Application and Early Stage Development of Emerging Technologies in Cancer Research (R21) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of FOA RFA-CA-10-003?

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports exploratory, early-stage projects that take an emerging analytical technology and test its first real application as a laboratory or clinical tool in cancer research. The goal is to push promising new measurement, detection, or analysis approaches into practical cancer-research use cases where success could significantly expand what is possible across cancer science.

What does NCI mean by an "emerging analytical technology" in this FOA?

In this FOA, an emerging technology is one that has moved beyond initial invention or proof-of-concept development, but has not yet been evaluated in the real setting it is intended for. The emphasis is on early testing of utility in a realistic laboratory or clinical context, rather than inventing a concept from scratch or validating a mature tool that is already established.

What type of projects is this FOA trying to fund?

The FOA is designed to fund projects where the main innovation is the technology itself and its first real application in cancer research. Projects should focus on technology impact: demonstrating that a new analytical method or tool can work in a practical cancer-research setting and could broadly enable or accelerate progress.

What kinds of cancer research areas could benefit from technologies supported by this FOA?

NCI is interested in technologies that could accelerate progress across a broad range of cancer-related areas, including cancer biology, cancer treatment, cancer detection and diagnosis, cancer prevention, cancer control and epidemiology, and research addressing cancer health disparities.

What is considered out of scope or non-responsive for this FOA?

Applications are considered out of scope if they rely on established technologies and place the novelty primarily in the biological or clinical question, rather than in a genuinely emerging method or tool. The program is intended to move tools forward, not simply apply standard tools to new datasets, hypotheses, or conventional studies. Non-responsive applications would be returned.

What funding mechanism does this FOA use?

This FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically used for exploratory and developmental research.

How does the R21 mechanism shape expectations for the project?

Because this is an R21, the FOA allows an element of technical risk and does not require preliminary data. It is meant for high-upside ideas that may not yet have extensive validation. At the same time, applicants must still define clear, objective measures of success through quantitative milestones.

Are preliminary data required to apply?

No. The FOA states that preliminary data are not required, consistent with the exploratory nature of the R21 mechanism.

What are "quantitative milestones," and are they required?

Quantitative milestones are objective technical metrics that demonstrate whether each specific aim has been accomplished. Yes, they are required: every project must include quantitative milestones. These milestones help set clear performance targets for the technology and give reviewers a concrete basis to judge feasibility and potential impact.

How is this FOA different from a typical biology-driven cancer research grant?

This FOA is explicitly focused on technology impact rather than using technology to answer a biology question. The central story of the application should be the emerging technology, its performance metrics, and its potential to broadly enable cancer research, not a conventional biological or clinical study that happens to use technology as a routine method.

What program is this FOA associated with?

This FOA sits within NCI's Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program, which is intended to catalyze new and improved analytical technologies relevant to cancer.

Is there a related or companion funding opportunity?

Yes. This R21 FOA runs in parallel with a companion announcement with the same scientific scope that uses the R33 mechanism: RFA-CA-10-004. The pairing signals a pipeline approach, with early testing and proof of utility under R21 and potential further maturation under the complementary mechanism.

How much funding did NCI plan to make available under this FOA?

NCI planned to commit about $2.25 million total in fiscal year 2010 under this FOA.

How many awards were expected?

The FOA indicated an expectation of funding up to seven awards.

What is the maximum project period allowed?

The project period is capped at two years.

What are the budget limits for this R21 FOA?

Budgets are limited to $275,000 in direct costs total over the two-year R21 period, with no more than $200,000 in direct costs in any single year.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), state governments, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain federal agencies. Non-U.S. (foreign) entities are also allowed to apply.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. The FOA allows non-U.S. (foreign) entities to apply.

When was this FOA posted, and what were the key dates?

The opportunity was posted on October 26, 2009. The closing date was September 30, 2010. It was archived on October 31, 2010.

What is the core idea reviewers are likely to look for based on the FOA description?

Based on the FOA description, the core idea is a milestone-driven, two-year plan to test whether an emerging analytical technology performs well enough in its intended laboratory or clinical cancer-research setting to matter broadly. The application should make the case that success would meaningfully change capabilities across a wide span of cancer science.

What kind of team or project is the best fit for this opportunity?

The best fit is a team with a promising analytical technology that is beyond raw invention but not yet proven in its intended cancer-research setting, and that can define concrete quantitative milestones over a two-year period to demonstrate initial real-world utility.