Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 12 005
Apply for RFA CA 12 005
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R33)" 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 $700,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) State governments For profit organizations other than small businesses County governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments.
- 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 National Cancer Institute (NCI) Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-CA-12-005, titled "Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R33)," is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity aimed at improving how cancer-related biospecimens are collected and managed before analysis. The central problem it targets is pre-analytical variation, meaning all the factors that can unintentionally alter a specimen before it ever reaches a molecular assay, such as differences in collection methods, processing steps, handling practices, shipping conditions, storage temperatures, or time delays. These upstream variables can distort downstream results in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other molecular tests, so the FOA focuses on technologies that can either measure these quality-impacting changes or prevent them from happening in the first place.
This FOA specifically supports technically innovative feasibility studies that are beyond basic proof-of-concept and ready for advanced development and validation. The R33 mechanism is intended for projects where the underlying idea has already been shown to work in principle and where applicants can provide supportive preliminary data. In other words, applicants are expected to be past the earliest stage of invention and positioned to demonstrate that a technology performs reliably, can be validated against meaningful benchmarks, and can be applied to real biospecimen workflows. The opportunity is not meant for proposals that simply apply existing tools to a new biological or clinical research question. If the only novelty is the disease cohort or clinical hypothesis, and not the biospecimen technology itself, the application is considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.
The kinds of projects NCI is trying to stimulate include development and validation of tools, devices, instrumentation, and associated methods that improve biospecimen quality and usability. Examples of the intended scope include technologies that assess sample quality (for example, objective indicators of degradation or contamination), preserve or protect sample integrity under routine or challenging conditions, and establish verification criteria for quality assessment and quality control. A key emphasis is that these solutions should work under diverse conditions, recognizing that specimens are collected across different clinical sites, community settings, and research infrastructures with variable resources and workflows. Ultimately, the goal is to make biospecimens and their derivatives more reliable inputs for downstream molecular analyses, which can improve reproducibility and confidence in cancer research findings and translational studies.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted December 21, 2011, with an original and current closing date of September 18, 2012, and an archive date of October 19, 2012. NCI listed an estimated total funding amount of $700,000 for the FOA, with an award ceiling of $300,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The program is aligned with multiple cancer-related research areas under CFDA listings 93.393 (Cancer Cause and Prevention Research), 93.394 (Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research), and 93.395 (Cancer Treatment Research), reflecting the broad impact that high-quality biospecimen handling can have across the cancer research pipeline.
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district). It also explicitly includes tribal governments and tribal organizations, and highlights several institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies. Importantly, non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are eligible to apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations are permitted as allowed under NIH policy.
In practical terms, a strong application under this FOA would present a biospecimen-focused technology with clear technical innovation, existing evidence that it can work, and a plan to validate performance in ways that matter for real-world sample workflows. It would also define how the proposed tool or method improves quality measurement, preservation, or QC decision-making compared with current practice, and how it helps control or characterize pre-analytical variability so molecular data generated later are more trustworthy and comparable across studies and sites.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-CA-12-005 titled "Validation and Advanced Development of Emerging Technologies in Biospecimen Science (R33)." It is an NIH discretionary grant opportunity focused on improving the quality and reliability of cancer-related biospecimens prior to molecular analysis.
What is the main problem the FOA is trying to solve?
The FOA targets pre-analytical variation, meaning factors that can unintentionally change a biospecimen before it reaches a molecular assay. Examples include differences in collection methods, processing steps, handling practices, shipping conditions, storage temperatures, and time delays. These variables can alter results in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other molecular tests.
What types of technologies does NCI want to fund under this FOA?
NCI is seeking technologies that either (1) measure quality-impacting changes in biospecimens or (2) prevent those changes from happening. The FOA emphasizes tools, devices, instrumentation, and associated methods that improve biospecimen quality and usability.
What are examples of projects that fit the intended scope?
