Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 18 003
The Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research funding opportunity (RFA-CA-18-003) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant solicitation under the broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program. It supports exploratory projects that push forward new or recently invented molecular and cellular analysis technologies that can change what researchers are able to measure, see, or interpret in cancer biology. The emphasis is not on asking a new biological question with familiar tools, but on improving the tools themselves so they can be reliably used by many labs and ultimately accelerate progress across cancer research and, downstream, clinical translation. Clinical trials are not allowed under this mechanism.
This FOA uses the R33 funding mechanism, which is meant for projects that are past the earliest proof-of-concept stage. Applicants are expected to show supportive preliminary data indicating that the biggest feasibility hurdles have already been addressed. At the same time, the technology still needs additional development and, most importantly, rigorous validation before the wider research community is likely to adopt it. In practical terms, NCI is looking for technologies that are promising and demonstrably workable, but not yet mature enough in performance, robustness, reproducibility, or usability to be considered ready for broad dissemination.
Projects must focus on technologies that provide novel capabilities for targeting, probing, or assessing molecular and cellular features relevant to cancer. The most competitive proposals are those that clearly improve cancer-related characterization at the molecular and/or cellular level, such as enabling new kinds of measurements, higher-resolution profiling, better sensitivity or specificity, improved throughput, reduced sample requirements, or more informative readouts from complex tissues. Importantly, the proposed technology can be broadly applicable across cancers or research contexts, but the core development work must be anchored in improving how cancer is molecularly or cellularly analyzed.
The solicitation highlights a wide range of potential impact areas, including basic cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic monitoring, cancer control, epidemiology, and research addressing cancer health disparities. That means a technology could be positioned to help discover mechanisms, identify biomarkers, stratify patients, characterize tumor heterogeneity, analyze the tumor microenvironment, support population-oriented measurements, or improve the quality and reach of cancer research in underserved settings. The common thread is that the technology should plausibly accelerate research or improve the quality of evidence by enabling better molecular and cellular characterization than is currently possible.
A key boundary condition is responsiveness: proposals that mainly apply an already established technology to a new disease subtype, target, or clinical question are explicitly non-responsive and will not be reviewed. In other words, novelty must live in the technology or methodology development itself, not primarily in the biological application. Reviewers are looking for real advancement in the platform, assay, computational method, instrumentation, workflow, or validation framework that meaningfully changes performance or capability relative to what is available.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH/NCI), listed under CFDA 93.394. The opportunity was created November 20, 2017, with an original closing date of September 28, 2018. The award ceiling is $300,000, and the agency anticipated making around 10 awards. Eligibility is broad and includes various levels of government, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, tribal governments and tribal organizations, and other entities as described in the additional eligibility language.
Overall, the program is designed to bridge the gap between a promising, partially demonstrated technology and a validated, adoptable tool that the cancer research community can trust and use. The ideal outcome is a well-developed and carefully validated molecular or cellular analysis technology that delivers new capabilities or markedly improved performance, with evidence strong enough to support wider uptake and, eventually, meaningful impact across the cancer research pipeline.Apply for RFA CA 18 003
- 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 Trial 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 Nov 20, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 28, 2018. (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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research" (RFA-CA-18-003).
Which agency is offering this grant?
This is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding opportunity under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH/NCI).
What program is this FOA associated with?
It is part of NCI's broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The FOA supports exploratory projects that advance new or recently invented molecular and cellular analysis technologies for cancer research. The focus is on improving the technologies themselves (tools, platforms, assays, workflows, instrumentation, computational methods, and validation approaches) so they can be reliably used by many labs and accelerate progress across cancer research and downstream clinical translation.
Is the emphasis on new biological discoveries or on technology development?
The emphasis is on technology development and validation rather than using familiar tools to ask a new biological question. Proposals are expected to push forward what researchers can measure, see, or interpret by improving or extending molecular and cellular analysis capabilities relevant to cancer.
What funding mechanism does this FOA use?
This FOA uses the R33 funding mechanism.
What stage of technology development is appropriate for an R33 application under this FOA?
The R33 mechanism is intended for projects that have moved beyond the earliest proof-of-concept stage. Applicants are expected to provide supportive preliminary data showing that major feasibility hurdles have already been addressed, while also demonstrating that additional development and rigorous validation are still needed before broad adoption by the research community is likely.
