Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 09 007

  • The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Application and Use of Transformative Emerging Technologies in Cancer Research (R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research 93.396 Cancer Biology Research.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Dec 15, 2008 and posted on Dec 15, 2008.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Small businesses For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments.
  • Other Eligible Applicants include the following Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) U.S. Territory or Possession.
Apply for RFA CA 09 007

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Opportunity Summary:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support unusually innovative, high-risk projects that test and apply emerging molecular and cellular analysis technologies in cancer-relevant biological systems. The central idea is not incremental tool development, but bold evaluation and use of technologies that could genuinely change how cancer research is done. Proposed projects are expected to be original or unconventional, with a clear rationale for why the technology could be transformative, and with a strong plan for demonstrating performance in a biological context that matters for cancer biology, detection, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment.

A key emphasis is on technologies with the potential to either create entirely new scientific or technological paradigms or to challenge existing ones, and/or to overcome stubborn technological bottlenecks in major areas of cancer research. In practical terms, applications should make a convincing case that the tool or analytical approach can do something meaningfully different from standard methods, such as improving sensitivity, resolution, speed, scalability, or interpretability, or enabling questions that cannot be addressed with current techniques. The project must go beyond a purely technical proof-of-concept by grounding the evaluation in an appropriate cancer-relevant model or system, because the FOA is specifically focused on performance and impact in real biological settings rather than abstract engineering alone.

This opportunity uses the R33 grant mechanism and sits within NCI's broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. IMAT is structured as a family of related funding announcements that share similar scientific goals but use different mechanisms, and NIH provided a separate guide notice (NOT-CA-09-007) that compares and links the IMAT FOAs to help applicants choose the best fit. The overall expectation is that funded projects will be positioned to produce a major impact across a broad swath of biomedical or cancer-relevant research, meaning the benefits should extend beyond a narrow niche and be potentially useful to the wider research community.

From an administrative standpoint, the FOA is identified as RFA-CA-09-007, titled "Application and Use of Transformative Emerging Technologies in Cancer Research (R33)." It is a discretionary grant opportunity in the health and education-related research space, mapped to multiple CFDA program areas covering cancer cause and prevention (93.393), detection and diagnosis (93.394), treatment (93.395), and cancer biology (93.396). The announcement indicated no cost sharing or matching requirement, and it listed an estimated total funding level of $1,000,000 for the opportunity.

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, small businesses, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, other than higher education institutions). It also allows participation by state governments and, importantly, extends eligibility to certain additional categories such as eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), reflecting an intent to attract strong, unconventional ideas regardless of sector and, in some cases, geography.

In terms of timing, the FOA was posted and created on December 15, 2008, with an original and current closing date of September 30, 2009, and an archive date of October 31, 2009. The full announcement was available through the NIH grants guide at the link provided in the source. For access or technical issues, the contact route provided was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is this funding opportunity?

This is a National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support unusually innovative, high-risk projects that test and apply emerging molecular and cellular analysis technologies in cancer-relevant biological systems. The goal is to evaluate and use potentially transformative technologies that could change how cancer research is conducted, rather than to fund incremental tool development.

2. What is the FOA number and official title?

The FOA is RFA-CA-09-007, titled "Application and Use of Transformative Emerging Technologies in Cancer Research (R33)."

3. What grant mechanism does this opportunity use?

This opportunity uses the NIH R33 grant mechanism.

4. What program is this FOA associated with?

This FOA sits within NCI's Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. IMAT is described as a family of related funding announcements with similar scientific goals that use different mechanisms.

5. What kind of projects is NCI looking for under this FOA?

NCI is looking for original or unconventional projects that test and apply emerging molecular and cellular analysis technologies in biological systems relevant to cancer. Applications are expected to present a clear rationale for why the technology could be transformative and a strong plan to demonstrate performance in a cancer-relevant biological context.

6. What does "transformative" mean in the context of this FOA?

Based on the FOA description, "transformative" refers to technologies with the potential to create entirely new scientific or technological paradigms, challenge existing paradigms, and/or overcome persistent technological bottlenecks in major areas of cancer research. The application should make a convincing case that the proposed approach can do something meaningfully different from standard methods.

7. Is incremental tool development supported?

No. The central idea of the FOA is not incremental tool development. Instead, it emphasizes bold evaluation and use of emerging technologies that could genuinely change how cancer research is done.

8. What types of improvements over standard methods should an application argue for?

The FOA indicates that applications should show how the tool or analytical approach could be meaningfully different from standard methods, for example by improving sensitivity, resolution, speed, scalability, or interpretability, or by enabling research questions that cannot be addressed with current techniques.

9. Does the project need to be tested in a real biological system?

Yes. The FOA emphasizes that the project must go beyond a purely technical proof-of-concept by grounding the evaluation in an appropriate cancer-relevant model or system. The focus is on performance and impact in real biological settings rather than abstract engineering alone.

10. What cancer research areas can the technology relate to?

The FOA describes cancer-relevant biological contexts including cancer biology, detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

11. What is the broader expected impact of funded projects?

Funded projects are expected to be positioned to produce major impact across a broad swath of biomedical or cancer-relevant research. The FOA suggests the benefits should extend beyond a narrow niche and be potentially useful to the wider research community.

12. How much funding is available under this FOA?

The announcement listed an estimated total funding level of $1,000,000 for the opportunity.

13. Is cost sharing or matching required?

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

14. What type of grant opportunity is this?

It is described as a discretionary grant opportunity in the health and education-related research space.

15. What CFDA program areas does this opportunity map to?

The FOA is mapped to multiple CFDA program areas covering cancer cause and prevention (93.393), detection and diagnosis (93.394), treatment (93.395), and cancer biology (93.396).

16. Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, small businesses, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, other than higher education institutions). It also allows participation by state governments, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations).

17. Are for-profit organizations allowed to apply?

Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations, including those other than small businesses.

18. Are nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status eligible?

Yes. The eligibility description includes nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions).

19. Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The FOA extends eligibility to non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations).

20. Are U.S. territories or possessions included in eligibility?

Yes. The FOA notes eligibility includes U.S. territories or possessions.

21. Are state governments eligible applicants?

Yes. State governments are explicitly included among eligible applicant categories.

22. Are federal agencies eligible to participate?

Yes. The FOA includes "eligible federal agencies" among the additional eligible categories.

23. When was this FOA posted?

The FOA was posted and created on December 15, 2008.

24. What was the closing date for applications?

The announcement listed an original and current closing date of September 30, 2009.

25. When was the FOA archived?

The archive date listed for the FOA is October 31, 2009.

26. Where could applicants find the full announcement?

The full announcement was available through the NIH grants guide at the link provided in the source information.

27. Is there NIH guidance that helps applicants compare IMAT FOAs?

Yes. The FOA references a separate NIH guide notice, NOT-CA-09-007, which compares and links the IMAT FOAs to help applicants choose the best fit.

28. What is the provided contact route for access or technical issues?

For access or technical issues, the contact route provided was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster email.

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