On Aug. 27, 2020, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced a partnership with Cancer Research UK to fund Cancer Grand Challenges, an international initiative to address profound and unanswered questions in cancer research. Through Cancer Grand Challenges, NCI and Cancer Research UK will seek novel ideas from multidisciplinary research teams from around the world that offer the potential to make bold advances in cancer research and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.

The new partnership builds on Cancer Research UK’s Grand Challenge initiative, which is currently funding seven international teams of researchers across nine countries. Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest independent cancer research charity. Cancer Grand Challenges will foster a highly competitive process designed to stimulate scientific creativity of the highest order.

The goals of the partnership include identifying important cancer research opportunities; facilitating global collaboration among multidisciplinary researchers to solve these challenges; giving the global teams the freedom and scale to innovate and carry out cutting-edge research; and further advancing fundamental biological knowledge and its clinical application to cancer. To gain essential perspectives from people affected by cancer, a patient committee will offer input and ideas throughout the Cancer Grand Challenges process.

NCI and Cancer Research UK plan to announce the list of new challenges in October 2020. Expressions of interest from research teams for the new challenges are expected to be accepted from October 2020 through April 2021. From these, a small number of teams will be selected to receive pilot funds to further develop their ideas into larger, final applications. Those selected to receive funding will be notified in June 2021, and the awards to final teams will be announced in 2022.

NCI and Cancer Research UK expect to co-fund approximately four awards for each round of Cancer Grand Challenges, with each multidisciplinary team being awarded approximately $25 million over five years. NCI anticipates that the Cancer Grand Challenges partnership will support three rounds of awards, with a new round of challenges announced every other year. NCI plans to use annual funding currently set aside for the Provocative Questions (PQ) initiative, and anticipates funding PQ awards and Cancer Grand Challenges awards in alternating years.