awards.

In practical terms, a competitive DECC proposal for a program like CUSP2CT would usually be expected to demonstrate strong capabilities in multi-site coordination, implementation-focused evaluation, data governance, privacy and security planning, equitable stakeholder engagement, and communications that help sites learn from each other quickly. The key deliverable is not a clinical intervention itself, but the shared measurement and coordination infrastructure that enables the overall CUSP2CT program to generate credible, comparable evidence and to accelerate adoption of effective approaches for connecting underrepresented populations to clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center for: A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT) (U24 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): 93.353, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.397.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-09-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-19. (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 $350,000.00 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.

Apply for RFA CA 21 058

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