Description

Background

The NCI Office of Data Sharing (ODS), within the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is pleased to announce the NCI Office of Data Sharing Impact Prize. ODS serves as NCI's central coordinating office for data management and sharing policy implementation, supporting all 27 NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers (DOCs) across the full scope of NCI's extramural and intramural research portfolio to increase the utility of NCI-funded research outputs. ODS works in partnership with NCI’s DOCs to ensure that the outputs of their research investments are managed, shared, and made useful to the widest possible audience. In that role, ODS is uniquely positioned to see where promising work is already underway, where gaps in practice persist, and where the highest-value opportunities for future investment lie (read more about the ODS mission and activities in this publication [JNCI, 2026]).

This Challenge seeks to collect ideas and strategies that advance the broad, rapid, and equitable sharing of NCI-funded cancer research outputs. Submissions can address one of three tracks:

1. Track 1 - Research output sharing and reuse ideas: The Ideas track invites proposals identifying a high-impact opportunity, gap, or approach that could meaningfully improve how cancer research outputs are shared and reused across the scientific community;
2. Track 2 - Research output sharing and reuse exemplars: The Exemplars track invites reports on creative and successful strategies that individuals, teams, or entities have implemented to advance cancer research output sharing and reuse with evidence of impact on the scientific community. Activities described may have begun at any time, but submissions must include evidence that the impact of the work is current and verifiable. The challenge prioritizes submissions that surface work the broader community can learn from.
3. Track 3 - NCI Data Jamboree Submissions: Meritorious project abstracts submitted for consideration at the NCI Data Jamboree are eligible for this prize. Track 3 is specifically for participants who have submitted a project abstract to the 2026 NCI Data Jamboree through the official Jamboree submission portal. Submission to this prize in no way affects Data Jamboree submissions and is a separate process for recognition. If you have not submitted a Jamboree abstract, you are not eligible for Track 3 but may still apply to Track 1 or Track 2. (The NCI Data Jamboree is an annual ODS-led data use event aiming to overcome barriers to finding, accessing, and using cancer data resources, promote interdisciplinary collaborations to expand the size, technical, and scientific diversity of the cancer research community, the development and application of tools, methods, and pipelines for data harmonization, visualization, integration, and analysis, evaluating data quality for replication and reproducibility or AI-readiness of the data, and identifying gaps and limitations of existing data and computing resources. Dates: November 16 - 18, 2026. Venue: NIH Neuroscience Center Building, 6001 Executive Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20852. Format: In-person teams preferred; virtual and hybrid teams allowed.)

What is a Cancer Research Output?

For the purposes of this Challenge, a cancer research output is any product intended to advance scientific knowledge or benefit the cancer research community in ways that align with NCI and ODS goals for broad, rapid, and equitable sharing, including but not limited to data, software, tools, methods and protocols, models, clinical trial results, biospecimens, and other research resources.

The Challenge

The value of publicly funded cancer research depends not only on the quality of the science produced, but on whether the resulting data, tools, software, and other outputs can be found, accessed, and reused by the broader community. NIH and NCI have established data management and sharing policies, including the NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy, the NIH Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Policy, and the NCI Cancer Moonshot Public Access and Data Sharing (PADS) Policy, and NIH Public Access Policy, precisely to ensure that publicly supported research benefits the public as broadly and quickly as possible.

Policy alone does not drive culture change. Despite growing federal expectations for open and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data practices, significant barriers remain. Researchers may lack training in data management best practices, practical tools and workflows to make datasets accessible to non-data scientists, or institutional incentives to prioritize data sharing alongside traditional research outputs. Progress in sharing cancer research outputs (including data, tools, software, etc.), across the full spectrum of scientific domains supported by NCI from genomics and multi-omics to imaging, clinical care, population science, and beyond, depends on champions of community impact: individuals and teams who go beyond minimum compliance to demonstrate what impactful, community-serving sharing looks like in practice across NCI’s many scientific programs and portfolios.

The cancer research community (trainees, faculty, staff scientists, data scientists, librarians, information technologists, core facility staff, patient advocates and family members, citizen scientists, and others) holds practical knowledge about what works that ODS cannot gather alone. Practical strategies, reusable tools, successful culture-change initiatives, and novel applications of publicly available cancer data exist across institutions and research programs, but they are rarely surfaced, recognized, or made available for others to build upon. This Challenge is designed to surface and disseminate these ideas and exemplars of research output sharing and reuse.

This challenge strongly encourages submissions from individuals who are members of groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This challenge also strongly encourages submissions from individuals applying on behalf of a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other federally designated MSI categories. This challenge further encourages submissions from individuals at smaller and less-resourced institutions, including R2 and R3 doctoral universities, master's colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges, community colleges, teaching hospitals, and other organizations where research is not the primary institutional mission.

Challenge Goals

1. Collect high-impact ideas from the scientific community identifying opportunities, gaps, and strategies that could meaningfully improve the sharing and reuse of cancer research outputs, advancing NCI goals and benefitting the cancer research community across one or more of the following areas: data literacy and education; tools and workflows for cancer data; community and institutional culture change; novel use of cancer data; and data models for emergent cancer data types;
2. Identify and document exemplary strategies that individuals or teams have already implemented to advance cancer data sharing and reuse, with evidence of measurable impact and potential for broader adoption; and
3. Build a portfolio of ideas and success stories that ODS, NCI’s DOCs, and the broader cancer research community can use to drive culture change, inform cross-cutting guidance, and demonstrate the tangible public benefit of NCI's data sharing investments.

Examples of activities that would be responsive to this challenge:

• Data literacy and education. Training materials, curricula, or mentorship programs that have helped researchers learn to manage, access and reuse cancer datasets.
• Tools and workflows for cancer research outputs. Tools, pipelines, or workflows built to make cancer datasets and other outputs more findable, accessible, interoperable, or reusable, particularly for non-data scientists. This could include tool or workflows assisting compliance with NIH or NCI data sharing or open access policies.
• Community and culture change agents. Initiatives, partnerships, or institutional policy changes that have demonstrably shifted culture around cancer data sharing and reuse with evidence of impact.
• Novel use of cancer data. Creative, reproducible use of publicly available cancer datasets to answer a meaningful research question, especially by non-traditional users (e.g. undergraduate students, trainees, patient advocates, patient family members, citizen scientists).
• Data models for emergent cancer data types. Propose or (provide evidence of a current) data model for sharing existing data sets representing new or emerging cancer data types to be used by future generators/submitters of this data type.
• Meritorious NCI Data Jamboree Submissions.
• Other activities not listed here but that meaningfully improve how cancer research outputs are shared and reused across the cancer research community.

Examples of activities that would NOT be responsive to this challenge:

• Submissions that are not relevant to and/or advance the NCI mission.
• Submissions that focus on research outputs that are not available for public use, unless the proposal is a mechanism to make them publicly available.
• Submissions whose activities do not exceed the minimum requirements stipulated by NIH policies or funding terms (for example, submissions describing only baseline compliance with DMS, GDS, Public Access requirements without additional effort to advance sharing or reuse).
• Submissions that do not clearly state the broader impact of the activities described.
• Submissions about past work that contain no evidence of current relevance, ongoing use, or sustained impact.

Winning submissions and honorable mentions may be featured at NCI ODS-hosted events, including the Annual Data Sharing Symposium, the NCI Data Jamboree, and the ODS Webinar Series. The ideas and strategies collected through this Challenge will enhance ODS's ongoing efforts to support the full breadth of NCI’s scientific portfolio and priorities by developing practical, evidence-based guidance that helps the entire NCI-funded research community share research outputs in ways that are impactful, interoperable, and aligned with the public's investment in cancer science.

Statutory Authority to Conduct the Challenge

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is conducting this Challenge under the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended [15 U.S.C. § 3719]. The mission of the NCI is to lead, conduct, and support cancer research across the nation to advance scientific knowledge and help all people live longer, healthier lives. NCI's Office of Data Sharing (ODS) advances this mission by developing strategies that ensure NCI-supported research outputs benefit the cancer community in alignment with federal data management, sharing, and public access policies. This Challenge directly supports both NCI's mission and the work of ODS by recognizing and elevating researchers and institutions that champion data sharing and open science practices, making NCI-funded research outputs more accessible and useful to the broader cancer research community. By promoting the wide dissemination of cancer research data and findings, this Challenge accelerates the translation of scientific discovery into knowledge that can improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for all people.

