Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 17 009
Apply for RFA DA 17 009
- The HHS-NIH11 in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Extracellular Vesicle Tools, Technologies, and Products for Neuroscience Research (R43/R44)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 22, 2016 and posted on Apr 22, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 22, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Extracellular Vesicle Tools, Technologies, and Products for Neuroscience Research (R43/R44)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-17-009) is a discretionary NIH funding announcement from HHS-NIH, specifically aimed at small businesses. It uses the SBIR mechanism (R43/R44), which is designed to help small companies develop and commercialize innovative technologies that address important biomedical research needs. In this case, the focus is on extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are tiny membrane-bound particles released by cells that can carry proteins, lipids, and genetic material, and are increasingly recognized as a powerful way cells communicate with each other, including in the brain.
The central goal of this initiative is to push the development of practical, high-impact tools, technologies, and products that make it easier for neuroscience researchers to work with EVs. Rather than funding basic science questions directly, the announcement emphasizes enabling capabilities: better ways to isolate EVs, characterize them, measure their cargo, track their movement, or otherwise use them as experimental systems in neuroscience contexts. The logic is that EV biology is promising but often technically difficult, and progress in the field depends heavily on reliable, accessible, and standardized methods and products that can be used broadly by research labs.
A key long-term priority embedded in the announcement is relevance to NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse). The opportunity frames EV tools as foundational infrastructure for future mechanistic, diagnostic, and therapeutic studies tied to extracellular vesicle communication and drug addiction. In practice, that means the NIH is looking to seed a toolbox that can later support research into how EVs may contribute to addiction-related brain changes, how EV-based signals could serve as biomarkers for substance use or recovery, and how EVs might be harnessed or targeted for treatment strategies. Even if a proposed tool is broadly useful for neuroscience, the motivation behind the program is to accelerate lines of research that could ultimately inform addiction science.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant (not a contract) and falls under the health and education activity category, with CFDA numbers 93.279 (and also listed alongside 93.279 in the source data). Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with the R43/R44 SBIR framework. The funding opportunity was created and posted on April 22, 2016, and the original and current closing date shown is November 22, 2016. The listed award ceiling is $150,000, indicating a modest upper bound on budget as presented in the summary data, and the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided source fields.
Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as an NIH effort to stimulate commercialization-oriented development of EV-focused research products for neuroscience. The intended impact is to lower technical barriers and improve consistency in EV research, so that investigators can more effectively study EV-mediated communication in the nervous system and, over time, apply those capabilities to NIDA-relevant questions in drug addiction, including mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Extracellular Vesicle Tools, Technologies, and Products for Neuroscience Research (R43/R44)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-DA-17-009.
Which agency is offering this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH funding announcement under HHS-NIH.
What type of funding opportunity is this (grant or contract)?
This opportunity is a grant (not a contract).
What is the funding mechanism used for this opportunity?
It uses the SBIR mechanism (R43/R44), which is aimed at helping small businesses develop and commercialize innovative technologies that address biomedical research needs.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with the SBIR R43/R44 framework.
What is the main scientific focus of this opportunity?
The focus is on extracellular vesicles (EVs) and on developing tools, technologies, and products that help neuroscience researchers work with EVs.
What are extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the context of this announcement?
EVs are described as tiny membrane-bound particles released by cells that can carry proteins, lipids, and genetic material, and are increasingly recognized as an important way cells communicate with each other, including in the brain.
What is the central goal of the program?
The central goal is to push development of practical, high-impact tools, technologies, and products that make it easier for neuroscience researchers to work with extracellular vesicles.
Is this opportunity intended to fund basic science research on EVs?
Not primarily. The emphasis is on enabling capabilities (tools and methods) rather than directly funding basic science questions.
What kinds of tool capabilities does the announcement emphasize?
It emphasizes better ways to isolate EVs, characterize them, measure their cargo, track their movement, and otherwise use them as experimental systems in neuroscience contexts.
Why is NIH emphasizing tool and technology development for EV research?
The announcement frames EV biology as promising but often technically difficult, and suggests progress depends on reliable, accessible, and standardized methods and products that can be used broadly by research labs.
How does this opportunity relate to NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)?
A key long-term priority is relevance to NIDA. The opportunity positions EV tools as foundational infrastructure for future studies tied to EV communication and drug addiction.
Does a project need to be tied to addiction science to fit this opportunity?
The opportunity notes that tools may be broadly useful for neuroscience, but the stated motivation is to accelerate research that could ultimately inform addiction science (including mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches).
What kinds of long-term impacts does the announcement envision?
It aims to lower technical barriers and improve consistency in EV research, enabling investigators to study EV-mediated communication in the nervous system and, over time, apply these capabilities to NIDA-relevant questions in drug addiction.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed as health and education.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 93.279 (also shown as listed alongside 93.279 in the source data).
When was this opportunity created and posted?
It was created and posted on April 22, 2016.
What is the closing date for applications shown in the provided information?
The original and current closing date shown is November 22, 2016.
What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $150,000, described as a modest upper bound on budget as presented in the summary data.
How many awards are expected to be made?
The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided source fields.
What is the overall purpose of this NIH effort, as described?
Overall, it is described as an NIH effort to stimulate commercialization-oriented development of EV-focused research products for neuroscience, with an intended downstream benefit to addiction-related research areas relevant to NIDA.
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