NCI Cancer Center Designation (NCI-Designated / Comprehensive Cancer Center)
National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Cancer Centers, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · Bethesda / Rockville, Maryland, USA
AG Process Grade
Grade A See the Certification rubric →NCI Cancer Center Designation is earned through a competitive, peer-reviewed P30 Cancer Center Support Grant administered by NCI's Office of Cancer Centers under authority of the National Cancer Act of 1971. Applicants submit extensive applications (cited examples run to thousands of pages) that are scored by an external scientific peer-review study section against published standards, six essential characteristics plus, for Comprehensive designation, demonstrated depth and breadth and substantial transdisciplinary research across basic laboratory, clinical, and prevention/population science. There is no application fee; the mechanism awards federal grant funds and requires a substantial existing cancer-research funding base (e.g., $10M for Clinical/Comprehensive), so the pay-to-pass concern is structurally absent. Designation is not permanent: it is competitively renewed every five years, applications can be unfunded, and centers can lose designation. NCI publishes the criteria and process in its Funding Opportunity Announcements and maintains a public directory of the 74 currently designated centers. The single point removed from scoring is a designation-specific pass/denial rate, which NCI does not publish; per rubric rules this leaf is dashed rather than penalized. On the assessed 97 points the designation earns full marks.
Founded 1971 · National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Cancer Centers, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · HQ Bethesda / Rockville, Maryland, USA · Healthcare & Life Sciences · Entry undisclosed
NCI Cancer Center Designation is a federal recognition awarded by the National Cancer Institute to institutions that earn a peer-reviewed P30 Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). Centers are designated in tiers (Basic Laboratory, Clinical, and Comprehensive) after competitive scientific peer review against rigorous standards; as of April 2026 there were 74 designated centers (58 Comprehensive), and designation must be competitively renewed every five years.
Profile data
| Organizer | National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Cancer Centers, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| Location | Bethesda / Rockville, Maryland, USA |
| Entry fee | Undisclosed |
| Cost to receive award | Undisclosed |
| Winner rate | Undisclosed |
| Selection authority | Measured data |
| Data confidence | ● Partially documented |
No People's Grade yet. You can be the first to share your experience with this award.
Entered this award? Submit a People's Grade →Full rubric scorecard
Category breakdowns are illustrative for the sample profile. Honor Roll shows criterion-level scores with sourced evidence.
* undisclosed, not scored.
True total cost (entry + ceremony + trophy + licensing): 🔒 Honor Roll
Visibility Signals: Recognition Indicator · Media pickup · Badge link value · Winner adoption rate
Full rubric scorecard, true total cost, and Visibility Signals are available to Honor Roll members.
Industry Alternatives
Other certifications in the same industry (Healthcare & Life Sciences), graded A or B -- real judging, disclosed criteria, and genuine selectivity.