Timeline

• Challenge Launch: July 27, 2026
• Submission Start/End: August 3, 2026 / October 5, 2026
• Judging: October 6 – November 15, 2026
• Anticipated Winners Announced: Mid-November, 2026

Prizes

Amount of the Prize: The total cash prize purse for this challenge is $200,000.

The NCI ODS Impact Prize offers a total award purse of $200,000 distributed across 16 monetary prizes. Awards are organized into three tracks, each with an equal allocation of $60,000 and five prizes: one Tier 1 award ($15,000), two Tier 2 awards ($12,500 each), and two Tier 3 awards ($10,000 each). In addition, a single Grand Prize of $20,000 will be awarded to the most outstanding submission across all Tracks. Note: The number of prizes awarded within each track may vary depending on the volume and quality of submissions received. NCI reserves the right to reallocate prizes across tracks, provided the total award purse does not exceed $200,000.

Non-monetary prizes: Additional submissions may be chosen to be recognized as Honorable Mentions.

Non-U.S. citizens or non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part); however, they may be considered for a non-monetary Honorable Mention.

Prize winners and Honorable Mentions may be publicized by the National Cancer Institute and/or invited to contribute to future events or dissemination efforts by the NCI.

Award Approving Official: The Award Approving Official will be Dr. Anthony Letai, Director of the National Cancer Institute.

Payment of the Prize: Prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. HHS/NIH will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable. Entities participating in this Challenge are encouraged, but not required, to request and obtain a free Unique Entity ID (UEI), if they have not already done so, via SAM.gov as this will expedite prize payment. Additional information can be found at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

The NIH/NCI reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no submissions are deemed worthy.

Rules

Eligibility Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, a Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) —

1. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as published in this announcement;
2. Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this announcement;
3. In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. However, non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part), but may be recognized with an Honorable Mention. Their participation as part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced.
4. Shall not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment;
5. Shall not be an employee of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, or any other component of HHS) acting in their personal capacity;
6. Who is employed by a federal agency or entity other than HHS (or any component of HHS), should consult with an agency ethics official to determine whether the federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a prize under this Challenge;
7. Shall not be a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse, parent, step-parent, child, or step-child).
8. Shall be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission.
9. Individuals affiliated with an institution, organization, or other entity are strongly encouraged to consult with their employer before submitting. Institutional policies vary with respect to employee participation in prize competitions, receipt of personal cash awards, and ownership of ideas or work products developed in the course of employment. It is the responsibility of the participant to confirm that their participation is permitted under applicable institutional policies and that any prize funds can be received as described in this announcement. NCI is not responsible for resolving disputes between participants and their institutions arising from participation in this challenge. Please note that federal funds may not be used to prepare or support the development of a submission to this challenge. Participants who are uncertain whether this restriction applies to their situation should consult their grants management or sponsored programs office prior to submitting an entry.

Participation Rules:

1. Participants (whether an individual, team, or entity) may not use federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
2. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
3. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
4. Individuals or POCs submitting on behalf of an entity agree to enter only one submission in this Challenge. If participating as a team, each team member agrees to enter only one submission in this Challenge.
5. Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance, or demonstrate financial responsibility, or agree to indemnify the federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities in order to participate in this Challenge.
6. A Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participants participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
7. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) warrants that they are sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are wholly original with the Participant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is aware.
8. By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) grants to the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on its behalf, the solution throughout the world. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant’s rights to the federal government. To receive an award, Participants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH, but Participants must grant to the federal government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein.
9. Each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
10. Each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.
11. As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, team, or entity) that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within 14 business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.

Judging

Basis Upon Which a Winner Will be Selected.

All Submissions will be pre-screened for eligibility and compliance with the rules of the Challenge, including the submission guidelines. Only fully complete Submissions confirmed to meet all eligibility requirements will move forward for judging. Submissions deemed to be eligible will be presented to a judging panel of federal staff with NCI programmatic expertise based on the evaluation criteria listed below. Judges will consider the diversity of perspectives represented across the full set of winning submissions, including category, career stage, institution type, and geographic distribution. The judges will submit their selection of winners to the Award Approving Official for a final decision on prize payments. Winners are subject to final approval by the Award Approving Official.

