Oncology Co-Clinical Imaging Research Resources to Encourage Consensus on Quantitative Imaging Methods and Precision Medicine (U24) | PAR 16 385

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 385

This National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity, titled "Oncology Co-Clinical Imaging Research Resources to Encourage Consensus on Quantitative Imaging Methods and Precision Medicine (U24)," supports the creation of shared research resources aimed at standardizing and improving quantitative imaging (QI) methods used in co-clinical cancer trials. Co-clinical trials generally pair studies in patients with parallel studies in relevant animal models, with imaging serving as a key tool for measuring tumor biology and treatment response in a way that can be compared across settings. The central goal of the FOA is to fund efforts that help the research community reach practical consensus on how QI methods should be optimized, validated, and implemented so that imaging data are higher quality, more reproducible, and more useful for precision medicine decisions.

The award mechanism is a U24 Cooperative Agreement, which typically means NIH expects substantial involvement during the project period, with funded teams working closely with NIH program staff and often coordinating with other funded groups. Rather than primarily funding hypothesis-driven experiments, this FOA is focused on building and disseminating research resources that the broader oncology imaging community can use. In this context, "resources" can include things like standardized imaging protocols, calibration procedures, reference datasets, software tools, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) frameworks, data formats and metadata standards, and guidance that supports consistent quantitative measurements across sites, scanners, and study designs. The emphasis on "encouraging consensus" signals that applicants are expected to do more than develop local best practices; they should engage stakeholders and produce outputs that can be adopted widely across the co-clinical imaging field.

The opportunity falls under NIH’s health and education-related research funding (CFDA 93.394) and is categorized as discretionary. The listed award ceiling is $500,000, indicating the maximum funding level per award under this announcement. The FOA was created on August 5, 2016, and the original closing date shown is June 14, 2018, which is important for context because it suggests this specific solicitation window has passed, even though the summary still captures what the program was designed to support.

A broad range of applicant organizations are eligible. This includes state, county, city/township, and special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized. This broad eligibility is consistent with resource-building goals, where multi-institutional participation and diverse perspectives can help drive standards that work in varied real-world settings.

Eligibility rules for international participation are more restrictive. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as applicants under this FOA. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain international elements in the project if they meet NIH’s definition and requirements. Practically, this often supports targeted collaborations, access to specialized expertise, or use of unique facilities while keeping the primary award and administrative control within an eligible U.S. organization.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at strengthening the foundation of quantitative imaging in oncology co-clinical research by funding infrastructure, standards, and community-driven guidance that make imaging measurements more consistent and comparable. By improving how QI methods are optimized and harmonized, the program is designed to reduce variability across studies, improve confidence in imaging-derived endpoints, and ultimately support more reliable translation between preclinical models and patient outcomes in precision oncology.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Oncology Co-Clinical Imaging Research Resources to Encourage Consensus on Quantitative Imaging Methods and Precision Medicine (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-08-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-06-14. (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 $500,000.00 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.

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