The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications for collaborative R01 projects from multi-disciplinary teams to expand, improve, or transform the utility of mouse cancer and tumor models for translational research.  For a linked set of collaborative R01s, each site has its own Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s), and the program provides a mechanism for cross-site coordination and communication.  Collaborative studies are appropriate to address research questions beyond the capacity of a single-site investigation, particularly to accommodate collaborations among sites with diverse expertise, perspectives, and contributions.

The NCI supports many hypothesis-driven, mechanistic R01 projects that employ mice, or develop and use mouse cancer models or human-in-mouse tumor models for oncology research.  However, the NCI has not previously supported projects devoted to ensuring that mice and mouse models used for translational research questions are used appropriately and that the models provide reliable information for patient benefit. 

Teams of applicants could propose demonstrations of how to overcome limitations of oncology mouse and human-in-mouse models, define new uses of models or mouse genetics for unexplored translational challenges, advance standard practices for use of translational models, test approaches to validate and credential models, or challenge current practices for how models are used translationally.

NARSAD Grants are one of the highest distinctions in the field of mental health research. Many investigators go on to receive larger federal and private grants based on their NARSAD Grant projects. No other organization outside of the federal government has funded the number of mental health research grants that the Foundation has—or been responsible for more breakthroughs in the field.