Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 12 002
Apply for RFA CA 12 002
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early Stage Innovative Technology Development for Cancer Research (R21)" 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.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2011 and posted on Dec 21, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 18, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $5,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Special district governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) County governments State governments 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.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) 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 Early Stage Innovative Technology Development for Cancer Research (R21) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-12-002) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant program designed to support exploratory, high-risk research that creates or substantially advances new technologies for cancer research. The focus is on the inception and early development of highly innovative tools, platforms, methods, or approaches that could be genuinely transformative but have not yet been explored for a cancer-relevant use. In addition to entirely new inventions, the FOA also welcomes "emerging technologies," meaning technologies that already exist beyond the earliest prototype stage but have not been evaluated for a cancer-relevant intended use and would require significant modification to work for the proposed cancer application. The core idea is to push forward technical innovation that can open up new ways to study cancer at the molecular and cellular level.
A central theme of the announcement is that the proposed technology should have the potential to significantly change how researchers investigate the molecular and cellular bases of cancer, not just incrementally improve current capabilities. The NCI is looking for approaches that, if successful, would accelerate or enhance research across a wide range of cancer-related areas, including basic cancer biology, prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, cancer control, epidemiology, and cancer health disparities. While the technologies may ultimately be broadly useful across biomedical research, the proposed development effort must be grounded in cancer and tied to molecular and/or cellular characterizations of the disease, keeping the work anchored in questions and measurements that matter directly for understanding cancer mechanisms or improving cancer-related research capabilities.
This FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically intended for exploratory and developmental work where the concept is compelling but the path includes technical uncertainty. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, with an estimated total program funding amount of $5,000,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on December 21, 2011, with an application closing date of September 18, 2012, and it was later archived on October 19, 2012. The activity category is listed under education and health, and it aligns with multiple cancer-related CFDA program areas, including cancer cause and prevention research (93.393), cancer detection and diagnosis research (93.394), and cancer treatment research (93.395).
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. Eligible applicants include for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), public and private institutions of higher education, and a wide variety of governmental entities such as city or township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, and public/state-controlled universities. The FOA also explicitly includes several categories of institutions and organizations often highlighted for federal programs, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), tribal governments and tribal organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, and foreign components are permitted consistent with NIH policy.
In practical terms, this announcement is aimed at investigators and teams who are building a new research capability (or seriously re-engineering an existing technology) that could unlock new kinds of molecular or cellular cancer measurements, experiments, or analyses. The NCI emphasis is on technical novelty and transformative potential rather than mature, incremental tool refinement, with the expectation that successful projects will create enabling technologies that make cancer research faster, more precise, more informative, or possible in ways that were not previously feasible.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Early Stage Innovative Technology Development for Cancer Research (R21) opportunity?
It is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-12-002) that supports exploratory, high-risk research to create entirely new technologies or substantially advance technologies for cancer research, particularly at the molecular and cellular levels.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The goal is to push early-stage technology innovation that could be genuinely transformative for cancer research, enabling new types of measurements, experiments, platforms, methods, or analytical approaches that were not previously feasible.
What kind of research does the NCI want to support through this FOA?
The FOA is aimed at inception and early development of highly innovative tools, platforms, methods, or approaches for cancer research. It emphasizes exploratory and developmental work where there is technical uncertainty but the concept could significantly change how researchers study cancer mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels.
Does the technology need to be brand new, or can it be an existing technology?
Both are allowed. The FOA supports entirely new inventions as well as "emerging technologies" that exist beyond the earliest prototype stage but have not yet been evaluated for a cancer-relevant intended use and would require significant modification to work for the proposed cancer application.
What does the FOA mean by "emerging technologies"?
"Emerging technologies" are technologies that already exist beyond the earliest prototype stage but have not been tested or evaluated for a cancer-relevant use. To fit this FOA, they also need substantial modification to function for the proposed cancer research application.
How innovative does the proposed technology need to be?
The FOA stresses technical novelty and transformative potential. The technology should have the potential to significantly change how researchers investigate the molecular and cellular bases of cancer, rather than offering incremental improvements to existing capabilities.
What does "transformative" mean in the context of this FOA?
Transformative means the technology could open up new ways to study cancer at the molecular and cellular level, accelerate research, improve precision or informativeness, or enable research approaches that were not previously possible.
Does the project have to be directly related to cancer?
