Consortia to Advance Collaboration in Epidemiologic and Cancer Research

On this page...

• EGRP's Definition of Consortia
• NCI Cohort Consortium
• Cancer Epidemiology Consortia
• Additional Research Consortia
• Role of EGRP in Consortia
• Data Sharing Expectations for Consortia

EGRP's Definition of Consortia

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) defines a consortium as a group of scientists from multiple institutions who have agreed to participate in cooperative research efforts involving activities such as methods development and validation, pooling of information from more than one study for the purpose of combined analyses, and collaborative projects. Consortia are able to address scientific questions that cannot be addressed otherwise due to scope, resources, population size, or expertise. This cooperation usually involves multiple projects over an extended period of time. Consortia can also be referred to as collaboratives.

The creation of a consortium is independent from NCI and NIH funding mechanisms. Groups participating in a consortium may partner in the writing of research grant applications, but consortium activities are not limited to a specific grant/project.

For sources of support, view our compilation of NCI and NIH funding opportunities that are relevant to cancer epidemiology or contact an EGRP program director.

NCI Cohort Consortium

The NCI Cohort Consortium includes investigators responsible for more than 50 high-quality cohorts involving more than 7 million people. The cohorts are international in scope and cover large, rich, and diverse populations. Extensive risk factor data are available on each cohort, and biospecimens including germline DNA collected at baseline, are available on approximately 2 million individuals. Investigators team up to use common protocols and methods, and to conduct coordinated parallel and pooled analyses.

Learn more about the NCI Cohort Consortium, including membership, their signature initiatives and projects, the process for proposing new collaborative projects, and their annual meetings.

Cancer Epidemiology Consortia

The list below provides links to information about research consortia that may be of interest to cancer epidemiologists. It is not an exhaustive list. Access to resources is dependent on procedures outlined for each individual consortium. Consortia interested in being included in this list should contact NCIEpiConsortia@mail.nih.gov.

Additional Research Consortia

A number of additional research consortia conduct research to better understand determinants of various health outcomes in human populations, which may influence cancer risk. Some of the collaborations in which EGRP staff participate include:

• COnsortium of METabolomics Studies (COMETS)
• Dietary Patterns Methods Project (DPMP)

Role of EGRP in Consortia

EGRP fosters consortia through the following activities:

• Advising investigators on the formation of new consortia
• Advising consortia on policies and processes related to funding, data sharing, and collaborations
• As appropriate, participating on steering or executive committees or working groups.

Questions about EGRP and Consortia can be sent to NCIEpiCommunications@mail.nih.gov.

Data Sharing Expectations for Consortia

EGRP supports compliance with the NIH Data Sharing Policy and Genomic Data Sharing Policy. Data sharing is essential for expedited translation of research results into knowledge, products, and procedures to improve human health. To help investigators comply with these policies, NCI and NIH support a number of data repositories to help facilitate efficient data sharing, including the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP).