Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 23 003
Apply for RFA CA 23 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-02.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-23-003) is a National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant announcement aimed at moving promising cancer-focused analysis technologies beyond early feasibility and into a more mature, community-ready state. The emphasis is on exploratory yet well-supported projects that further develop and rigorously validate emerging molecular or cellular analysis methods that can deliver genuinely new capabilities for targeting, probing, or assessing key features of cancer biology. In practical terms, the NCI is looking for technology-driven projects that already have credible preliminary data showing that the main feasibility hurdles have been cleared, but that still need additional engineering, optimization, standardization, benchmarking, and validation to make the approach robust and adoptable by other researchers.
This FOA uses the R33 mechanism, which is typically positioned for later-stage exploratory development compared with earlier “proof-of-concept” efforts. The expectation is that applicants will propose a clear development and validation plan that demonstrates the technology can perform reliably, reproducibly, and with well-defined performance characteristics. Projects should be designed to produce convincing evidence of utility and generalizability, such as analytical validation, comparisons to existing methods, reproducibility across samples or sites (as appropriate), and demonstration that the method can be implemented by others rather than remaining a one-off capability in a single lab. Importantly, the FOA specifies “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning the work must not be structured as a clinical trial; the goal is technology advancement and validation for research use, not testing interventions in humans as a trial.
The scientific scope is broad in terms of where the technology could ultimately have impact, but narrow in what kind of novelty is required. The NCI is seeking methods that improve molecular and/or cellular characterization of cancer, with potential to accelerate or enhance research in cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment and control, epidemiology, and efforts related to cancer health disparities. A key point is that the innovation must reside in the technology or methodology itself. Applications that mainly apply an existing technology to a new biological question, new tumor type, or new clinical target, without providing a substantial technology advance, are considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed. In other words, the proposal needs to be “technology-forward,” not simply “biology-forward.”
This opportunity sits within the NCI’s broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program, which is oriented around creating and maturing transformative measurement and analysis tools for cancer research. That context matters because the IMAT portfolio generally values enabling capabilities: tools that can be used widely, that open up new kinds of measurements, or that significantly improve sensitivity, specificity, throughput, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, scalability, or cost effectiveness in cancer-relevant molecular and cellular analyses. While a technology may be broadly applicable across biomedical research, the FOA requires that the development be clearly focused on cancer-relevant molecular and cellular characterization and that the resulting capability would meaningfully benefit cancer research communities.
In terms of who can apply, eligibility is expansive. Eligible applicants include many types of U.S. government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also allows applications from federally recognized Native American tribal governments and from tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Nonprofits are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, and both for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses may apply. In addition, the announcement explicitly highlights other eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), as well as regional organizations and certain tribal governments other than federally recognized ones. This breadth signals an intent to attract a diverse set of technology developers and to support innovation that can reach and benefit varied populations and research settings.
Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary NIH grant in the Education and Health activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.394. The original closing date listed is 2023-09-01, and the FOA creation date is 2022-12-02. The provided source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would typically consult the full FOA text and NIH/NCI budget guidance for detailed limits, allowable costs, project period expectations, and review criteria.
Overall, the grant is best understood as support for the “last mile” of early technology innovation: taking an emerging molecular or cellular analysis approach for cancer research that already works in principle, then doing the careful development and rigorous validation work needed so that others can trust it, reproduce it, and adopt it broadly. The strongest projects are likely to be those that define clear performance goals, provide compelling preliminary evidence of feasibility, and lay out a concrete validation strategy that demonstrates why the resulting tool will materially improve cancer-related molecular and cellular measurement compared with what is currently available.
FAQs: Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) - RFA-CA-23-003
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant opportunity titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (RFA-CA-23-003). It supports later-stage exploratory development work to advance and validate promising cancer-focused molecular or cellular analysis technologies.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The goal is to move emerging cancer-relevant analysis technologies beyond early feasibility into a more mature, community-ready state. The emphasis is on additional engineering, optimization, standardization, benchmarking, and rigorous validation so the technology becomes robust, reproducible, and adoptable by other researchers.
What does the R33 mechanism mean in this context?
The FOA uses the NIH R33 mechanism, which is generally positioned for later-stage exploratory development compared with earlier proof-of-concept efforts. It is intended for projects that have already cleared major feasibility hurdles and now need focused development and validation work to demonstrate reliable performance and broader usability.
What kinds of projects are a good fit?
Projects are a good fit if they are technology-driven and already have credible preliminary data showing feasibility, but still require substantial work to mature the method. Competitive projects typically propose a clear development and validation plan designed to produce convincing evidence of utility, performance characteristics, generalizability, and reproducibility.