Rubric for Track 1 and 2

Submissions to Track 1 (Research Output Sharing and Reuse Ideas) and Track 2 (Research Output Sharing and Reuse Exemplars) will be evaluated against a shared rubric of four criteria. The rubric applies the same questions across tracks with additional context notes for each track under each criterion which describe what judges will evaluate when scoring a submission. Judges will also consider contextual information provided in the submission, such as the team's roles and expertise, the environment in which the work took place, and the resources available, when interpreting and scoring the criteria below. This context is not scored on its own but helps judges fairly assess the significance, impact, and transferability of the work, particularly for submissions accomplished with limited resources. Reviewers will evaluate each submission solely on the basis of what is described, not on assumptions about the submitting entity's capacity, infrastructure, or organizational support.

Criterion 1: Significance of the Opportunity or Gap. To what extent does the submission address a meaningful gap, barrier, or opportunity in the sharing or reuse of cancer research outputs? How clearly does the submission articulate why the identified gap matters, who is affected, and how it aligns with NCI's commitment to broad, rapid, and equitable sharing?

• Ideas (Track 1): Judges will evaluate the gap addressed by the proposed work and the appropriateness of the proposed approach. Is the gap addressed by the proposed activity real, meaningful, and not already well-addressed by existing efforts? Does the submission clearly describe the proposed approach and explain why it is an appropriate response to the identified gap?
• Exemplars (Track 2): Judges will evaluate the gap that the demonstrated activity was designed to address. Was there a meaningful gap when the demonstrated activity began, and does it continue to matter today?

Criterion 2: Innovation and Awareness of Existing Efforts. How creative or original is the approach compared to existing approaches in the field? To what extent does the submission surface practices, lessons, or innovations that are not already widely known or recognized in the community? Does the work apply established methods in a novel context, or develop new methods, tools, or approaches?

• Ideas (Track 1): Judges assess novelty of the approach, or a novel combination of existing approaches. Does the proposal acknowledge what approaches currently exist and avoid duplicating existing work?
• Exemplars (Track 2): Judges will evaluate the originality of the activity as implemented. Does the activity bring novel approaches and/or solutions to a current problem?

Criterion 3: Potential or Demonstrated Impact. What is the potential or demonstrated impact of the submission on the cancer research community? Judges should consider both the magnitude and the currency of impact, weighted appropriately for the track.

• Ideas (Track 1): Judges will evaluate the Potential impact of the activity proposed. To what extent could implementation of this idea accelerate cancer research, expand access to research outputs, or improve their utility? How broadly would the idea benefit users beyond a single program, institution, or scientific domain?
• Exemplars (Track 2): Judges will evaluate the Demonstrated impact of the activity as implemented. What concrete evidence is provided that this work has meaningfully advanced research output sharing or reuse? To what extent has the activity been adopted, referenced, or built upon by others outside of the submitting team or institution? How well do the metrics used capture outcomes rather than only activities? Work that began years ago is eligible and welcome, but evidence should demonstrate that the impact is ongoing or has produced sustained relevance to today's sharing practices.

Criterion 4: Transferability, Sustainability, and Broad Applicability. The challenge prioritizes work with potential for broad impact and approaches that can be adapted to other contexts. Submissions that propose activities dependent on conditions unavailable or out of reach to most of the research community will be de-prioritized. Reviewers will evaluate sustainability and transferability as properties of the approach itself, not as assumptions about the submitting individual(s) or entity. Institutional affiliation, size, or perceived resources will not bias scoring of this criterion. How likely is the submission to be adopted, scaled, or adapted by other teams, programs, or institutions, including NCI's Divisions, Offices, and Centers (DOCs) and the broader cancer research community? How likely is the work to be sustained beyond the initial effort? What plans, conditions, or prerequisites support continued use, maintenance, or dissemination? To what extent could the work serve as a model or reference for others?