What kinds of technologies are considered responsive to this FOA?
Projects must focus on technologies that provide novel capabilities for targeting, probing, or assessing molecular and cellular features relevant to cancer. Competitive proposals are those that clearly improve cancer-related molecular and/or cellular characterization, for example through new measurement types, higher-resolution profiling, better sensitivity or specificity, improved throughput, reduced sample requirements, or more informative readouts from complex tissues.
Can the proposed technology be broadly applicable beyond one cancer type or context?
Yes. The technology may be broadly applicable across cancers or research contexts, but the core development work must be anchored in improving how cancer is analyzed at the molecular and/or cellular level.
What kinds of cancer research areas could this technology impact?
The FOA highlights potential impact areas including basic cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic monitoring, cancer control, epidemiology, and research addressing cancer health disparities. The unifying theme is enabling better molecular and cellular characterization than is currently possible.
Are clinical trials allowed under this funding opportunity?
No. Clinical trials are not allowed under this mechanism.
What makes a proposal explicitly non-responsive?
Proposals that mainly apply an already established technology to a new disease subtype, target, or clinical question are explicitly non-responsive and will not be reviewed. Novelty is expected to be in the technology or methodology development itself, not primarily in the biological application.
What types of improvements are reviewers looking for in the technology?
Reviewers are looking for meaningful advancement in performance or capability relative to what is available, including improvements in robustness, reproducibility, usability, and overall readiness for wider dissemination. The goal is a validated, adoptable tool that the cancer research community can trust and use.
What is the overall goal or ideal outcome of the program?
The program is designed to bridge the gap between a promising, partially demonstrated technology and a validated, adoptable molecular or cellular analysis tool. The ideal outcome is a well-developed and carefully validated technology with evidence strong enough to support wider uptake and eventual impact across the cancer research pipeline.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.394.
What type of award is this described as?
It is described as a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH/NCI).
When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on November 20, 2017.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was September 28, 2018.
What is the award ceiling for this FOA?
The award ceiling is $300,000.
How many awards did the agency anticipate making?
The agency anticipated making around 10 awards.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes various levels of government, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, tribal governments and tribal organizations, and other entities as described in the additional eligibility language.
Does the FOA support computational methods as part of technology development?
Yes. The FOA notes that advancement may occur in a platform, assay, computational method, instrumentation, workflow, or validation framework, as long as the work meaningfully improves molecular and/or cellular analysis relevant to cancer.
What is meant by "rigorous validation" in the context of this FOA?
Based on the FOA description, validation is a central expectation: the technology should be tested and strengthened to improve performance, robustness, reproducibility, and usability to a level where the wider research community is likely to adopt it.
Can a project focus on early detection, diagnosis, or monitoring if it is primarily technology development?
Yes. The solicitation specifically highlights early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, and treatment/therapeutic monitoring as potential impact areas, provided the proposed work is fundamentally centered on advancing and validating molecular and cellular analysis technology rather than primarily answering a clinical question with an established tool.
How does this FOA relate to clinical translation if clinical trials are not allowed?
The FOA emphasizes developing and validating technologies that can accelerate progress across cancer research and downstream clinical translation. While clinical trials are not allowed, the intent is that stronger, validated tools can later support translational and clinical research by enabling better molecular and cellular measurements.
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| Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 18 005 Funding Number: RFA CA 18 005 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
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| Revisions for Incorporation of Novel NCI-Supported Technology to Accelerate Cancer Research (U54 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for RFA CA 18 008 Funding Number: RFA CA 18 008 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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| Revisions for Incorporation of Novel NCI-Supported Technology to Accelerate Cancer Research (R01 Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for RFA CA 18 006 Funding Number: RFA CA 18 006 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| NIDA Translational Avant-Garde Award for Development of Medication to Treat Substance Use Disorders (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 18 020 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 020 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Administrative Supplements to NCI Grant and Cooperative Agreement Awards to Support Collaborations with the PDX Development and Trial Centers Research Network (PDXNet)(Admin Suppl - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 496 Funding Number: PA 18 496 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $125,000 |
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| Administrative Supplements to Cancer Center Support Grants to Strengthen the Research, Training, and Outreach Capacity of the Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (Admin Suppl - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 934 Funding Number: PA 18 934 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
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