Opportunity Overview
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is offering the FY 2027 Cycle 2 Recruitment or Retention of Clinical Trialists Award to help Texas institutions recruit or retain experienced cancer clinical trialists who will lead clinical research programs in rural and underserved communities.
Funding by Faculty Rank
CPRIT lists maximum total costs of $2 million for Assistant Professors, $2.5 million for Associate Professors, and $3 million for Professors over a five-year period. The mechanism is designed to support the clinical leadership capacity needed to expand access to cancer trials outside major research centers.
Application Window and Rolling Review
For FY 2027 Cycle 2, application receipt opens September 16, 2026 and remains open through May 20, 2027. CPRIT states that applications will be reviewed from January through August 2027 with continuous award notification, making this a rolling recruitment and retention opportunity rather than a single-deadline competition.
Who the Program Targets
The award supports experienced clinical trialists, such as oncologists in any specialty, who can lead cancer clinical research programs in rural and underserved Texas communities. Rural and underserved counties may be identified using U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tools. Institutions should confirm all applicant, investigator, appointment and TREC-related requirements in the controlling FY 2027 RFA before submission.
Strategic Use
The strongest candidates will pair a credible recruitment or retention package with a clear local cancer-trial access gap, institutional commitments, referral relationships, patient-enrollment capacity and a durable plan for building or expanding clinical-trial infrastructure in the target community.
Healthcare Technology Relevance
The primary purpose is investigator recruitment and retention, not equipment acquisition. However, a funded clinical-trial program may require remote assessment, decentralized-trial workflows, patient monitoring or supporting technology. Any N9+ role must be tied to an actual protocol or allowable program cost and should not displace the central recruitment/retention purpose. N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: conditional.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 92/100. This is one of CPRIT’s most strategically important rural and underserved cancer-workforce mechanisms because it funds the clinical leadership required to create durable research and trial access where patients may otherwise have limited opportunities to enroll.
Next Action
Texas institutions should identify a qualifying rural or underserved service area, confirm a credible recruitment or retention candidate, document the cancer-trial access gap and institutional commitments, activate CPRIT Grants Management Platform accounts, and prepare a complete application after the September 16 opening. Because awards are continuous, strong candidates should not wait unnecessarily for the May 2027 final close.
Verified source: Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, FY 2027 Cycle 2 funding opportunities.