• Ideas (Track 1): Judges will evaluate whether the proposed approach has a plausible path to adoption beyond a single institution or program, and whether the submitter has considered what resources, partnerships, or institutional support would be needed to sustain the idea if implemented. Does the proposed approach have a plausible path to adoption beyond a single institution or program? Has the submitter considered what resources, partnerships, or institutional support would be needed to sustain the idea if implemented? Does the submission offer a realistic theory of how the work would persist beyond initial implementation?
• Exemplars (Track 2): Judges will evaluate whether the demonstrated work can be replicated by others with reasonable resources, and whether evidence of current sustainability (active maintenance, institutional commitment, documented community) is provided. Can the demonstrated work be replicated by others with reasonable resources? What evidence of current sustainability (active maintenance, institutional commitment, documented community) is provided? Does the work depend on uncommon resources, scale, or institutional conditions that would limit its broad applicability?

Rubric for Track 3:

Submissions to the NCI Data Jamboree track will be evaluated against the four criteria below. Submissions may describe either ongoing projects focused on what can be accomplished during the 3-day sprint, or new projects initiated at the Jamboree.

Criterion 1: Clarity and Completeness. Did the proposal clearly describe the project components per the submission instructions? Does the submission provide sufficient detail about the project, including its goals, the team involved, and the intended approach, to allow for meaningful evaluation?

Criterion 2: Impact. Is the project applicable and important to others in the broader cancer research community? To what extent would the work, if successful, benefit researchers, institutions, or programs beyond the submitting team?

Criterion 3: Approach. Has the proposal identified datatypes or datasets appropriate to address the specific scientific or technical questions posed? Where applicable, does the submission include preliminary results that support the proposed approach?

Criterion 4: Feasibility. Is the project scope feasible to accomplish within 3 days? For ongoing projects, does the submission clearly describe what can realistically be accomplished during the 3-day sprint, distinct from the broader project goals?

How to Enter

Registration and Submission Process:

Participants may be an Individual, a Team (i.e., a group of individuals assembled with the purpose of participating in this Challenge and competing independently of, i.e., not on behalf of, an Entity), or an Entity (i.e., a group of individuals competing together on behalf of a legally established organization, institution, or corporation).

To be eligible to win a cash prize in this challenge, each Participant competing as an Individual shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Each Team that enters the Challenge is required to identify a Team Leader who is responsible for submitting a Submission Package on behalf of the Team. The Team Leader is responsible for all communications with NIH and, in the event of winning a cash prize, will be paid the prize in full. To be eligible to win a cash prize in this challenge, the Team Leader shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Each Entity that enters the Challenge is required to identify a Point of Contact who submits a solution on behalf of the Entity. The Point of Contact is responsible for all communications with NIH. In the event of winning a cash prize, the prize will be paid directly to the Entity, not to the Point of Contact. To be eligible to receive a cash prize, the Entity must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States. In the event that a dispute about the identity of the Point of Contact who submitted the entry cannot be resolved to NIH’s satisfaction, the affected submission will be deemed ineligible.

This challenge strongly encourages submissions from individuals who are members of groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This challenge also strongly encourages submissions from individuals applying on behalf of a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other federally designated MSI categories. This challenge further encourages submissions from individuals at smaller and less-resourced institutions, including R2 and R3 doctoral universities, master's colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges, community colleges, teaching hospitals, and other organizations where research is not the primary institutional mission.

Participant Registration and Consent Form

A completed and signed form identifying all participants and their contact information, with certifications that each participant agrees to the rules and terms of the Challenge and confirms their eligibility to receive a monetary prize. If submitting as a team, each member must sign. The team must designate a Team Lead who will serve as the primary point of contact for all correspondence and receive any cash prize awarded.

The Individual, Team Leader, or Entity Point of Contact must submit completed registration form and all submission materials via email to [email protected] by 11:59PM Eastern Time on October 5, 2026, with subject line: Submission for ODS Challenge—Title—Last, First Name (Participant, Team Lead, or Entity Point of Contact)

Submission Requirements:

Track 1: Research Output Sharing and Reuse Ideas

The Ideas track invites forward-looking proposals identifying high-impact opportunities, gaps, or approaches that could meaningfully improve how cancer research outputs are shared and reused. Submissions should respond to each of the prompts below. Total narrative length should not exceed 2500 words combined across all prompts (with the exception of the supporting evidence page).

