Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy Network (Can-ACT) for Pediatric Cancers (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA CA 22 029

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 22 029

The Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy Network (Can-ACT) for Pediatric Cancers funding opportunity (RFA-CA-22-029) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) initiative under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is designed to build a collaborative research network focused on getting promising adoptive cellular therapy approaches into early-stage clinical trials. The program uses the UG3/UH3 phased cooperative agreement mechanism and explicitly requires clinical trials, meaning applicants are expected to propose and carry out early clinical testing rather than stopping at laboratory or animal studies. While the title highlights pediatric cancers, the network is framed to stimulate early adoptive cell therapy trials for both adult and pediatric solid tumors, with a strong emphasis on accelerating translation from preclinical work into first-in-human or other early clinical settings.

At the core of the FOA is the idea that moving new cell therapy products into the clinic is often slowed down by fragmented development, inconsistent preclinical packages, manufacturing hurdles, and gaps between discovery teams and clinical trial infrastructure. Can-ACT is meant to address those bottlenecks by supporting multi-investigator, team-based efforts that combine the key capabilities needed to develop and clinically test adoptive cellular therapies. The opportunity stresses novel and collaborative approaches to preclinical testing and translational studies, signaling that the NCI wants applicants to propose coordinated development plans that make it easier to de-risk and advance candidate cell therapies into clinical evaluation. In practice, this means the proposed network projects should bring together expertise in areas such as cell engineering and product design, tumor immunology, translational biology, GMP or other clinically appropriate manufacturing and quality systems, clinical protocol development, regulatory planning, and clinical trial execution for solid tumors, including pediatric populations.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial scientific or programmatic involvement by the NIH/NCI during the life of the award compared with a standard research grant. The activity category is listed as Education/Health and the CFDA number is 93.395, aligning it with NCI-supported cancer research programs. The two-phase UG3/UH3 structure generally reflects a milestone-driven approach: an initial phase intended to complete critical planning, optimization, and readiness activities, followed by a second phase intended to carry out the larger, implementation-focused work such as launching and conducting the clinical trial once predefined milestones are met. The overall intent is speed and accountability, with clear transition expectations from preparatory work to real clinical testing.

A wide range of domestic organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when categorized that way); public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. The FOA also allows for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses, as well as an "other" category that can capture additional eligible entity types. The announcement also calls out additional eligible groups 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, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a firm boundary around foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Key administrative details provided in the source data include the original closing date of June 30, 2023, and a creation date of August 24, 2022. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the data shown, which often means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text for budget guidance, project period limits, milestone expectations, and the anticipated scale of the network. Overall, the opportunity is positioned for groups that can credibly assemble the full pipeline needed to advance an adoptive cellular therapy concept into an early clinical trial for solid tumors, particularly pediatric cancers, while working in a coordinated, network-style model designed to shorten timelines and strengthen translational rigor.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy Network (Can-ACT) for Pediatric Cancers (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 22 029

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: