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To this end, OCTR develops, monitors, administers, and evaluates multifaceted programs
in support of the scientific enterprise, such as shared core facilities and resources, as
well as interdisciplinary and translational research. It also supports programs designed
to meet emerging science manpower needs. Through the work of its three branches
(the Cancer Centers Branch, the Cancer Training Branch, and the Organ Systems Branch),
OCTR advances national priorities in cancer research, allocates resources and integrates
within compatible projects within the NCI and the NIH, as well as those advanced by Federal
and state agencies, professional agencies, cancer centers, and other organizations.
Within OCTR, the Cancer Centers Program supports 63 NCI-designated cancer centers
nationwide that are actively engaged in transdisciplinary research to reduce cancer incidence,
morbidity, and mortality.
The NCI-designated Cancer Centers are a major source of discovery of the nature of
cancer and of the development of more effective approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis,
and therapy. They also deliver medical advances to patients and their families, educate
health-care professionals and the public, and reach out to underserved populations. They
are characterized by strong organizational capabilities, institutional commitment, and
trans-disciplinary, cancer-focused science; experienced scientific and administrative
leadership, and state-of-the-art cancer research and patient care facilities.
NCI-designated Cancer Centers are funded through the P30 Cancer Center Support Grant.
These awards fund formal research programs that foster interactions between basic
laboratory, clinical, and population scientists; access for investigators to shared
services and technologies that are necessary to their research efforts; and other
scientific infrastructure. Requests from eligible institutions are subjected to a
competitive peer review process that evaluates and ranks applications according
to their merit.
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