HOPE & CAIRHE 2gether (HC2), a National Cancer Institute-funded center linking Montana State University, CAIRHE, the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute, is in the invitation-only full-proposal phase of its 2026 Pilot Project Award Program for cancer prevention and control research in persistent-poverty communities.
Important eligibility gate: the required Letter of Intent deadline was September 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM Mountain Time. Only investigators selected from that LOI process and invited on September 14 may submit a full proposal. The full application is due October 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM Mountain Time.
Funding and Eligibility
Projects may request up to $100,000 in direct costs for a 12-month project, with an anticipated May 1, 2027 start. Projects must focus on cancer prevention and control in persistent-poverty census tracts. The primary applicant must be an investigator at Montana State University or the University of Utah. Investigators from other institutions and community partners, including community health centers, primary care associations, and Tribal College or Extension faculty, may participate in collaboration with an eligible MSU or University of Utah primary researcher.
Community-partnered proposals must demonstrate community-engagement experience, describe feasible engagement activities, identify partners, and include letters of support. Projects involving tribal communities must consult with the HC2 Community Engagement Team before full submission.
Full Proposal Requirements
Invited full applications use an NIH Administrative Supplement format. Public instructions identify Specific Aims and Research Strategy with a five-page combined limit, Budget and Budget Justification, Biographical Sketches, a Human Subjects Study Record when applicable, and Letters of Support when applicable. Selected applicants receive the detailed submission-format instructions from HC2.
Allowable Costs and Atlas Analysis
Funding supports research activities, including approved personnel costs and research-related non-personnel expenses such as laboratory supplies. The published RFA expressly states that funds may not be used for office furniture, equipment, including computers, or student tuition.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. This is a meaningful Montana cancer-prevention and health-disparities research opportunity, but access is now limited to investigators who passed the required September 1 LOI stage. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100 because equipment is expressly ineligible. Dr. Miltie is not a direct eligible applicant, and there is no defensible direct-vendor pathway under the published cost rules.
Because the LOI gate has closed, Atlas should not begin new cold applicant outreach for organizations or investigators that did not already enter the HC2 process. Work may continue only for a legitimately invited applicant if such an applicant engages Atlas and all current grant-package and deduplication controls are satisfied.