Core Clinical Centers for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (UG1) | RFA HL 17 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 17 018

The Core Clinical Centers for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) (UG1) opportunity is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement that supports a national, multi-center clinical trials infrastructure focused on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), also commonly referred to as blood and marrow transplantation. The grant invites applications from clinical sites (often organized as a single center or a consortium of centers) to serve as "Core Clinical Centers" within the BMT CTN. These funded centers work together to design and run coordinated, multi-site clinical studies that compare new treatment approaches and patient management strategies intended to improve outcomes for both children and adults undergoing HCT. A key emphasis is on efficient, collaborative testing so that promising approaches can be evaluated more quickly and with broader enrollment than a single institution could typically achieve.

The scientific and clinical purpose of the network is to evaluate novel transplant-related interventions across malignant and non-malignant blood diseases, with an explicit interest in studies where HCT is used alone or paired with newer cell-based therapies. In practical terms, the network is positioned to run trials that examine how best to deliver transplantation, prevent or treat complications, refine conditioning regimens, and integrate emerging cellular products into transplant care. During this funding cycle, the FOA highlights flexibility to conduct early-phase, multi-center HCT trials that incorporate novel cell therapies, and to broaden evaluation of promising products from tightly controlled, highly selected patient groups to more heterogeneous, real-world patient populations. That framing signals interest not only in early proof-of-concept studies, but also in moving therapies toward broader applicability, with multi-center participation helping address variability in patients, practices, and outcomes.

This FOA is structured as a cooperative agreement (UG1), meaning NIH has substantial programmatic involvement in the conduct of the funded work compared to a standard research project grant. Awardees are expected to operate as part of a coordinated network that includes the Core Clinical Centers/Consortia, a Data Coordinating Center, and NIH partners including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), along with other stakeholders. The intent is to create a connected system where trial concepts can be developed, prioritized, launched, and monitored across multiple institutions using harmonized procedures, shared oversight, and centralized coordination for data management and analysis. The end goal is not just to complete trials, but to rapidly disseminate results so they can meaningfully improve clinical practice and strengthen the evidence base for patients who need transplantation therapy.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic U.S. organizations that could support clinical trials activity, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and tribal governments or tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized, as specified). Despite the breadth of domestic eligibility categories, foreign entities are not allowed: non-domestic (non-U.S.) organizations cannot apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not permitted under this announcement.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-17-018, offered by NIH, and categorized as discretionary funding using the cooperative agreement mechanism. The activity focus is education and health, and the CFDA numbers associated with the program are 93.395 and 93.839. The original posting date in the provided source is 2016-08-18, with an original closing date of 2016-11-10. The announcement does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpted source data, but the overall structure clearly indicates a network model where multiple clinical centers are selected to participate in a coordinated national trials enterprise.

In summary, this FOA is aimed at building and sustaining the clinical center backbone of the BMT CTN so that high-impact, multi-center HCT and cell-therapy trials can be conducted efficiently, with strong coordination among participating sites and NIH partners. The program is designed to accelerate the evaluation of new transplant and cellular therapy approaches, improve patient outcomes across a range of blood diseases, and ensure that results are disseminated quickly enough to influence standards of care.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Core Clinical Centers for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (UG1)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.395, 93.839.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-08-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-11-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 RFA HL 17 018

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