Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AT 09 003
Apply for RFA AT 09 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tools Technologies for Assessing Manual Therapies (SBIR 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 Feb 19, 2009 and posted on Feb 19, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 1, 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: Small businesses.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Tools and Technologies for Assessing Manual Therapies grant opportunity (RFA-AT-09-003) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) solicitation aimed at pushing forward practical, measurable ways to study manual therapy interventions and their biological effects. The central idea is to support small businesses that can create or adapt technologies that make manual therapies easier to measure, quantify, and scientifically explain. The opportunity sits within NIH's complementary and integrative health research portfolio (CFDA 93.213, Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health), and it is focused less on testing whether manual therapies "work" in the broad sense and more on building the measurement tools needed to understand how they might work and how their effects show up in the body.
This FOA specifically targets two main development goals. First, it seeks tools, instruments, devices, or research technologies that can illuminate mechanisms of action behind the biological effects of manual therapies. In practice, that means enabling researchers to link manual interventions (for example, manipulation, mobilization, massage-like approaches, or other hands-on techniques) to physiological pathways and responses, such as neuromuscular activity, connective tissue behavior, inflammatory signaling, autonomic changes, circulation, or other measurable biological processes. Second, it emphasizes technologies that allow quantitative assessment of both local and systemic effects of manual therapies. "Local" effects could involve changes at or near the site of treatment (tissue properties, muscle tone, range of motion, local blood flow, biomechanical changes), while "systemic" effects could include broader changes throughout the body (central nervous system responses, stress and autonomic markers, whole-body functional outcomes, biomarker shifts). The emphasis on quantitative assessment implies that the agency is looking for measurement approaches that move beyond subjective reporting and toward objective, repeatable metrics that can be standardized and compared across studies.
From an applicant standpoint, the eligible organizations are small business concerns, consistent with the SBIR program rules. The funding mechanism is SBIR under the R43/R44 pathway, meaning it supports Phase I and Phase II projects, as well as Fast-Track applications that combine Phase I and Phase II into a continuous application process. In general SBIR terms, Phase I is typically used to establish feasibility and proof-of-concept, while Phase II is used to expand development, refinement, and more advanced testing or validation. The inclusion of Fast Track signals interest in projects that can move quickly from feasibility into a more mature development stage, which often aligns with technology development timelines.
The FOA projected an estimated total of about $1,000,000 in funding for fiscal year 2009, with an expectation of roughly 3 to 5 awards. The announcement notes that funding levels in future years would depend on annual appropriations, which is standard language for federal grants and indicates that the program's continuation and scale may vary based on budget decisions. The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching funds, reducing the burden on small businesses that may not have large pools of non-federal capital to commit. Key administrative dates in the posting indicate it was made available on February 19, 2009, with an application closing date of June 1, 2009, and an archive date of July 2, 2009.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a technology-development-oriented SBIR call rather than a clinical trial funding call. NIH was essentially inviting small companies to fill a measurement and instrumentation gap in manual therapy research: to create new devices, sensors, analytic platforms, imaging approaches, data capture systems, or other research-enabling tools that can objectively characterize what a practitioner does during manual therapy, what the body does in response, and how those responses can be quantified in a reliable way. The intended end result is a stronger scientific foundation for manual therapies by improving the ability to measure exposure (what was delivered), biological response (what changed), and potential mechanistic pathways (why it changed), using tools that can be deployed in research settings and, potentially, translated into broader clinical or commercial use.
For reference and full details, the original announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AT-09-003, titled "Tools and Technologies for Assessing Manual Therapies (SBIR R43/R44)," with additional information available via the NIH link provided in the posting. If technical issues prevented access to the full electronic announcement, the point of contact listed was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the "Tools and Technologies for Assessing Manual Therapies" grant opportunity?
It is an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding opportunity focused on developing practical tools and technologies that make manual therapy interventions easier to measure, quantify, and scientifically explain. The funding opportunity number is RFA-AT-09-003.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The FOA is designed to close a measurement and instrumentation gap in manual therapy research by supporting small businesses that can create or adapt technologies to objectively characterize (1) what is delivered during manual therapy, (2) what biological responses occur, and (3) what mechanisms may explain those responses.
Is this opportunity mainly for clinical trials to test whether manual therapies work?
No. The emphasis is technology development and measurement. The FOA is described as being focused less on testing whether manual therapies "work" broadly and more on building tools needed to understand how they might work and how effects show up in the body.
What types of applicants are eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are small business concerns, consistent with SBIR program rules.
What NIH funding mechanism is used for this solicitation?
This is an SBIR solicitation using the R43/R44 pathway, supporting Phase I and Phase II projects, as well as Fast-Track applications that combine Phase I and Phase II into a single, continuous application process.
What is the difference between Phase I and Phase II under SBIR (as described here)?
Phase I is typically used to establish feasibility and proof-of-concept. Phase II is used to expand development, refinement, and more advanced testing or validation.
What is a Fast-Track application in this FOA?
Fast-Track allows an applicant to submit a combined Phase I and Phase II application so the project can move directly from feasibility into a more mature development stage if it progresses as intended.
What kinds of projects does the FOA specifically want to support?
The FOA targets two main development goals: (1) tools, instruments, devices, or research technologies that illuminate mechanisms of action behind the biological effects of manual therapies, and (2) technologies that allow quantitative assessment of both local and systemic effects of manual therapies.
What does "mechanisms of action" mean in the context of this FOA?
It refers to developing ways to link manual interventions (such as manipulation, mobilization, massage-like approaches, or other hands-on techniques) to measurable physiological pathways and responses in the body.
What kinds of biological effects or pathways are mentioned as examples?
Examples mentioned include neuromuscular activity, connective tissue behavior, inflammatory signaling, autonomic changes, circulation, and other measurable biological processes.
What does the FOA mean by "quantitative assessment"?
It implies measurement approaches that move beyond subjective reporting and toward objective, repeatable metrics that can be standardized and compared across studies.
What are "local" effects of manual therapies, according to the FOA?
Local effects are changes at or near the site of treatment. Examples include tissue properties, muscle tone, range of motion, local blood flow, and biomechanical changes.
What are "systemic" effects of manual therapies, according to the FOA?
Systemic effects are broader changes throughout the body. Examples include central nervous system responses, stress and autonomic markers, whole-body functional outcomes, and biomarker shifts.
What kinds of technologies might fit this FOA?
The FOA describes interest in technology that enables objective characterization of manual therapy delivery and response, such as devices, sensors, analytic platforms, imaging approaches, data capture systems, and other research-enabling tools.
Does the FOA require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching funds.
How much total funding was projected for this FOA?
The FOA projected an estimated total of about $1,000,000 in funding for fiscal year 2009.
How many awards were expected?
The FOA anticipated roughly 3 to 5 awards.
Will the same level of funding be available in future years?
Not necessarily. The announcement stated that funding levels in future years would depend on annual appropriations.
Which NIH research area or portfolio does this FOA fall under?
It sits within NIH's complementary and integrative health research portfolio and is associated with CFDA 93.213 (Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health).
What is the funding opportunity number and full title?
The funding opportunity number is RFA-AT-09-003, titled "Tools and Technologies for Assessing Manual Therapies (SBIR R43/R44)."
When was this FOA posted and what were the key dates?
The posting indicates it was made available on February 19, 2009. The application closing date was June 1, 2009, and the archive date was July 2, 2009.
Where were full details originally hosted?
The original announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AT-09-003, with additional information available via the NIH link provided in the posting.
Who was listed as the point of contact for technical issues accessing the announcement?
If technical issues prevented access to the full electronic announcement, the point of contact listed was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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