Provocative Questions (PQs) in Multiple Myeloma Disparities Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 279

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 279

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), through the National Institutes of Health, issued this discretionary grant funding opportunity (PAR-19-279) to support research that directly tackles stubborn, under-explored problems in multiple myeloma (MM) disparities. The core idea is built around NCI's "Provocative Questions" approach: instead of broadly funding any MM topic, this announcement points researchers toward a short, curated set of high-need questions where important scientific or real-world paradoxes exist and where the field has not paid enough attention. The goal is to push investigators to develop fresh, practical lines of inquiry that can clarify why disparities occur in MM and how they might be reduced.

Projects submitted under this FOA must be organized around one and only one of the six NCI-defined Multiple Myeloma Disparities Provocative Questions (MMD PQs). In other words, applicants are expected to pick a single PQ from the list and design the entire R01 research plan to answer that specific question. While the opportunity encourages creative thinking and new approaches, it is not meant to cover the full universe of multiple myeloma research priorities. It is intentionally narrow and challenge-driven: the research should aim to resolve a defined disparity-related problem or paradox that NCI has highlighted, rather than proposing a broad exploratory myeloma program.

The mechanism is an R01 research project grant, with clinical trials listed as optional, meaning applicants can propose either non-clinical-trial research or a clinical trial, as long as it is appropriate to the selected provocative question and fits NIH and NCI requirements for rigor, feasibility, and human subjects protections. The FOA also explicitly supports multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary strategies. That means a project can integrate methods and perspectives across fields (for example, tumor biology, genomics, immunology, epidemiology, implementation science, health services research, behavioral science, data science, or community-engaged research), as long as the work stays tightly aligned with the single chosen PQ and does not drift into unrelated aims.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common NIH applicant types such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and a range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, independent school districts), as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities and federally recognized tribal governments. Importantly, the FOA highlights additional eligible applicant categories that are especially relevant to disparities-focused work and community reach, including 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 (AANAPISI). It also calls out faith-based or community-based organizations, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), regional organizations, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions, signaling NCI's intent to encourage participation from institutions and communities that are often central to understanding and addressing inequities.

Programmatically, the announcement sits within NIH and NCI cancer research authorities and is associated with several CFDA numbers (93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399), reflecting its placement within NCI's broader grant portfolio. While the source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the announcement emphasizes targeted, question-driven R01 projects intended to produce clear advances on defined MM disparities problems. The opportunity was created on May 13, 2019, with an original closing date of November 15, 2020, indicating it was a time-bounded solicitation during that period.

In practical terms, a competitive application under this FOA would be expected to do a few things well: clearly name and quote (or precisely reference) the single selected MMD PQ; explain why the problem is paradoxical or unresolved and why it matters for MM disparities; propose a coherent set of aims that directly answer that question; justify the chosen approach (including any multi-level or cross-disciplinary components) as necessary to solve the specific problem; and, if a clinical trial is included, show that the trial design is ethical, feasible, and tightly linked to the provocative question rather than added as a general clinical study. Overall, the FOA is designed to catalyze focused, high-impact MM disparities research by narrowing the target to a small set of NCI-identified questions and encouraging investigators to bring new tools and perspectives to answers that have remained out of reach.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Provocative Questions (PQs) in Multiple Myeloma Disparities Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-15. (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 PAR 19 279

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