Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA CA 20 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 20 018

The Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) opportunity (RFA-CA-20-018) is a National Cancer Institute funding announcement under the broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. It is designed to support projects that push promising, emerging molecular or cellular analysis technologies beyond early proof-of-concept and into a more mature, validated state where other cancer researchers can realistically adopt and trust the approach. The central idea is to move a technology from "it can work" to "it works reliably, we understand its performance, and the community can use it to generate meaningful cancer biology or clinically relevant insights." Although the work can be relevant to clinical research, the mechanism specifically does not allow clinical trials.

This FOA targets R33 applications, which are typically used for advanced exploratory development where some key feasibility risks have already been reduced. Applicants are expected to bring supportive preliminary data showing that the major feasibility gaps have been overcome, meaning the core technical concept is already demonstrated in a credible way. At the same time, the technology is not considered ready for broad use yet, and still needs further development, optimization, and especially rigorous validation. In practice, this means the proposed project should focus on improving the technology itself (for example, enhancing sensitivity, specificity, throughput, reproducibility, robustness, usability, or cost effectiveness) and on establishing evidence of performance through careful benchmarking or validation studies so that the wider research community can confidently apply it.

The scientific scope is centered on technologies that provide new or improved capabilities for targeting, probing, or assessing molecular and cellular features of cancer biology. The emphasis is on tools that strengthen molecular and/or cellular characterization of cancer, which can include basic research contexts (understanding mechanisms, tumor microenvironment, cellular heterogeneity, evolution, and signaling) as well as translational or clinically oriented research contexts (early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment selection and monitoring, cancer control, epidemiology). A notable priority is that the technology should have clear potential to accelerate or enhance cancer research and may also address issues tied to cancer health disparities, such as enabling studies in underrepresented populations, improving access to advanced assays, or producing insights relevant to unequal cancer burdens.

A key boundary in this announcement is what it will not support. Projects that mainly apply an already existing technology to a new biological or clinical question are explicitly considered nonresponsive. In other words, if the novelty is primarily the cancer type, biomarker, or clinical cohort being studied, rather than a meaningful advance in the underlying technology or methodology, the application does not fit this solicitation and will not be reviewed. The expected focus is on technology development and validation, not simply biological discovery using established tools.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NCI), with CFDA 93.394. Eligible applicants are broad and include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, tribal governments and tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, with an additional eligibility clarification referenced in the full announcement. The posted award ceiling is $300,000, and the expected number of awards is 10. The opportunity was created December 4, 2019, with an original closing date of September 29, 2020.

Overall, the FOA is best read as an invitation for teams that already have a credible emerging technology in hand and now need resources to finish the hard part that determines whether it becomes broadly useful: the engineering refinements, the standardized workflows, and the rigorous validation demonstrating that the method produces reliable, interpretable, and impactful molecular or cellular measurements in cancer research settings.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 29, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA CA 20 018

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