This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) encourages applications for research in cancer control and population sciences. The overarching goal is to provide support to promote research efforts on novel scientific ideas that have the potential to substantially advance cancer research in statistical and analytic methods, epidemiology, cancer survivorship, cancer-related behaviors and behavioral interventions, healthcare delivery, and digital health and data science, and implementation science. Competition for research funding has grown increasingly more challenging, and the stakes are particularly high within NCI and NIH. In addition to an increasing number of R01 applications, another issue that the NCI is grappling with is the increasing average cost of grants, and the resulting increased competition for limited funds. Additionally, as the cost of grants continues to increase, scientists and policy-makers are concerned about the challenges early-stage investigators (ESIs) face, including the length of time it takes to achieve their first R01 award. Chief among those challenges is the unprecedented number of applicants competing for funding. This has become a focal point of NIH with the Next Generation Researchers Initiative, and in the call to action in the 21st Century Cures Act, "to promote opportunities for new researchers and earlier research independence, such as policies to increase opportunities for new researchers to receive funding, enhance training and mentorship programs for researchers, and enhance workforce diversity."

This NOFO will promote a diversity of research topics and scientific challenges in the population sciences that lend themselves to a shorter time span and reduced budget. This NOFO encourages and supports ESIs and grows the ESI applicant pool and portfolio.