Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 15 003
Apply for RFA CA 15 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular Analysis Technologies for Cancer Research (R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 8, 2015 and posted on Jan 8, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 22, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) State governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) County governments Small businesses For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular Analysis Technologies for Cancer Research (R33) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-CA-15-003) is a National Institutes of Health program announcement run through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. Its purpose is to fund projects that push promising new molecular and cellular analysis technologies beyond the early prototype stage and into more rigorous development and validation, specifically in cancer-relevant biological systems. The central idea is to support tools and methods that are already past basic feasibility, have proof-of-principle and supportive preliminary data, but have not yet been thoroughly evaluated for their intended real-world research use. NCI is looking for technology-driven projects that, if they work as hoped, would significantly speed up or improve the way cancer is studied, detected, diagnosed, treated, and monitored.
A key theme of this FOA is that the innovation must be in the technology itself, not simply in the scientific question. Applications that rely on established or standard technologies, where the only novelty is the biological or clinical application, are considered out of scope and would not be reviewed. In other words, the project needs to be about advancing an emerging analytical platform, assay, instrument, computational method, or integrated workflow, then demonstrating that it performs well in an appropriate cancer context. The expectation is that funded work will produce a molecular analysis technology that can have major impact across cancer biology, therapeutic development, diagnostics, early detection and screening, cancer control and epidemiology, and/or research related to cancer health disparities.
This is an R33 grant mechanism, which is commonly used for advanced development activities where feasibility has already been demonstrated and the next step is substantial refinement, optimization, and validation. The FOA’s definition of an "emerging technology" is important: the technology has moved beyond pilot development and shows real promise, but it still needs the kind of systematic performance testing and demonstration that would convince others it is ready for broader adoption in cancer research settings.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary grant funding in the health/education activity area, with no cost sharing or matching requirement. The estimated total funding available was about $4,000,000, with an expected 10 awards. The award ceiling listed is $300,000 (as provided in the source data). The FOA was posted on January 8, 2015, with an original (and current) closing date of September 22, 2015, and an archive date of October 23, 2015, meaning it is no longer open but remains useful as a reference for the type of projects NCI sought under this IMAT R33 call.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities, with some distinctions); small businesses; and for-profit organizations beyond small businesses. The eligibility language also explicitly included a range of mission-focused institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations. Notably, foreign organizations and foreign institutions were eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations could participate; foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed as well, signaling that NCI was open to supporting strong technology development efforts even when key expertise or validation settings are international.
Overall, this FOA was aimed at bridging the gap between early technical promise and practical, validated usefulness in cancer research. Successful applications would be expected to show convincing preliminary evidence that the technology works, then propose a clear plan to advance it substantially and validate it in a cancer-relevant system in a way that demonstrates readiness for broader research impact. For full historical details, NCI directed applicants to the NIH Grants Guide notice for RFA-CA-15-003 (link provided in the announcement), and provided NIH Office of Extramural Research web support contacts for access or technical issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular Analysis Technologies for Cancer Research (R33)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-CA-15-003.
Which agency and institute run this opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program announcement run through the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
How does this opportunity fit into NCI programs?
It sits under the broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The purpose is to fund projects that push promising molecular and cellular analysis technologies beyond early prototypes into advanced development and rigorous validation in cancer-relevant biological systems.
What stage of technology development is this FOA meant to support?
It is intended for technologies that are past basic feasibility and have proof-of-principle and supportive preliminary data, but have not yet been thoroughly evaluated for their intended real-world research use.
What does NCI mean by an "emerging technology" in this FOA?
In this FOA, an emerging technology is one that has moved beyond pilot development and shows real promise, but still needs systematic performance testing and demonstration to show it is ready for broader adoption in cancer research settings.
What kinds of projects were NCI looking for?
NCI was looking for technology-driven projects that substantially refine, optimize, and validate an emerging analytical platform, assay, instrument, computational method, or integrated workflow, and then demonstrate strong performance in an appropriate cancer context.
What is the R33 mechanism and why was it used here?
This opportunity used the R33 grant mechanism, which is commonly used for advanced development activities where feasibility has already been demonstrated and the next step is substantial refinement, optimization, and validation.
Does the innovation need to be in the technology, or can it be in the biology or clinical question?
The innovation must be in the technology itself. Applications that use established or standard technologies where the only novelty is the biological or clinical application were considered out of scope and would not be reviewed.
What would be considered out of scope for this FOA?
Projects relying on established or standard technologies, where the primary novelty is the scientific question or the biological/clinical application (rather than the technology), were considered out of scope and would not be reviewed.
What cancer-related areas could the resulting technology impact?
The FOA described potential impact across cancer biology, therapeutic development, diagnostics, early detection and screening, cancer control and epidemiology, and research related to cancer health disparities.
What type of funding category was this opportunity?
It was categorized as discretionary grant funding in the health/education activity area.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA indicated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How much total funding was estimated to be available?
The estimated total funding available was about $4,000,000.
How many awards were expected?
The FOA expected approximately 10 awards.
What was the listed award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed in the source data was $300,000.
When was this FOA posted?
The FOA was posted on January 8, 2015.
What was the closing date for applications?
The original (and current) closing date listed was September 22, 2015.
Is this FOA currently open?
No. The FOA has an archive date of October 23, 2015, and is no longer open, though it can still be used as a reference for the types of projects NCI sought under this IMAT R33 call.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities, with some distinctions); small businesses; and for-profit organizations beyond small businesses.
Were mission-focused institutions explicitly included in eligibility?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly included HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations.
Were foreign organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions were eligible to apply.
Could non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations participate?
Yes. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations could participate.
Were foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) allowed?
Yes. The FOA indicated that foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed.
What is the overall goal of the funded work?
The overall goal was to bridge the gap between early technical promise and practical, validated usefulness in cancer research by advancing the technology substantially and validating it in a cancer-relevant system to demonstrate readiness for broader research impact.
What kind of evidence would a strong application be expected to include?
Based on the FOA description, successful applications would be expected to show convincing preliminary evidence that the technology works (proof-of-principle and supportive preliminary data), along with a clear plan for substantial advancement and validation in a cancer-relevant system.
Where were applicants directed for full historical details?
NCI directed applicants to the NIH Grants Guide notice for RFA-CA-15-003 for full historical details.
Who was listed for help with access or technical issues?
NIH Office of Extramural Research web support contacts were provided for access or technical issues.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education Health
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| Developing Technologies and Tools to Monitor HIV Brain Reservoirs and How They May be Altered by Exposure to Substances of Abuse (R21/R33) Apply for RFA DA 15 018 Funding Number: RFA DA 15 018 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Gene Environment Interplay in Substance Use Disorders (R01) Apply for PA 15 110 Funding Number: PA 15 110 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Gene Environment Interplay in Substance Use Disorders (R03) Apply for PA 15 111 Funding Number: PA 15 111 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $50,000 |
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