Examples mentioned in the opportunity include technologies that assess sample quality (such as objective indicators of degradation or contamination), technologies that preserve or protect sample integrity under routine or challenging conditions, and approaches that establish verification criteria for quality assessment and quality control.
What does "pre-analytical variation" include in practical terms?
It includes upstream differences that occur before analysis, such as how specimens are collected, how they are processed, how they are handled, how they are shipped, the storage temperatures used, and delays or timing differences across steps. The FOA is focused on controlling or characterizing these factors so downstream molecular data are more trustworthy and comparable.
What stage of development is expected for proposed technologies?
The FOA supports technically innovative feasibility studies that are beyond basic proof-of-concept and are ready for advanced development and validation. Applicants are expected to already have supportive preliminary data showing the idea works in principle, and to be positioned to demonstrate reliable performance and meaningful validation.
What is the R33 mechanism in the context of this FOA?
In this FOA, the R33 mechanism is intended for projects that have moved past the earliest stage of invention. Proposed technologies should be ready for advanced development and validation, with preliminary evidence supporting feasibility and a plan to validate performance against meaningful benchmarks relevant to real biospecimen workflows.
Are applications that use existing tools for a new disease cohort or clinical question allowed?
No. The FOA is not intended for proposals that simply apply existing tools to a new biological or clinical research question. If the novelty is only the disease cohort or clinical hypothesis and not the biospecimen technology itself, the application is described as non-responsive and will not be reviewed.
What does NCI mean by "validation" in this opportunity?
Based on the FOA description, validation refers to demonstrating that the technology performs reliably and can be evaluated against meaningful benchmarks, and that it can be applied to real-world biospecimen workflows (not just controlled, idealized settings).
Why is biospecimen quality so important for cancer research?
Because upstream biospecimen handling can distort downstream molecular assay results, poor or inconsistent biospecimen quality can reduce reproducibility and confidence in findings. The FOA aims to make biospecimens and their derivatives more reliable inputs for downstream molecular analyses, supporting stronger and more comparable results across studies and sites.
Does the FOA emphasize use across different collection environments?
Yes. A key emphasis is that solutions should work under diverse conditions, recognizing that specimens are collected across different clinical sites, community settings, and research infrastructures with variable resources and workflows.
What kinds of improvements should a strong application describe?
A strong application would describe a biospecimen-focused technology with clear technical innovation, evidence it can work, and a plan to validate performance in ways that matter for real sample workflows. It should also explain how the technology improves quality measurement, preservation, or quality-control decision-making compared with current practice, and how it helps control or characterize pre-analytical variability.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad. It includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district). It also includes tribal governments and tribal organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal agencies, and a range of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible?
Yes. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are explicitly eligible to apply. In addition, foreign components of U.S. organizations are permitted as allowed under NIH policy.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How much funding is available under this FOA?
NCI listed an estimated total funding amount of $700,000 for the FOA.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed for this FOA is $300,000.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on December 21, 2011. The original and current closing date is listed as September 18, 2012. The archive date is October 19, 2012.
What CFDA program areas are associated with this FOA?
The FOA is aligned with multiple cancer-related CFDA listings: 93.393 (Cancer Cause and Prevention Research), 93.394 (Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research), and 93.395 (Cancer Treatment Research). This reflects the broad role biospecimen quality plays across cancer research and translation.
What downstream analyses are affected by the pre-analytical factors this FOA addresses?
The FOA specifically notes that pre-analytical variables can distort downstream results in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other molecular tests.
What is the overall goal of funding projects under this FOA?
The overall goal is to improve biospecimen collection and management before analysis so that specimens and their derivatives are more reliable for downstream molecular analyses. This supports better reproducibility and greater confidence in cancer research findings and translational studies.
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| The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22) Apply for PAR 12 121 Funding Number: PAR 12 121 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Health Services and Economic Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Abuse (R01) Apply for PA 12 127 Funding Number: PA 12 127 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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