Human Tumor Atlas (HTA) Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 23 039

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 23 039

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is offering cooperative agreement funding (U01; clinical trial not allowed) to support Human Tumor Atlas (HTA) Research Centers as part of the broader Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN). The central goal of HTAN is to build detailed, three-dimensional (3D) and dynamic atlases that describe how human cancers and their surrounding microenvironments change over time. These atlases are meant to capture cellular, morphological, molecular, and spatial features as disease progresses along a timeline that can include early precancerous states through advanced cancer and metastasis. In practical terms, NCI is trying to accelerate a shared, high-resolution map of tumor evolution that shows not just which cells and molecules are present, but where they are located, how they interact, and how those relationships shift during key disease transitions.

Within HTAN, HTA Research Centers are one of three major scientific components. The other two components are Precancer Atlas (PCA) Research Centers and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC). HTA Research Centers are expected to construct a single atlas focused on a specific human cancer context (the NOFO emphasizes precancer or advanced cancer atlases) with an explicit emphasis on the role of evolving spatial organization. The intent is to understand how changing spatial relationships between tumor cells, immune cells, stromal elements, and other microenvironment features contribute to major biological turning points, including tumor initiation, progression, and the development of metastatic potential. In contrast, PCA Research Centers concentrate specifically on building comprehensive 3D atlases of premalignant lesions and on understanding the transition from a precancerous lesion to overt malignancy. The DCC functions as the hub that keeps the network aligned by managing data coordination and also organizing meeting coordination, helping ensure the separate center-generated atlases can be integrated, compared, and reused across the consortium.

The HTA Research Centers are described as having three core responsibility areas that together cover the full pipeline from specimen to atlas-quality outputs. First, centers must handle biospecimen acquisition, processing, and annotation. This implies not only collecting the right types of tissues and associated specimens, but also applying consistent processing practices and attaching high-quality metadata (clinical, pathological, and other contextual annotations) so the resulting datasets remain interpretable and useful when shared. Second, centers must conduct molecular, cellular, and spatial characterization, meaning they are expected to apply approaches that can describe tumors at multiple biological scales while preserving or reconstructing spatial context in 3D. Third, centers must perform data processing, analysis, modeling, and visualization, translating raw experimental outputs into standardized, analyzable formats and producing integrated views that can serve as an atlas resource for the broader community. The structure of these responsibilities signals that NCI is not simply funding data generation; it is funding end-to-end, shareable atlas construction with analytical and visualization deliverables.

Administratively, this opportunity is an NIH discretionary funding program using the cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically indicates substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant. The funding opportunity number is RFA-CA-23-039, and it is associated with CFDA numbers 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, and 93.399. The original closing date listed for applications was 2023-12-05. The award ceiling shown in the source information is $800,000, which sets an upper bound on the amount of support per award under the terms described in the listing.

Eligibility is broad across many U.S.-based organization types, spanning public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments (including counties, cities, townships, special districts), independent school districts, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other categories. The NOFO also calls out a range of mission-focused eligible applicants 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 (AANAPISISs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts non-U.S. participation in specific ways: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components (as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, which typically means certain project elements may be carried out abroad under defined conditions while the applicant organization itself remains domestic and meets NIH policy requirements.

Taken together, this NOFO is aimed at building a coordinated, networked set of tumor atlases that are comparable across centers and useful beyond any single laboratory. NCI is emphasizing spatially resolved, multi-scale characterization linked to well-annotated biospecimens and robust data processing and sharing. The expectation is that each funded HTA Research Center will contribute one high-value atlas focused on critical transitions in cancer progression, while operating in a consortium environment supported by the DCC for data and meeting coordination, so that the final products function as interoperable parts of a larger Human Tumor Atlas Network resource.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Tumor Atlas (HTA) Research Centers (U01 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): 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-12-05. (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 $800,000.00 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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