Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 261
Apply for PAR 14 261
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovation Corps (I Corps) Team Training Pilot Program for NIH Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grantees (Admin Supp)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.233 National Center on Sleep Disorders Research 93.350 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research 93.396 Cancer Biology Research 93.399 Cancer Control 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research 93.838 Lung Diseases Research 93.839 Blood Diseases and Resources Research 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 18, 2014 and posted on Jun 18, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 7, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $600,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 24 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following This announcement is for supplements to existing projects. To be eligible, the parent award must be active and the training proposed in the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment. The proposed supplement must be to provide for an increase in costs due to unforeseen circumstances. All additional costs must be within the scope of the peer reviewed and approved project. IMPORTANT The research proposed by the NIH grantee in the supplement application must be within the original scope of the NIH supported grant project. Foreign Institutions Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Team Training Pilot Program for NIH Phase I SBIR and STTR Grantees (Administrative Supplement), Funding Opportunity Number PAR-14-261, was a discretionary NIH grant opportunity posted on June 18, 2014, with an application deadline of August 7, 2014 (archived September 7, 2014). It was set up as a pilot effort in which NIH partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to bring NSF's established I-Corps entrepreneurial training model to a select group of companies already holding active NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I awards. The core purpose was to strengthen the national biomedical innovation ecosystem by helping early-stage, NIH-funded technologies move more efficiently from research and development into real-world products and services that benefit patients and the public.
The program focused on commercialization acceleration through structured education and mentoring rather than funding additional scientific aims. NIH's intent was to leverage the NSF I-Corps approach, which emphasizes customer discovery and market validation, to help small businesses and their project teams pressure-test assumptions about users, buyers, reimbursement and regulatory pathways, competitive positioning, and go-to-market strategies. The expectation was that teams would come out of the training with substantially sharpened commercialization plans and, when warranted by market feedback, better-informed strategic pivots. In other words, the goal was not simply to polish a business plan, but to force early, evidence-driven decisions about what problem is being solved, for whom, and under what realistic adoption and payment conditions.
Awards under this announcement were administrative supplements to existing NIH grants, not standalone new awards. Only currently funded NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I grantees were eligible, and the parent award had to be active at the time of application. The supplement-supported training had to be completed within the parent grant's competitive segment, and all requested costs had to remain within the scope of the originally peer-reviewed and approved project. The FOA also emphasized standard administrative supplement principles: the supplement was meant to address an increase in costs tied to unforeseen circumstances, while still staying within the approved scope and intent of the parent award.
The training model anticipated three-member project teams, consistent with the I-Corps structure. While the FOA summary does not list the specific roles, I-Corps teams typically include a technical lead, an entrepreneurial lead, and a mentor, and the NIH version was framed around providing instruction and mentoring access to accelerate translation of the NIH-funded technology. The opportunity was categorized under education and health, reflecting that the deliverable was entrepreneurial capability-building and commercialization readiness rather than additional bench research.
Financially, the FOA projected approximately 24 awards with an estimated total funding level of $600,000. The award ceiling was $25,000 per supplement, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. This scale of funding signals that the supplement was primarily designed to cover participation costs and associated activities needed to complete the I-Corps training and customer discovery work, rather than to fund major additional R&D.
Eligibility was limited to small businesses with qualifying NIH Phase I SBIR/STTR awards, and foreign participation was explicitly restricted. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) were not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement were not allowed. This kept the program focused on domestic commercialization capacity-building tied to NIH-funded small business research.
The announcement involved multiple NIH Institutes and Centers as potential participants, reflected in the listed CFDA numbers spanning areas such as translational sciences, cancer research (prevention, detection/diagnosis, treatment, biology, and control), sleep disorders, cardiovascular, lung, blood, and neuroscience programs. That breadth indicates the pilot was meant to be broadly applicable to biomedical technology types funded across NIH, not confined to a single disease area or technology platform.
A practical feature of the FOA was its strong encouragement for prospective applicants to contact NIH scientific or research staff before applying. That emphasis typically reflects two realities of administrative supplements: first, fit and eligibility depend heavily on the specifics of the parent award and whether the proposed training and costs stay within scope; second, Institutes and Centers may have varying priorities, available funds, and expectations for how the I-Corps training integrates with an ongoing Phase I project. The announcement also provided NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for technical access issues.
In summary, PAR-14-261 was a time-limited NIH pilot that offered small, targeted administrative supplement funding to NIH Phase I SBIR/STTR awardees so they could participate in an NIH-adapted I-Corps team training experience. The intended payoff was faster and more credible commercialization progress: clearer product-market fit, stronger and more realistic commercialization plans, and earlier course corrections based on structured market learning, all while keeping the work aligned with the original NIH-funded project scope.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is PAR-14-261?