Prompt 1: Significance and Approach

Describe the specific gap, barrier, or opportunity in the sharing or reuse of cancer research outputs that your idea addresses, and explain how it would benefit the cancer research community and advance NCI and ODS goals. Include: Why this gap matters and who is affected by it (for example, researchers, patients, clinicians, institutions); How the gap aligns with NCI's commitment to broad, rapid, and equitable sharing of research outputs; and any evidence or experience supporting your assessment of the gap. Describe the activity or approach you propose for addressing this gap, including key methods, activities, beneficiaries, and intended outcomes, and explain why you believe this approach is appropriate for the gap you have identified.

Prompt 2: Potential Impact on the Cancer Research Community

Describe the potential impact of your proposed idea if implemented. Address how implementation could accelerate cancer research, expand access to cancer research outputs, or improve the utility of those outputs for the cancer research community; the breadth of benefit beyond a single program, institution, or scientific domain; the potential for the idea to inform cross-cutting practice, policy, or infrastructure across NCI's Divisions, Offices, and Centers (DOCs) and the broader cancer research community where applicable.

Prompt 3: Innovation and Awareness of Existing Efforts

Describe what is novel or original about your proposed approach and demonstrate awareness of relevant existing efforts. Describe what approaches, tools, programs, or resources currently exist in this space, how your proposed idea builds upon, complements, or meaningfully differs from them, and what makes your approach novel rather than duplicative of existing work. The goal is to demonstrate that your idea is informed by current practice and adds something the community does not already have.

Prompt 4: Transferability, Sustainability, and Feasibility

Describe how your idea could be adopted by others and sustained over time. Address whether the proposed approach has a plausible path to adoption beyond a single institution or program; what resources, partnerships, or institutional support would be needed to implement and sustain the idea; how the approach could be adopted or adapted by other teams, programs, or institutions beyond the one proposing it; and any known constraints in policy, infrastructure, community practice, or resources that would affect feasibility. Be specific about what would be required for this idea to persist and scale beyond its initial launch.

Supporting Evidence (1 page maximum, not included in word count)

A separate PDF titled "Supporting Evidence" containing text, hyperlinks, images, or other direct evidence of the activities and impact described in the submission. Maximum 1 page total, minimum font size 11, single-spaced. Participants are strongly encouraged to include (where applicable):

• Citations to publications, presentations, reports, published articles or media coverage, blog posts, or other resources that describe or reference the work
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for data, tools, software, methods, or publications
• Links to publicly accessible data, code repositories, tools, or documentation
• Metrics demonstrating reuse, adoption, downloads, citations, or external uptake
• Open license information for any tools, data, or materials shared
• Other material evidence such as screenshots, testimonials, evaluation data, or dashboards

Track 2: Research Output Sharing and Reuse Exemplars

The Exemplars track invites reports on creative and successful activities that individuals, teams, or entities that have already implemented to advance the sharing or reuse of cancer research outputs, with evidence of impact. To be eligible, the activities described must already be complete or, if ongoing, must have produced post-implementation evidence of impact. Submissions should respond to the prompts below. Total narrative length should not exceed 2500 words (combined across all prompts).

Prompt 1: Significance and Approach

Describe the activity implemented and the gap or barrier it was designed to address. Include: The specific gap or barrier in research output sharing or reuse that the activity targets; A clear description of the activity itself, including the methods and approach used; How the activity benefits the cancer research community and aligns with NCI's commitment to broad, rapid, and equitable sharing and reuse of research outputs; Why this activity was an appropriate response to the gap. If applicable, include: Where and when the activities took place, and the approximate duration; The roles and expertise of each team member; Resources, partnerships, or institutional support that enabled the work, including any federal, organizational, or institutional funding; Barriers encountered and how they were overcome.

Prompt 2: Innovation and Awareness of Existing Efforts

Describe what is creative or novel about your activity and demonstrate awareness of existing relevant efforts. Include: How the activity differs from or improves upon existing approaches in the field; How the activity overcame known barriers to research output sharing or reuse (for example, technical, cultural, institutional, or workforce barriers); Whether the work applied established methods in a novel context, or developed new methods, tools, or approaches; and how your approach builds upon or deliberately differs from instead of duplicating existing efforts.

