Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: Management and Data Coordination Unit (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 335

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 335

This opportunity (PAR-21-335) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24) tied to the Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium (PCDC), a multi-site program focused on improving early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and better understanding which precursor conditions are most likely to progress to cancer. The consortium is aligned with priorities set out in the National Cancer Institute's 2014 Scientific Framework for PDAC, with an emphasis on finding practical, validated ways to detect disease earlier than is typical today. The FOA is explicitly marked "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applicants are expected to propose activities that support research infrastructure, coordination, analysis, and related functions rather than running clinical trials under this award.

The PCDC is organized around two major components. One component consists of Research Units (RUs), which are multidisciplinary teams doing the hands-on scientific work such as discovering and testing biomarkers and developing screening approaches. The other component is the Management and Data Coordination Unit (MDCU), which provides the shared backbone that lets the consortium operate like a single, coordinated program rather than a collection of disconnected projects. Although the narrative in the source text describes RU research aims in detail, the title and mechanism here highlight the MDCU role: enabling, coordinating, standardizing, and managing the cross-consortium studies and shared resources that the RUs generate.

From a practical standpoint, the MDCU is expected to support study design and protocol development across consortium projects, provide statistical support and analysis expertise, and lead coordination and harmonization so data and biospecimens collected at different sites can be combined and compared in a meaningful way. It also takes on core responsibilities for data management and stewardship, which typically includes building and maintaining common data elements, data dictionaries, quality control procedures, secure data transfer and storage workflows, and ensuring that data are curated in a way that makes downstream analyses and sharing feasible. A major cross-cutting effort mentioned in the announcement is biorepository building, and the MDCU role includes coordinating the associated logistics and standards so longitudinal biospecimens collected by the RUs can be tracked, annotated, and used reliably for validation work. In other words, the MDCU functions as the operational center that keeps consortium-wide projects consistent, analyzable, and reproducible.

The scientific work the consortium as a whole is meant to accelerate includes development and testing of molecular and imaging biomarkers for early PDAC detection and for identifying high-risk individuals, including those with inherited risk factors or pancreatic precursor lesions. The consortium also targets improved characterization of pancreatic cysts to determine which are likely to progress to cancer, along with screening strategies for high-risk populations that may incorporate molecular and/or imaging-based approaches. Computational approaches, including machine learning, are specifically called out as tools for biomarker discovery and validation, and the RUs are expected to conduct biomarker validation studies supported by shared data and biospecimen resources. A key expectation across the PCDC is active collaboration: sharing ideas, data, and biospecimens within the consortium rather than keeping resources siloed at individual institutions, with the MDCU positioned to make that collaboration workable at scale.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, including various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, federally recognized tribal governments, and other tribal organizations. It also includes nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other categories highlighted by NIH for outreach and inclusion such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations. At the same time, foreign participation is restricted: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Key administrative details from the source listing include the funding opportunity title "Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: Management and Data Coordination Unit (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," opportunity number PAR-21-335, and CFDA number 93.394. The agency is NIH, the instrument is a cooperative agreement (which generally implies substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant), and the listed award ceiling is $500,000. The original closing date shown is 2024-06-11, and the opportunity was created on 2021-09-16.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: Management and Data Coordination Unit (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): 93.394.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-09-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-11. (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.

Apply for PAR 21 335

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