OpenResearch announcementOpportunity PAR-26-134

The Metastasis Research Network (MetNet): MetNet Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

The Metastasis Research Network (MetNet): MetNet Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is an open federal cooperative agreement opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). Applications are due November 22, 2028. Individual awards are listed as up to $500K. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 10 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.396 (Cancer Biology Research).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Feb 4, 2026Posted
Nov 22, 2028Application deadlinenext date
Jul 1, 2026 (est.)Est. award date
Jan 22, 2029Archived

Posted: Feb 4, 2026
Close date: Nov 22, 2028
Archive date: Jan 22, 2029
Est. award date: Jul 1, 2026
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: $500,000
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: Not specified
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Cooperative Agreement
Opportunity category: Discretionary

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public colleges & universities
Federally recognized tribal governments
Public & Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations
501(c)(3) nonprofits
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
Private colleges & universities
For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
Small businesses
Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International CollaborationsNon-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. This new requirement was effective, May 1, 2025.Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Metastasis Research Network (MetNet) is a collection of U54 Research Centers that support using systems-level approaches to understand pressing questions in metastasis. The overall goal of the MetNet is to advance our understanding of metastasis as a whole body, systems-level problem to develop a comprehensive and cohesive picture of the processes involved. Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the NCI invites applications for MetNet Research Projects. These Research Projects should be defined as discrete entities that use systems-level approaches to address gaps and opportunities in metastasis research to integrate into the MetNet and complement ongoing research across the Network.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

PAR-26-134-Full-Announcement.htmlFull Announcement · PAR-26-134-Full-Announcement.htmlHTML · 126 KB

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Open the application packageUse opportunity number PAR-26-134 on Grants.gov (Grants.gov Workspace). Open ↗
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyNational Institutes of Health · NCIMetNet@mail.nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before November 22, 2028Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.396Cancer Biology ResearchProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 93.396

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$893M

FY25

$936M

FY26

$580M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.396. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Who was funded under ALN 93.396

Historical data · not a prediction

Since October 1, 2023, 3,521 grant awards had funding actions under Cancer Biology Research, with 1,346 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.

THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK$102M
THE UNIVERISTY OF TEXAS M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER$92.3M
SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH$91.4M
TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE$60.5M
WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY$58.7M

Recipients, states, recent awards and sub-awards →Source: USAspending.gov.

Agency contact (as published)

National Institutes of Health
NCIMetNet@mail.nih.gov
301-402-2541

Quick answers

When is the deadline for this opportunity?

According to the official notice, applications are due November 22, 2028. Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 3 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through this opportunity?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $500k.

How do I apply for this opportunity?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity PAR-26-134), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

ForecastedResearchALN 93.393, 93.394…