Upskilling Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) on Actionable Biomarker and Genetic Testing in Cancer Grant

The grant program by Pfizer, Inc. aims to enhance the knowledge of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) in the field of biomarker and genetic testing for cancer. By providing educational resources and programs, this initiative seeks to empower APPs to make informed treatment decisions in oncology, ultimately improving patient outcomes. This program encourages applications that address the specific educational needs of APPs, particularly in using biomarkers for targeted therapies.

Pfizer Inc.
Pfizer's purpose is breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. It was Charles Pfizer’s vision at the beginning and it holds true today.
Competitive Grants Program
Pfizer supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical and/or scientific strategies.
Upskilling Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) on Actionable Biomarker and Genetic Testing in Cancer
Overview
This competitive grant program seeks to support independent medical education provider organizations interested in teaching Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners and other allied healthcare professionals on the patient care team about advances in the use of biomarkers and genetics to inform treatment decision making in oncology.
Project Types and Area of Interest
Potential applicants are encouraged to identify and address the educational needs for APPs relating to biomarker and genetic testing in their clinical practice setting. This may include:
Educational tools/resources to reduce information barriers and promote confidence with targeted therapies that rely on biomarker and genetic testing results for guideline concordant care.Educational programs to improve the ability of APPs to discuss biomarker and genetic testing rationale and results with patients.Optimal care pathways for ordering biomarker or genetic tests, especially in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, in accordance with evidence-based guidelines.

Application Details

Overview
This competitive grant program seeks to support independent medical
education provider organizations interested in teaching Physician Assistants,
Nurse Practitioners and other allied healthcare professionals on the patient care
team about advances in the use of biomarkers and genetics to inform treatment
decision making in oncology.
Project Types and Area of Interest
Potential applicants are encouraged to identify and address the educational
needs for APPs relating to biomarker and genetic testing in their clinical practice
setting. This may include:

• • Educational tools/resources to reduce information barriers and promote
• confidence with targeted therapies that rely on biomarker and genetic
• testing results for guideline concordant care.
• • Educational programs to improve the ability of APPs to discuss biomarker
• and genetic testing rationale and results with patients.
• • Optimal care pathways for ordering biomarker or genetic tests, especially
• in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, in accordance with
• evidence-based guidelines.
• Key Milestones
• Anticipated Grant Anticipated Project
• Submission Deadline
• Award Notification Start Date
• 1 OCT 2025 7 NOV 2025 01 JAN 2026
• Funding Range and Project Length
• Individual projects requesting $100,000 - $250,000 will be considered.
• Maximum project length is 2 years.

I. Eligibility
Geographic Scope:

• • United States
• Applicant Eligibility Criteria
• • The following may apply: medical, nursing, allied health, and/or pharmacy professional schools; healthcare
• institutions (both large and small); professional organizations/medical societies; medical education
• companies; and other entities with a mission related to healthcare professional education and/or healthcare
• improvement.
• • Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or medical practice groups (i.e., an
• independent group of physicians not affiliated with a hospital, academic institution, or professional society).
• • If the project involves multiple departments within an institution and/or between different institutions /
• organizations / associations, all institutions must have a relevant role and the requesting organization must
• have a key role in the project.
• • The applicant must be the project/program lead or an authorized designee of such individual (e.g.,
• project/program lead’s grant coordinator).
• • The project/program lead must be an employee or contractor of the requesting organization.
• Requesting organization must be legally able to receive award funding directly from Pfizer Inc.

recommend that applicants confirm this with their organization or institution prior to submitting an application.
Grants awarded to organizations that are subsequently found to be unable to accept funding directly from
Pfizer Inc. may be subject to rescission.

• For projects offering continuing education credit, the requesting organization must be accredited.

II. Requirements
Primary Area of Interest:

• • Oncology – General
• Specific Area of Interest for this RFP:

It is not our intent to support clinical research projects. Projects evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic
or diagnostic agents will not be considered.
Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) play an important role in the care of people with cancer, acting as an
extension of the medical oncologist workforce in an often resource constrained environment. Projects that will
be considered for Pfizer support will focus on strengthening the knowledge and skills of APPs and other
healthcare providers in the following areas:

• • Understanding guideline concordant biomarker and genetic testing practices, including the
• role of germline and somatic mutations or alterations in the context of cancer care
• • Best practices for clinical care pathways for routine and rapid testing in tumor types with actionable
• biomarkers such as lung, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer.
• • Interpreting the results of comprehensive molecular profiling reports
• • Discussing the clinical implications, implementation and applicability of biomarker and genetic testing
• results with patients and their caregivers
• Target Audience
• Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, genetic counselors, and other non-physician
• members of the oncology care team.
• 2

Expected Approximate Monetary Range of Grant Applications

• Individual projects requesting up to $250,000 will be considered. The estimated total available budget related

to this RFP is $500,000.

• Award amounts include direct costs, institutional overhead costs (capped at 28% per Pfizer policy), and

indirect costs.

• The amount of the grant Pfizer will be prepared to fund for any project will depend upon the internal review

panel’s evaluation of the proposal and costs involved and will be stated clearly in the grant agreement.
Key Dates:

• • RFP release date: July 29, 2025
• • Proposal Submission Deadline: October 1, 2025
• • Anticipated grant award notification: Nov 7, 2025
• • Anticipated project start date: January 1, 2026 (maximum project length is 2 years)
• IMPORTANT: Be advised applications submitted after the due date will not be reviewed.
• *Please note the deadline is 23:59 Eastern Standard Time (e.g., New York, GMT -5)
• How to Submit:
• IMPORTANT: Please read this section carefully since applications submitted not following these
• instructions will not be accepted and will be cancelled.
• • Please go to https://www.cybergrants.com/pfizer/knowledge and sign in.
• Note: there are individual portals for each grant application type. Please be sure to use the URL

above.

