Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AT 16 003
Apply for RFA AT 16 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Methods Development in Natural Products Chemistry (R43/R44)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 3, 2015 and posted on Apr 3, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 5, 2015. (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: Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following 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, may be allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
Methods Development in Natural Products Chemistry (R43/R44) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) funding opportunity designed to help small businesses solve practical, technical bottlenecks that slow down natural products research and development. The FOA focuses on improving the tools and workflows used to discover, characterize, and reliably produce bioactive compounds from natural sources, with the larger goal of making natural products easier to study, validate, and translate into useful health-related products. In plain terms, NIH is looking for innovations that make it faster, cheaper, and more dependable to move from a complex natural material (like a plant, microbe, or marine organism) to a well-characterized compound or mixture that can be tested, reproduced, and supplied at meaningful scale.
The scientific needs highlighted by the announcement center on the steps that routinely create delays or dead ends in natural products chemistry. These include better methods for collection and handling of source materials (so samples remain consistent and chemically intact), improved bioassay strategies and screening approaches (so activity can be detected and confirmed with fewer false leads), and stronger approaches to isolation and purification (so active constituents can be separated efficiently from complex matrices). The FOA also calls out de-replication as a key pain point, meaning methods that quickly determine whether an "interesting" signal is actually a known compound rather than a novel one. Because natural products programs can waste extensive time re-isolating previously identified molecules, technologies that rapidly annotate, fingerprint, or identify known constituents earlier in the process are especially relevant. In addition, the opportunity emphasizes yield and supply challenges, which includes increasing the amount of target material obtainable from a source, improving reproducibility across batches, and developing practical strategies to ensure a stable supply of research-grade or development-grade material.
This is an SBIR grant mechanism using the R43/R44 activity codes, which generally correspond to a phased development pathway: Phase I (R43) supports feasibility and proof-of-concept work, and Phase II (R44) supports more advanced R and D aimed at developing a working prototype, validated method, or product-ready process. The funding instrument is a grant (not a contract), and it falls under the health-related research category within CFDA 93.213, Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health. The total estimated funding listed for the FOA is $1,000,000, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement indicated, meaning applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of the award.
Eligibility is limited to small business concerns, consistent with SBIR rules. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities are explicitly not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, the FOA notes that foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be allowed in some circumstances, which typically means a U.S. small business applicant might be able to include certain justified foreign collaborations or activities if permitted under NIH Grants Policy and if well supported in the application. The opportunity was posted and created on April 3, 2015, with an original and current closing date of August 5, 2015, and an archive date of September 5, 2015, indicating the FOA is historical rather than currently open.
Operationally, applicants were directed to the official NIH FOA page for full requirements and submission instructions (RFA-AT-16-003). NIH provided support contacts through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) web team for technical access or linking problems. Overall, the program intent is straightforward: fund small businesses that can deliver enabling methods or technologies that remove long-standing friction in natural products chemistry, especially across the end-to-end pipeline from sourcing and screening to identification, purification, and scalable supply.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Methods Development in Natural Products Chemistry (R43/R44)" opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant funding opportunity focused on developing improved methods, tools, and workflows for natural products chemistry. It targets practical technical bottlenecks that slow down the discovery, characterization, and reliable production of bioactive compounds from natural sources.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The goal is to make natural products easier to study, validate, and translate into useful health-related products by supporting innovations that make it faster, cheaper, and more dependable to go from complex natural material (for example, a plant, microbe, or marine organism) to a well-characterized compound or mixture that can be tested, reproduced, and supplied at meaningful scale.
Who is the funding agency?
The funding agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What type of funding mechanism is this?
This is an SBIR grant mechanism using NIH activity codes R43/R44. It is a grant (not a contract).
What do the R43 and R44 phases mean?
R43 generally corresponds to Phase I, which supports feasibility and proof-of-concept work. R44 generally corresponds to Phase II, which supports more advanced research and development aimed at producing a working prototype, a validated method, or a product-ready process.
What kinds of problems in natural products research does the FOA want to solve?
The FOA highlights recurring sources of delays or dead ends in natural products chemistry, including sample collection and handling, bioassay and screening strategies, isolation and purification, de-replication (rapidly determining whether a signal is from a known compound), and yield/supply challenges such as reproducibility across batches and stable supply of research-grade or development-grade material.
What is meant by "collection and handling of source materials" in this FOA?
It refers to improving how natural source materials are collected and handled so that samples remain consistent and chemically intact, reducing variability that can derail downstream identification and validation.
What bioassay and screening improvements are relevant to this opportunity?
The opportunity calls for improved bioassay strategies and screening approaches that can detect and confirm biological activity with fewer false leads, helping teams avoid wasted effort on misleading signals.
What kinds of isolation and purification improvements are emphasized?
NIH is interested in stronger approaches to isolation and purification that can separate active constituents efficiently from complex natural matrices, speeding the path to well-characterized compounds or mixtures.
What is "de-replication" and why is it important here?
De-replication refers to methods that quickly determine whether an "interesting" activity or chemical signal is due to a known compound rather than a novel one. It is important because natural products programs can waste substantial time re-isolating previously identified molecules. Tools that rapidly annotate, fingerprint, or identify known constituents earlier in the workflow are especially relevant.
What does the FOA say about yield and supply challenges?
It emphasizes technologies or strategies that increase the amount of target material obtainable from a source, improve reproducibility across batches, and create practical approaches to ensure stable supply of research-grade or development-grade material.
What is the estimated total funding amount listed for this FOA?
The FOA lists total estimated funding of $1,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is indicated. Applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds as a condition of award based on the information provided.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to small business concerns, consistent with SBIR rules.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities are explicitly not eligible to apply.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible.
Does the FOA allow any foreign involvement at all?
The FOA notes that foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, may be allowed in some circumstances. This typically means a U.S. small business applicant might be able to include certain justified foreign collaborations or activities if permitted under NIH Grants Policy and if well supported in the application.
What is the CFDA number and research category listed?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.213, Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health, and it falls under the health-related research category.
Is this funding opportunity currently open?
No. Based on the dates provided, this FOA is historical. It was posted/created on April 3, 2015, has a closing date of August 5, 2015, and an archive date of September 5, 2015.
What is the FOA number or identifier for the official announcement?
The official NIH FOA page is identified as RFA-AT-16-003.
Where were applicants directed for full requirements and submission instructions?
Applicants were directed to the official NIH FOA page for complete requirements and submission instructions (RFA-AT-16-003).
Who could applicants contact for technical issues with access or linking?
NIH provided support contacts through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) web team for technical access or linking problems.
What types of innovations best align with the intent of the program?
Innovations that remove long-standing friction in natural products chemistry, especially across the end-to-end pipeline from sourcing and screening to identification, purification, and scalable supply, align with the stated intent.
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