Technology Development for the Detection and Evaluation of Chemical and Biological Carcinogens (SBIR) R43/R44 | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the purpose of this funding opportunity?

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports small businesses developing or significantly improving technologies used to detect and evaluate chemical and biological carcinogens. The emphasis is on practical, scalable methods that can be used on real-world samples and advanced toward commercially viable assays.

2) Which agency is sponsoring this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

3) What is the FOA number or identifier for this opportunity?

The listing identifies this opportunity as PA 09 187.

4) What type of funding mechanism is being used?

The FOA uses the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program under the NIH R43/R44 structure, which supports Phase I, Phase II, and Fast Track applications.

5) Who is eligible to apply?

Only small business concerns are eligible to apply, consistent with SBIR rules.

6) Is cost sharing or matching required?

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

7) What types of technologies or approaches does the FOA want to support?

The FOA is aimed at technologies that can detect and evaluate chemical and biological carcinogens, particularly approaches that can reliably identify carcinogenic agents or signatures of exposure in real-world sample types. The longer-term intent is to move beyond proof-of-concept and toward robust, adoptable assays that could be used in laboratories, screening programs, or monitoring systems.

8) What sample types are specifically mentioned as a focus?

The FOA highlights methods that work on real-world samples, including:

• Clinical specimens (such as human biospecimens)
• Environmental specimens (such as air, water, soil, consumer products, or workplace samples)

9) What does the FOA mean by being "practical at scale"?

A central theme is scalability and routine usability. Technologies are expected to be compatible with automation and designed for high sample throughput, meaning they can process large numbers of samples efficiently and consistently.

10) What are the major technical expectations emphasized in the FOA?

The FOA emphasizes routine usability and operational performance features, including throughput, reproducibility, and automation compatibility. It also highlights the importance of workflow design, assay robustness, sample preparation, quality control, and data handling.

11) What is Phase I intended to support under this SBIR FOA?

In general terms, Phase I supports early feasibility and technical validation work.

12) What is Phase II intended to support under this SBIR FOA?

In general terms, Phase II supports further development and more extensive validation toward a more product-like solution.

13) What is the Fast Track option?

Fast Track allows applicants to propose a combined Phase I/Phase II plan with a clear, staged development path.

14) Does this FOA expect commercialization planning?

Yes. Because the stated end goal is a commercially viable assay, applicants would typically be expected to describe a credible development and commercialization path. The FOA gives examples of packaging the technology into a test kit, an instrument workflow, or a service model, and describing validation steps needed for the intended setting.

15) What is the stated award ceiling?

The listing provides an award ceiling of $200,000.

16) Is funding guaranteed or is the number of awards fixed?

No fixed number of awards is promised. Funding outcomes are described as dependent on congressional appropriations and NIH/NCI budget availability, the number of applications submitted, and the scientific and technical merit of the applications. In practice, this means the program funds the strongest proposals that align with the FOA goals and meet review standards.

17) What is the activity area and CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The activity area is categorized under health and education and is tied to cancer biology research. The CFDA number provided is 93.396.

18) Are there related SBIR opportunities mentioned that applicants should be aware of?

Yes. The announcement notes related SBIR opportunities using similar mechanisms (PA 09 188 and PA 09 189), which may be helpful when deciding the best fit for a particular technology or development strategy.

19) What is the opportunity category?

The opportunity category is discretionary grant funding.

20) When was this FOA posted and when did it close?

The listing states the FOA was created and posted on May 19, 2009. The original and final closing date is listed as May 7, 2012, and the archive date is June 7, 2012.

21) Is this opportunity currently open for applications?

Based on the dates provided (final closing date of May 7, 2012 and archive date of June 7, 2012), the opportunity is not currently open.

22) Where was the full announcement made available?

The full announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide.

23) Who is listed as the contact point for this opportunity?

The contact point provided is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster, specifically for access or linking issues.

24) What kinds of end users or adoption settings are implied by the FOA?

The FOA indicates an interest in assays that could realistically be adopted by laboratories, screening programs, or monitoring systems, reflecting the emphasis on robustness, throughput, and routine use.

25) Does the FOA focus on one-off demonstrations or routine-ready solutions?

The FOA is geared toward routine-ready solutions. It explicitly indicates a longer-term intent to advance promising ideas into robust, commercially viable assays rather than stopping at proof-of-concept demonstrations.