• First-time users should click “Create your password”.
• It is strongly suggested to log in before the submission deadline to ensure organization information

is up-to-date (e.g. prior reporting requirements completed, tax ID number updated, etc.)

• Click the “Start A New Independent Medical Education/Knowledge Gap Application” button.
• Requirements for submission:
• • Complete all required sections of the online application
• • IMPORTANT: Upload proposal (see Appendix) in the General RFP Submission field.
• • In the application:
• • For the question “Competitive Grant?” select “Yes”
• • Select the following Primary Area of Interest: Oncology - General
• • Select the following Competitive Grant Program Name: 2025 ONC US APP Biomarker IME
• Questions:
• • If you encounter any technical difficulties with the website, please click here or the “Technical Questions” link
• at the bottom of the page in Cybergrants.
• • Please click here to view “Frequently Asked Questions” regarding the Competitive Grant Program.
• If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to the Grant Officer, Lori Carpenter
• (Lori.Carpenter@pfizer.com), with the subject line “2025 ONC US APP Biomarker IME July 2025”
• 3

Mechanism by which Applicants will be Notified:

• • All applicants will be notified via email by the dates noted above.
• • Applicants may be asked for additional clarification during the review period.
• Grant Agreements:
• • If your proposal is approved, your institution will be required to enter into a written grant agreement with
• Pfizer.
• • Under Pfizer's competitive grant program, modifications to grant agreements will not be reviewed unless a

genuine conflict exists as between applicable law and the terms of the relevant grant agreement. Applicant
is encouraged to share the core terms with counsel for approval prior to submitting an application.

• Except where prohibited by applicable law and, in any case, subject to review by Pfizer Legal, payment of

grant funding may only be paid to the grantee organization.
About Pfizer Grants
Pfizer supports the global healthcare community’s independent initiatives (e.g., research, quality improvement
or education) to improve patient outcomes in areas of unmet medical need that are aligned with Pfizer’s medical
and/or scientific strategies.
Pfizer’s competitive grant program involves a publicly posted general Request for Proposal (RFP) that provides
detail regarding a general area of interest and sets timelines for review and approval. Organizations are invited
to submit an application addressing the educational gaps as outlined in the specific RFP.
For all Investigator Sponsored Research (ISRs) and general research grants, the grant requester (and ultimately
the grantee) is responsible for the design, implementation, sponsorship, and conduct of the independent
initiative supported by the grant, including compliance with any regulatory requirements. Pfizer must not be
involved in any aspect of study protocol or project development, nor the conduct or monitoring of the research
program. An ISR grant request cannot be submitted for a study that has already commenced and was not
originally supported by Pfizer.

IMPORTANT: RFP Submission Requirements
Applications will be accepted via the online portal listed in the How to Submit section. Project Proposals
should be single-spaced using Calibri 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Note there is a 15-page limit
exclusive of references. When uploading your Project Proposal please ensure it addresses the following
sections:

• Goals and Objectives
• • Briefly state the overall goal of the project.
• • List the objectives you plan to meet with your project, in terms of learning and expected outcomes.
• Assessment of Need for the Project
• • Include a description of your organization’s needs assessment for this proposed project which may include
• a quantitative baseline data summary, initial metrics, or a project starting point (please cite data on gap
• analyses or relevant patient-level data that informs the stated objectives) in your target area.
• Target Audience
• Describe the primary audience(s) targeted for this project. Indicate whom you believe will directly benefit

from the project outcomes. Describe the overall population size as well as the size of your sample
population.
Project Design and Methods

• Describe the planned project, the educational approach, and the way the planned methods address the

established need. Describe how, and if, the program will be updated throughout the anticipated project
timeline.
Innovation

• Explain what measures you have taken to assure that this project is original and does not duplicate other

projects or materials already developed. Describe how this project builds upon existing work, pilot projects,
or ongoing projects developed either by your institution or other institutions.
Evaluation and Outcomes

• In terms of the metrics used for the needs assessment, describe how your organization will determine if

the gap was addressed for the target group. Identify the sources of data your organization anticipates using
to make the determination. Describe how your organization is expected to collect and analyze the data.

• Explain the method used to control for other factors outside this project (e.g., use of a control group or

comparison with baseline data). Quantify the amount of change expected from this project in terms the
target audience. Describe how your organization will determine if the target audience was fully engaged in
the project.
Dissemination Plan

• Describe how the project may have extended benefit beyond the grant. Will the teaching materials be

made available to others to use? Will there be tools or resources that are made publicly available beyond
the initial project. Describe how the project outcomes might be broadly disseminated.
Anticipated Project Timeline

• Provide an anticipated timeline for your project including project start/end dates.

Additional Information

• If there is any additional information you feel Pfizer should be aware of concerning the importance of this

project, please summarize here.
Organization Detail

• Describe the attributes of the institutions / organizations / associations that will support and facilitate the

execution of the project and the leadership of the proposed project. Articulate the specific role of each
partner in the proposed project.

Budget Detail

• Please include a budget narrative that describes in greater detail the line items specified in the budget

submitted within the application.

• While estimating your budget please keep the following items in mind:
• • Independent Medical Education Grants awarded by External Research & Grants (ER&G) cannot be used
• to purchase therapeutic assets (prescription or non-prescription).
• Overhead rates of up to 28% of the total proposed project budget may be supported by Pfizer. Please click

here for details. General organizational running costs such as legal fees, insurance, heating and lighting
etc. should be included in an Institutional Overhead (if required). These costs are not specific to a grant
request and therefore, should not appear as line items in budgets. However, costs that are specific to the
study (e.g., some countries require insurance to be taken out on a per-study basis for clinical research)
would be acceptable to be included as line items.