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Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program

How to Submit a New Cohort Consortium Project Application

How to Submit a Project Application

These steps are meant to help guide Cohort Consortium members and other interested researchers interested in proposing and conducting a study with the consortium. Project groups can include groups that conduct many collaborative projects or analyses or include groups that have formed to conduct a single project or analysis. For more information regarding project groups, please refer to the Project Hub.

Step 1: Gather Needed Information

Prior to submitting a project application, understand the potential viability of your project by reviewing the data that may be available from Consortium member cohorts. You can review cohort descriptions on the Consortium’s Current Members page or by accessing the Cancer Epidemiology Descriptive Cohort Database (CEDCD) to understand the resources that cohorts have available. CEDCD may be particularly useful for better understanding a cohort’s enrollment counts, cancer counts, and biospecimen counts.

If you determine that your project is potentially feasible within the Cohort Consortium, complete the online application form by logging into the Project Hub and clicking “Submit Project Proposal”.

Create an Account

Information about Login

A secure account is required to access many of the functions on the EGRP Cohort Consortium Project Hub website. Before logging in, you must either have an NIH account, an IMS Login Service account, or a Login.gov account. See instructions below.

Via the NIH Network Login

This type of login is available to NIH staff and other individuals with accounts on the NIH network.

To login:

  1. Go to https://epi.grants.cancer.gov/cohort-consortium/projecthub/wayf/.
  2. Click on “NIH Network”.
  3. If required, insert your PIV card into your smart card reader and click “Sign in”.
NIH Login Screen

Via the IMS Login Service or Login.gov

These types of logins are available to individuals without accounts on the NIH network.

If you registered for the EGRP Cohort Consortium Project Hub before September 5, 2024, please continue to use IMS Login Service until further notice.

Users registered on/after September 5, 2024 should use a Login.gov account to access the EGRP Cohort Consortium Project Hub. If you do not already have a Login.gov account, visit https://login.gov/create-an-account/.

To login:

  1. Go to https://epi.grants.cancer.gov/cohort-consortium/projecthub/wayf/.
  2. Click on “IMS Login Service” or “Login.gov”.
Login.gov Login Screen

Step 2: Review the Submission Template

Download the project submission template.

View Blank Form View Active Projects

Step 3: Prepare the Submission

Review all the questions in the template and consider adding any additional information needed to understand the potential feasibility of your project such as:

  • Minimum reasonable sample size needed for project aims
  • Minimum reasonable number and type of biospecimens needed for project aims (if any)
  • How you will obtain and ascertain your stated outcome

Step 4: Submit Your Proposal

Once you have filled out the online submission form, click “Submit”. The NCI Cohort Consortium team will be informed of this electronic submission, and your proposal will be reviewed by the Steering Committee.

We will have received a notice of your electronic submission, but you should also be in contact with us via email (NCICohortConsortium@mail.nih.gov) to confirm this submission and be in contact with us about the review of your application and next steps.

Submit Project Proposal

Step 5: After You Submit

Once your project is approved by the Steering Committee it will be advertised in the Cohort Consortium bimonthly newsletter that is sent to all subscribed Consortium affiliates. The newsletter will include details of your project and your contact information. You can ask affiliates to contact you if they have data to contribute to your project or if you would like them to collaborate in any other way.

Simultaneously, you may make direct contact with individual cohorts in order to inform them of your approved project, your data and biospecimen needs (if applicable), and to request access to their data. As per the Cohort Consortium bylaws, member cohorts are expected to share data upon reasonable request. You must work directly with the data holders to understand any other expectations they may have (payment, biospecimen access, data use agreements, etc.).