Yes. While the technology might ultimately be broadly useful across biomedical research, the proposed development effort must be grounded in cancer and tied to molecular and/or cellular characterization of the disease.
What cancer-related research areas could benefit from technologies supported under this FOA?
The FOA describes broad applicability across cancer research areas including basic cancer biology, prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, cancer control, epidemiology, and cancer health disparities, as long as the technology development is anchored in cancer-relevant molecular and/or cellular questions and measurements.
What funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is generally intended for exploratory and developmental work with compelling concepts and meaningful technical uncertainty.
What is the award ceiling for this R21 opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
How much total funding was estimated for the overall program?
The estimated total program funding amount is $5,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on December 21, 2011.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date listed is September 18, 2012.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. It was later archived on October 19, 2012.
Who is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency is the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), public and private institutions of higher education, and many governmental entities (including city/township, county, state, special district governments, and public/state-controlled universities).
Are specific types of institutions explicitly included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), tribal governments and tribal organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Can foreign institutions apply?
Yes. Foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, and foreign components are permitted consistent with NIH policy.
What is the activity category listed for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed under education and health.
Which CFDA program areas does this opportunity align with?
It aligns with multiple cancer-related CFDA program areas, including cancer cause and prevention research (93.393), cancer detection and diagnosis research (93.394), and cancer treatment research (93.395).
What types of investigators or teams is this FOA aimed at?
It is aimed at investigators and teams developing a new research capability (or seriously re-engineering an existing technology) that could unlock new molecular or cellular cancer measurements, experiments, or analyses.
Is incremental refinement of an existing tool a good fit?
The FOA emphasizes technical novelty and transformative potential rather than mature, incremental tool refinement. Projects are expected to pursue enabling technologies that could change what is possible in cancer research.
What is the underlying scientific emphasis of the FOA?
The central emphasis is on developing technologies that can advance how cancer is studied at molecular and cellular scales, staying anchored to cancer-relevant questions and measurements that directly support understanding mechanisms or improving cancer research capabilities.
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| Funding Opportunity |
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| Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Technologies for Cancer Research (R33) Apply for RFA CA 12 003 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Innovative and Early Stage Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R21) Apply for RFA CA 12 004 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R33) Apply for RFA CA 12 005 Funding Number: RFA CA 12 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| NCI Established Investigator Award in Cancer Prevention and Control (K05) Apply for PAR 12 065 Funding Number: PAR 12 065 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Imaging Science Track Award for Research Transition (I/START) R03 Apply for PAR 12 066 Funding Number: PAR 12 066 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Human Health and Heredity in Africa (H3Africa) Research Grants (U01) Apply for RFA RM 12 004 Funding Number: RFA RM 12 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $275,000 |
| Small Grants for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control (R03) Apply for PAR 12 035 Funding Number: PAR 12 035 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Cancer Prevention, Control, Behavioral Sciences, and Population Sciences Career Development Award (K07) Apply for PAR 12 067 Funding Number: PAR 12 067 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Biomechanisms of Peripheral Nerve Damage by Anti Cancer Therapy (R21) Apply for PA 12 083 Funding Number: PA 12 083 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Biomechanisms of Peripheral Nerve Damage by Anti Cancer Therapy (R01) Apply for PA 12 082 Funding Number: PA 12 082 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Leadership Group for a Clinical Research Network on Integrated Strategies to Prevent HIV Infection (UM1) Apply for RFA AI 12 011 Funding Number: RFA AI 12 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Cutting Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21) Apply for PAR 12 086 Funding Number: PAR 12 086 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $125,000 |
| Basic Cancer Research in Cancer Health Disparities (U01) Apply for PAR 12 095 Funding Number: PAR 12 095 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Exploratory/Developmental Grants Program for Basic Cancer Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R21) Apply for PAR 12 094 Funding Number: PAR 12 094 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Exploratory Grant Award to Promote Workforce Diversity in Basic Cancer Research (R21) Apply for PAR 12 096 Funding Number: PAR 12 096 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Phased Services Research Studies of Drug Use Prevention, Addiction Treatment, and HIV in an Era of Health Care Reform (R21/R33) Apply for RFA DA 13 001 Funding Number: RFA DA 13 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Centers of Excellence in Symptom Science (P30) Apply for RFA NR 12 006 Funding Number: RFA NR 12 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $480,000 |
| Centers of Excellence in Symptom Science Building Research Teams for the Future (P20) Apply for RFA NR 12 009 Funding Number: RFA NR 12 009 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
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