What kinds of work does NCI expect applicants to propose?
NCI expects a clear plan for development and rigorous validation. Examples of the types of work emphasized include engineering improvements, optimization, standardization, benchmarking against existing approaches, analytical validation, and demonstrations of reproducibility (including across samples or sites, as appropriate). A key expectation is showing the method can be implemented by others rather than remaining a one-off capability in a single lab.
Is this opportunity meant for early feasibility or proof-of-concept studies?
No. The FOA is aimed at moving technologies beyond early feasibility. Applicants should already have credible preliminary data indicating major feasibility hurdles have been cleared, and the proposed work should focus on advancing the technology to a more mature and validated stage.
What does "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" mean here?
"Clinical Trial Not Allowed" means the proposed work must not be structured as a clinical trial. The focus is on technology advancement and validation for research use, not testing interventions in humans as a clinical trial.
What is the scientific scope of the technologies NCI wants to support?
The scope is broad in terms of potential impact areas, but narrow in the type of novelty required. NCI is seeking emerging molecular and/or cellular analysis technologies that improve cancer-relevant characterization and can provide genuinely new capabilities for targeting, probing, or assessing key features of cancer biology.
Does the technology need to be cancer-focused?
Yes. While a technology might be broadly applicable across biomedical research, this FOA requires that the development is clearly focused on cancer-relevant molecular and cellular characterization and that the resulting capability would meaningfully benefit cancer research communities.
What cancer research areas could the supported technologies ultimately impact?
The FOA notes potential impact across multiple areas, including cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment and control, epidemiology, and efforts related to cancer health disparities.
Where does the innovation need to be?
The innovation must reside in the technology or methodology itself. The FOA is explicitly "technology-forward" rather than "biology-forward."
Are projects that apply an existing technology to a new cancer problem responsive?
Not if the application is primarily applying an existing technology to a new biological question, tumor type, or clinical target without a substantial technology advance. The FOA states that such applications are considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.
What kinds of evidence of readiness are implied by the FOA?
The FOA emphasizes that applicants should have preliminary data showing feasibility and should propose work to establish reliable, reproducible performance with well-defined performance characteristics. It also highlights the importance of validation evidence that supports generalizability and adoption by other researchers.
What does "community-ready" imply for a technology?
In this FOA, "community-ready" implies a technology that is robust and adoptable beyond the originating lab, with clear performance characteristics, standardization where appropriate, and validation/benchmarking that gives other researchers confidence they can reproduce and use it.
What does NCI mean by "rigorous validation" in this announcement?
Based on the description provided, rigorous validation can include analytical validation, comparisons to existing methods, reproducibility demonstrations across samples or sites (as appropriate), benchmarking, and other evidence that performance is reliable and generalizable.
How does this FOA relate to the IMAT Program?
This opportunity sits within NCI's Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. IMAT generally values enabling capabilities: tools that can be used widely, open new types of measurements, or significantly improve sensitivity, specificity, throughput, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, scalability, or cost effectiveness in cancer-relevant molecular and cellular analyses.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is expansive. Eligible applicants include various U.S. government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA allows applications from federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and from tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. It also references certain tribal governments other than federally recognized ones as eligible categories.
Are nonprofits eligible?
Yes. Nonprofits are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. Both for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses may apply.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible?
Yes. The announcement explicitly includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) among eligible applicant categories.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included in eligibility?
Yes. The announcement explicitly highlights eligibility for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, and faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. The announcement lists eligible federal agencies among eligible applicant categories.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are included among the eligible applicant categories.
What is the listed closing date?
The original closing date listed in the provided information is 2023-09-01.
When was this FOA created?
The FOA creation date listed in the provided information is 2022-12-02.
Which agency and institute are sponsoring this opportunity?
The sponsoring agencies are the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and, specifically, the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.394.
What is the activity category noted for this grant?
It is described as a discretionary NIH grant in the Education and Health activity category.
Does the provided information include an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?
No. The provided source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.
What should applicants do to find budget limits, allowable costs, and review details?
Because the provided information does not include budget caps, project period expectations, allowable costs, or detailed review criteria, applicants would typically consult the full FOA text and NIH/NCI budget guidance for those specifics.
What is the overall "best use" of this grant based on the description?
It is best understood as support for the "last mile" of early technology innovation: taking a technology that already works in principle and doing the careful development and rigorous validation needed so others can trust it, reproduce it, and adopt it broadly for cancer research applications.
What characteristics are implied for strong applications?
Strong applications are likely those that define clear performance goals, provide compelling preliminary evidence of feasibility, and include a concrete validation strategy demonstrating that the resulting tool materially improves cancer-related molecular and cellular measurement compared with what is currently available.
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