The "Interventions to Expand Cancer Screening and Preventive Services to ADVANCE Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01, Clinical Trial Required)" is a funding opportunity issued by the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) in collaboration with various National Institutes of Health (NIH) Centers and Institutes. This initiative focuses on advancing the use of cancer screening and preventive services in populations facing health disparities. Applicants are encouraged to propose multi-level interventions targeting two or more levels such as patient, clinician, healthcare setting, and community. Projects should also include timely follow-up of abnormal findings and linkages to accessible care.

The grant supports research projects aimed at improving the uptake of evidence-based cancer preventive services among NIH-designated health disparity populations. The objective is to address the multifactorial causes of health disparities—including access issues, lower screening uptake, and genetic predispositions—through innovative and scalable interventions. Collaborations with community organizations and healthcare providers are highly encouraged to promote or enhance implementation of screening and preventive measures beyond primary care settings.

Funding may support research on access to screening, referral processes, mobile services, and integration of preventive care within non-traditional settings like schools, community centers, and workplaces. Examples include addressing patient-level barriers such as transportation or health beliefs, or system-level issues like staffing or language services. Applications must include a clinical trial and cannot be purely observational or focused solely on treatment, new screening tools, or general social determinants without clear health outcomes.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations such as higher education institutions, local and state governments, tribal governments, public housing authorities, nonprofit and for-profit entities, and faith-based or community organizations. Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, though foreign components of U.S. organizations are allowed. All applicants must complete specific registrations including SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov before applying.

Submissions must comply with NIH’s application procedures and adhere to the specified formatting and content instructions. Key sections of the application include a detailed research strategy with a conceptual model, data analytic plan, and documentation of collaborative roles for community and healthcare partners. The application must also include a Data Management and Sharing Plan and comply with NIH policies on human subjects and clinical trials.

Applications will be evaluated based on their significance, innovation, rigor, feasibility, and the expertise of the research team. The NIH peer review process will assess the scientific and technical merit of applications, followed by a second level of review by relevant advisory councils. Applicants must ensure that their proposed projects are within the mission of the participating NIH Institutes or Centers.