Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Immuno-engineering to Improve Immunotherapy (i3) Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA CA 19 013

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 19 013

The Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Immuno-engineering to Improve Immunotherapy (i3) Centers funding opportunity (RFA-CA-19-013) is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement (U54) created under the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative. Its core aim is to speed up progress in cancer immunotherapy and immunoprevention by building dedicated, translation-focused centers that use immuno-engineering to make immune-based treatments more effective, more durable, less toxic, and ultimately easier to deliver broadly to patients. The announcement aligns with a specific scientific priority identified by the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel, calling for a coordinated translational science network focused exclusively on immunotherapy approaches to treat and prevent adult cancers.

This program is centered on moving beyond incremental improvements by pushing engineered solutions that can reveal new immune targets and test innovative immune-based therapies and rational combinations. The focus is explicitly on approaches that can eliminate established adult cancers or prevent cancers before they occur, which means applicants are expected to think in terms of translation: connecting mechanistic insights and technology development to clear paths for validation in relevant models and for future clinical readiness. The term "immuno-engineering" signals that the program is looking for teams that fuse immunology with engineering disciplines such as biomaterials, synthetic biology, cellular engineering, computational modeling, and advanced delivery platforms, with the intent of solving common bottlenecks in immunotherapy like resistance, limited response durability, inaccessible tumor sites, systemic toxicity, or lack of efficacy in immune-cold tumors.

The i3 Centers are intended to be genuinely multidisciplinary hubs rather than single-investigator projects. A central expectation is that these centers will design and evaluate innovative engineered immunotherapy strategies and, importantly, collaborate closely with the broader Immuno-Oncology Translational Network (IOTN) investigators. In practice, that implies a networked model where centers are not operating in isolation: they are meant to share knowledge, tools, and emerging findings, and to help improve or extend existing immunotherapeutic modalities already being pursued across the IOTN. Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH staff typically have a more involved role than in standard grants, and awardees should anticipate structured coordination, milestones, and active programmatic engagement to keep the overall network aligned with Moonshot translation goals.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through NIH. It is categorized under health and education activities and references multiple CFDA numbers (93.286, 93.353, 93.393, 93.395, 93.866), reflecting its placement within NIH cancer and related biomedical research assistance programs. The FOA lists a wide set of eligible applicants, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various governmental and tribal entities, which underscores that NIH is open to assembling translational teams that may span academia, industry, and other research-capable organizations. The presence of both for-profit and small business eligibility is notable because immuno-engineering often depends on platform technologies and scalable manufacturing concepts that can be strengthened through industry participation, even if the center itself is anchored at an academic institution.

The award structure described includes an expected number of about four awards, with an award ceiling of $900,000 (as listed in the source data). The original posting and timing information indicates the FOA was created on October 31, 2018, with an original closing date of February 11, 2019, which places it in the early wave of Moonshot-era network-building announcements. The designation "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" means applicants are not permitted to propose clinical trials under this specific FOA. In practical terms, the work is expected to be preclinical and translational in nature, such as discovery and validation of immune targets, engineering of immune cells or biologics, development of delivery systems, exploration of combination strategies, biomarker and response-mechanism studies, and rigorous evaluation in appropriate model systems, all with an emphasis on generating evidence and tools that can later support clinical testing under other mechanisms.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for teams that can take an engineered, systems-level approach to immunotherapy and immunoprevention and that can operate effectively within a coordinated national network. The program is trying to reduce the gap between promising immunology concepts and real-world cancer impact by funding centers that build durable technologies, solve translational barriers like toxicity and limited accessibility, and produce broadly applicable strategies that complement and strengthen the work of other investigators in the IOTN.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Immuno-engineering to Improve Immunotherapy (i3) Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.286, 93.353, 93.393, 93.395, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 11, 2019. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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