Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 340

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 340

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-19-340) supports research projects that use modern cognitive neuroscience methods to strengthen how researchers and clinicians measure cognitive changes linked to cancer treatment. The focus is on people treated for non-central nervous system (non-CNS) cancers, meaning the cancer itself is not primarily in the brain or spinal cord. The core idea behind the announcement is that traditional tools for evaluating cognition after cancer therapy can miss important, subtle, or domain-specific effects, and that approaches grounded in cognitive neuroscience can yield more sensitive, mechanistically informative, and clinically meaningful assessments of both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) cognitive changes.

This opportunity is built around the problem often described as cancer treatment-related cognitive impairment, sometimes informally called "chemo brain" or "chemo fog," though the FOA is not limited to chemotherapy and is broadly concerned with cognitive effects that arise during or after cancer treatment. The announcement encourages applicants to go beyond standard neuropsychological batteries alone by integrating cognitive neuroscience strategies that can better isolate specific cognitive processes (for example, attention control, working memory, processing speed, learning, executive functioning, and other component skills) and link those processes to underlying brain systems. In practice, this emphasis can include theory-driven task design, improved measurement models, attention to reliability and validity over repeated testing, sensitivity to change over time, and methods that can distinguish true treatment effects from confounds such as fatigue, mood symptoms, sleep disruption, pain, stress, endocrine changes, or practice effects from repeated testing. The intended outcome is not simply to document that impairment exists, but to improve the quality of assessment in ways that help clarify who is affected, which cognitive functions are affected, when changes emerge, and how these changes relate to treatment exposures and patient functioning in real life.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R01 research project grant, which typically supports substantial, multi-year research programs led by a principal investigator and a research team. The announcement is marked "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applications may propose studies that include a clinical trial, but they are not required to do so. This gives investigators flexibility to propose observational, longitudinal, or mechanistic studies, as well as interventional work when appropriate, as long as the project aligns with the FOA's central aim of improving assessment of treatment-related cognitive changes in non-CNS cancer populations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. In addition to the usual range of U.S. academic, nonprofit, and governmental applicants (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 multiple levels of government including state, county, city/township, special districts, independent school districts, public housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments), the FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized; faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and regional organizations. This wide eligibility signals NIH's interest in attracting diverse institutions and research settings and, potentially, supporting work that can reach varied patient populations.

From the source data provided, the opportunity falls under the discretionary category and uses the grant funding instrument type, with activity categories listed as education and health. The CFDA number referenced is 93.395, and the opportunity was created on 2019-08-12. The original closing date shown is 2022-06-08. Award ceiling and expected awards are not specified in the supplied listing, which is common in summarized postings and typically means applicants must consult the full FOA and NIH budget guidance for the institute/center administering the award and for limits that may apply based on project scope.

In plain terms, this FOA is aimed at improving the science of measuring cognitive outcomes after cancer treatment by bringing in cognitive neuroscience tools and principles that can make assessments more precise, interpretable, and useful for patients and clinicians. Strong proposals under this announcement would generally be expected to justify why current assessment approaches fall short, identify specific cognitive constructs and brain-behavior frameworks to guide measurement, and demonstrate that the proposed assessment strategy can detect meaningful cognitive change over time in people treated for non-CNS cancers. The broader public health relevance is that better assessment is a prerequisite for better prevention, identification, and management of cognitive side effects of cancer treatment, and can ultimately support improved quality of life and functional outcomes for survivors.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-08-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-08. (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.

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