Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 339

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 339

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 19 339) supports early-stage, exploratory research aimed at improving how researchers and clinicians measure thinking and memory changes that can happen during or after cancer treatment. The focus is specifically on people treated for non-central nervous system (non-CNS) cancers, meaning cancers that are not primarily located in the brain or spinal cord. The central idea is that traditional cognitive testing, while useful, can miss important real-world or subtle treatment-related changes, and this program encourages applicants to bring in modern cognitive neuroscience tools and concepts to create better assessment approaches for both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) cognitive effects associated with cancer therapies.

This is an R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory and developmental projects rather than large definitive trials. R21 awards typically support higher-risk, higher-reward studies that generate proof-of-concept evidence, develop or refine measures, and produce preliminary data that can later justify a larger R01-scale study. The listing notes an award ceiling of $200,000, signaling that the funding level is intended to support focused projects like measure development, validation pilots, feasibility testing, or small-scale studies that can demonstrate whether a new assessment strategy is practical and informative. The activity category is listed under Education and Health, and the CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 93.395. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation means an application may include a clinical trial if it is appropriate for the proposed aims, but a clinical trial is not required. In practice, that flexibility allows teams to either run observational and measurement-focused studies or to embed assessment development within an intervention or treatment context, depending on what is needed to evaluate the assessment method.

The scientific purpose of the FOA is to push the field beyond relying solely on standard neuropsychological batteries and toward assessment strategies grounded in cognitive neuroscience. That typically means using approaches that connect specific cognitive processes (for example, attention control, working memory updating, processing speed, learning, executive function, or cognitive flexibility) to underlying brain systems, and then designing tasks or measurement frameworks that are sensitive to the kinds of changes cancer treatment may produce. The goal is not only to detect whether impairment exists, but to characterize what type of cognitive change is happening, when it emerges, how long it lasts, and how it relates to treatment exposures and patient functioning. By emphasizing both acute and chronic cognitive changes, the announcement also points to the importance of capturing cognitive trajectories over time, rather than depending on a single post-treatment snapshot.

Because the FOA centers on "assessment," the expected outputs are likely to include better tools, better study designs for measuring cognitive outcomes, or better ways of interpreting cognitive test results in the cancer treatment context. This could involve developing more sensitive cognitive tasks, improving ecological validity so that measures better reflect day-to-day functioning, integrating performance-based testing with other data streams, or identifying markers that help distinguish treatment-related cognitive impairment from other common contributors like fatigue, sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, pain, or comorbid medical conditions. The opportunity explicitly encourages integration of cognitive neuroscience approaches, which can include theory-driven task selection, computational modeling of cognitive performance, or leveraging knowledge about brain networks to interpret patterns of deficits. The overall theme is improving the precision and usefulness of cognitive assessment for cancer survivors and patients in active treatment.

Eligibility for this grant is broad, reflecting NIH's typical openness to many institutional types. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and several categories of tribal entities including federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal government agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). That broad eligibility is important for building diverse, multidisciplinary teams, which is often necessary when combining oncology, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, biostatistics, and implementation or community engagement expertise.

From the administrative details provided, the opportunity is a discretionary grant program offered by NIH. The opportunity was created on 2019-08-12, and the original closing date listed is 2022-06-08. While that closing date indicates the specific submission window referenced in the source data, the broader program may have had multiple cycles or related re-issues over time, so applicants typically verify the current status and active due dates in NIH systems before planning a submission. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, which can happen when agencies do not commit to a fixed count and instead base awards on the number and quality of applications and available appropriations.

In practical terms, this FOA is aimed at researchers who want to sharpen the way cognitive outcomes are measured in cancer care and survivorship, especially for patients whose cancers are outside the CNS but who still experience cognitive symptoms often described as "chemo brain" or cancer-related cognitive impairment. A competitive project under this announcement would usually make a strong case that existing assessments have limitations for this population, propose a neuroscience-informed solution, and include a clear plan to test feasibility, reliability, sensitivity to change, and relevance to patient functioning. The end result NIH is trying to stimulate is a new generation of assessment methods that can be used more confidently in research studies and, eventually, in clinical settings to understand and track cognitive effects of cancer treatment and to evaluate approaches intended to prevent or reduce these impacts.

• 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 (R21 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.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• 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 PAR 19 339

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