Prompt 3: Demonstrated Impact

Provide evidence that the activity has meaningfully advanced research output sharing or reuse. Please be specific and provide concrete evidence wherever possible. Include: Quantitative or qualitative evidence of impact (for example, users reached, datasets or tools adopted, behavioral or cultural change observed, new collaborations formed, publications or citations resulting); The extent to which the activity has been adopted, referenced, or built upon by others; The metrics you used to evaluate outcomes, and why those metrics capture meaningful change rather than only inputs or activities; How the work has increased the value of, or trust in, the underlying research outputs. The work described may have begun at any time, but the evidence of impact provided should demonstrate current relevance, such as ongoing use, recent citations, sustained adoption, or continued influence on cancer research practices. Wherever possible, support your claims with citations, DOIs, links, or adoption metrics that judges can verify independently.

Prompt 4: Transferability and Sustainability

Describe how the activity could be adopted by others and sustained over time. Include: The likelihood that the activity could be adopted, scaled, or adapted by other teams, programs, or institutions, including NCI's DOCs and the broader cancer research community; Current or planned efforts to sustain the work beyond the initial effort; Lessons learned or recommendations for others seeking to implement similar strategies. Be specific about the conditions under which your activity is transferable, including any resource, infrastructure, or institutional prerequisites, so that judges can assess its potential for broader adoption.

Supporting Evidence (1 page maximum, not included in word count)

A separate PDF titled "Supporting Evidence" containing text, hyperlinks, images, or other direct evidence of the activities and impact described in the submission. Maximum 1 page total, minimum font size 11, single-spaced. Participants are strongly encouraged to include (where applicable):

• Citations to publications, presentations, reports, published articles or media coverage, blog posts, or other resources that describe or reference the work

• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for data, tools, software, methods, or publications
• Links to publicly accessible data, code repositories, tools, or documentation
• Metrics demonstrating reuse, adoption, downloads, citations, or external uptake
• Open license information for any tools, data, or materials shared
• Other material evidence such as screenshots, testimonials, evaluation data, dashboards

Track 3: NCI Data Jamboree Submissions

Track 3 is open to participants who submitted a project abstract to the 2026 NCI Data Jamboree through the official submission portal at https://events.cancer.gov/nci/datajamboree/abstractsubmission. To be considered for the Challenge Prize, submit the completed Participant Registration and Consent Form along with a PDF file of the project abstract you submitted. No additional narrative is required. Your Jamboree abstract will serve as the basis for evaluation under the Track 3 rubric.

(The NCI Data Jamboree is an annual ODS-led data use event aiming to overcome barriers to finding, accessing, and using cancer data resources, promote interdisciplinary collaborations to expand the size, technical, and scientific diversity of the cancer research community, the development and application of tools, methods, and pipelines for data harmonization, visualization, integration, and analysis, evaluating data quality for replication and reproducibility or AI-readiness of the data, and identifying gaps and limitations of existing data and computing resources. Dates: November 16 - 18, 2026. Venue: NIH Neuroscience Center Building, 6001 Executive Blvd., Rockville, Maryland 20852. Format: In-person teams preferred; virtual and hybrid teams allowed.)

Notes on Formatting and Completeness

• All uploaded files must be in PDF format unless otherwise specified.
• Submissions exceeding the stated character or page limits are considered ineligible and will not be reviewed.
• Only fully complete submissions that are within scope of the Challenge and confirmed to meet all eligibility requirements will move forward for review and judging.
• Submissions will not be reviewed without a completed and signed Participant Registration and Consent Form.
• Submitters may be notified of the status of their submission but may not receive additional details about its progression through eligibility, review, judging, and winner selection.

Use of Generative AI

The use of generative AI is permissible. However, participants must disclose in their narrative any use of generative AI tools in the preparation of the submission, including the specific tool used and the role it played (for example, ideation, drafting, editing, translation). The use of generative AI directly with NIH research data must comply with all applicable policies, including Data Use Certification Agreements and Data Use Limitations.

Additional Resources

• Participant Registration and Consent Form
• NCI Office of Data Sharing
• NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
• NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy
• NIH Public Access Policy
• NCI Office of Data Sharing Annual Symposium
• NCI Data Jamboree
• Index of NCI Studies (INS)

Contacts

For Further Information Contact: Reach out to the NCI Office of Data Sharing at [email protected]

Winners

Winners will be announced following judging of submissions.