Canine Cancer Immunotherapy Network (K9CIN; U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for academic medical centers, veterinary schools, and research institutions conducting canine cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. Applicants must have expertise in oncology, immunotherapy, and veterinary medicine. The network consists of five U01 awards: one Network Coordinating Center and four sites conducting clinical trials in pet dogs. Multi-institutional collaborations are encouraged. Cost-sharing is not required.
Eligible activities include designing and conducting canine cancer immunotherapy clinical trials, developing correlative studies, and coordinating network activities. Trials must use immunotherapeutic agents alone or combined with other treatment modalities. The research must be translatable to human cancer treatment.
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Key dates
- Mar 18, 2026 Applications open
- Jan 25, 2027 Application deadline in 192 days
- Dec 1, 2027 Award announced
- Dec 1, 2027 Project start
Program description
The goal of this RFA is to continue to support canine cancer immunotherapy clinical trials as indicators of safe and effective cancer treatments in humans. Pet dog patients develop cancer spontaneously and the courses of disease and treatment responses are similar to those in humans. Canine clinical trial results are translatable to humans. The assessment of responses to immunotherapy in immune-intact animals with existing cancers, such as pet dog patients, is the only way to preclinically take into account all facets of the immune response to cancer and to therapies. Ethically, pet dogs can benefit from the clinical trials by receiving cutting-edge therapies supported by the NIH, while providing important data informative to human disease. The network supported by this U01 RFA will consist of five U01 awards. One U01 will serve as a multifunctional Network Coordinating Center that will not only facilitate coordination across the Canine Cancer Immunotherapy Network (K9CIN) but will also perform limited research to support the network. Four U01 recipients will conduct canine clinical trials using immunotherapeutic agents alone or in combination with other treatment modalities.
Through this reissue Notice of Funding Opportunity, the National Cancer Institute intends to continue to support canine immunotherapeutic development as the field continues to grow, in part because of NIH funding. In the last five years, canine immunotherapeutics such as immune checkpoint inhibitors have become available as have canine analytics, development of which were partially supported by NCI. The goal is to maintain the momentum for further development of canine analytics and therapeutics and the ability to evaluate novel and repurposed drugs, treatment combinations, and treatment dosing and sequencing in pet dogs in a timely fashion. This NOFO consolidates the prior U01 (RFA-CA-21-050) and U24 (RFA-CA-21-051) funding opportunities to streamline the application process for continued support to K9CIN. Applicants have the option of submitting either for the Network Coordinating Center with limited research focus or for conducting canine cancer immunotherapy clinical trials and correlative studies. These important canine cancer-related activities will provide a valuable opportunity for NIH support to benefit humans and dogs, at both ends of the leash.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (federal application cover form)
- Project Narrative (research plan and methods)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biosketches of key personnel
- Institutional Support/Commitment letters
- Letters of Collaboration (for multi-site networks)
- Data Sharing Plan
- Vertebrate Animal Care and Use Protocol (IACUC approval)
Program contact
- 👤 NCI K9CIN
- 📧 K9CIN_Grants@mail.nih.gov
- 📞 240-276-7187
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.395 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$353,109,533
-
$226,323,195
-
$180,463,644
-
$148,820,579
-
$143,093,026
-
$125,672,442
-
$124,513,663
-
$112,462,142
-
$109,067,856
-
$104,790,648
Top States by Funding
- CA 10 awards $871.7M
- PA 5 awards $513.3M
- NY 7 awards $462.6M
- MA 7 awards $282.7M
- IL 3 awards $274.4M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.395). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,298,551,504 | |
| 2025 | $1,414,965,434 | |
| 2026 est. | $926,626,977 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Academic institutions, veterinary schools, and research organizations with oncology and veterinary expertise. You must have capacity to conduct clinical trials in pet dogs with institutional support.
What is the Network Coordinating Center role?
One U01 serves as a hub coordinating across all five awards. It facilitates collaboration and conducts limited research supporting the network.
What type of canine studies are supported?
Immunotherapy clinical trials in pet dogs with naturally occurring cancers. Studies can use immunotherapeutic agents alone or combined with other treatments.
How is the network structured?
Five total U01 awards: one Coordinating Center and four clinical trial sites. The network supports multi-site coordination and data sharing.
When is the deadline?
Fixed deadline of January 25, 2027. Plan your application timeline accordingly for this Cooperative Agreement.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Emphasize translational relevance to human cancer immunotherapy. Explain how canine trial results inform human clinical development.
- Build strong veterinary and oncology teams with complementary expertise. Include board-certified veterinary oncologists on your team.
- Clearly describe your canine patient population and trial infrastructure. Show existing relationships with veterinary hospitals or practices providing patient access.
- If applying as Coordinating Center, detail coordination mechanisms for multi-site data sharing. Highlight project management and leadership capacity.
- Address ethical considerations explicitly. Explain how participating pet dogs benefit from cutting-edge immunotherapies while advancing human medicine.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Failing to demonstrate translational relevance to human cancer immunotherapy. Reviewers want clear mechanistic links between canine and human disease responses.
Weak veterinary team composition or lack of oncology expertise. Include certified veterinary oncologists and experienced clinical trial coordinators.
Insufficient detail about canine patient access and trial logistics. Show concrete plans for recruiting pet dogs and managing their clinical care throughout the trial.
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