PAR-14-261 is the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number for the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Team Training Pilot Program for NIH Phase I SBIR and STTR Grantees offered as an NIH administrative supplement. It was a discretionary NIH opportunity designed as a pilot effort.
What was the official program name?
The official name was "The Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Team Training Pilot Program for NIH Phase I SBIR and STTR Grantees (Administrative Supplement)."
When was this opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The FOA was posted on June 18, 2014. The application deadline was August 7, 2014. The opportunity was archived on September 7, 2014.
Is this a standalone grant or an add-on to an existing award?
This opportunity provided administrative supplements to existing NIH grants. It was not a standalone new award.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to small businesses that were currently funded NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I grantees, with the parent award active at the time of application.
Did the parent Phase I award have to be active at the time of application?
Yes. The FOA specified that only currently funded NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I grantees were eligible, and the parent award had to be active when applying.
What was the purpose of this pilot program?
The core purpose was to strengthen the national biomedical innovation ecosystem by helping early-stage, NIH-funded technologies move more efficiently from R&D into real-world products and services that benefit patients and the public.
What kind of activities did the supplement support?
The supplement supported participation in structured I-Corps entrepreneurial training focused on commercialization acceleration, including education and mentoring tied to customer discovery and market validation, rather than additional scientific research aims.
Was the goal to fund additional research and development?
No. The program emphasized structured education and mentoring to accelerate commercialization readiness, not the funding of additional bench research or new scientific aims.
What commercialization topics did the I-Corps approach emphasize?
The described focus included customer discovery and market validation, pressure-testing assumptions about users and buyers, reimbursement and regulatory pathways, competitive positioning, and go-to-market strategies.
What outcomes were expected for participating teams?
The expectation was that teams would leave the training with sharpened commercialization plans and, when appropriate based on market feedback, better-informed strategic pivots driven by evidence gathered through structured market learning.
How many people were expected on a project team?
The training model anticipated three-member project teams, consistent with the I-Corps structure.
Were specific team roles described?
The FOA summary did not list specific roles. However, it noted consistency with the I-Corps structure, which typically includes a technical lead, an entrepreneurial lead, and a mentor.
What was NIH partnering with NSF for?
NIH partnered with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to bring NSF's established I-Corps entrepreneurial training model to a select group of companies that already held active NIH SBIR or STTR Phase I awards.
How much funding was available per award?
The award ceiling was $25,000 per administrative supplement.
How many awards were anticipated and what was the estimated total funding?
The FOA projected approximately 24 awards with an estimated total funding level of $600,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What were the supplement costs generally intended to cover?
Based on the scale and purpose described, the supplement was designed to cover participation costs and associated activities needed to complete I-Corps training and customer discovery work, rather than major additional R&D.
Did the supplement work have to stay within the scope of the parent award?
Yes. All requested costs had to remain within the scope of the originally peer-reviewed and approved project, and the training and supplement-supported activities had to align with the approved scope and intent of the parent award.
Did the training need to be completed within a specific time period?
Yes. The supplement-supported training had to be completed within the parent grant's competitive segment.
What administrative supplement principle was highlighted in the FOA?
The FOA emphasized that the supplement was meant to address an increase in costs tied to unforeseen circumstances, while still staying within the approved scope and intent of the parent award.
Were foreign organizations or foreign components allowed?
No. Foreign participation was explicitly restricted. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) were not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were not allowed.
What topic areas did this FOA fall under?
The opportunity was categorized under education and health, reflecting that the deliverable was entrepreneurial capability-building and commercialization readiness.
Was the pilot limited to a single NIH Institute or disease area?
No. The announcement referenced multiple NIH Institutes and Centers and listed CFDA numbers spanning a range of biomedical and translational areas, indicating broad applicability across NIH-funded biomedical technology types.
Did the FOA encourage applicants to contact NIH staff before applying?
Yes. Prospective applicants were strongly encouraged to contact NIH scientific or research staff before applying, reflecting the importance of confirming fit, eligibility, and scope alignment for an administrative supplement.
Why was contacting NIH staff encouraged?
Based on the FOA description, the encouragement reflected that administrative supplement eligibility and appropriateness depend on parent-award specifics and staying within scope, and that NIH Institutes and Centers may differ in priorities, available funds, and expectations for how the I-Corps training integrates with an ongoing Phase I project.
Who was listed for technical access issues?
The announcement provided NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for technical access issues.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The FOA was archived on September 7, 2014, and the application deadline was August 7, 2014.
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