The Florida Cancer Innovation Fund (FCIF), created by the 2024 Florida Legislature and operated within the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, aims to drive transformative progress in cancer research and treatment across Florida. Managed by the Florida Department of Health and advised by the Florida Cancer Connect Collaborative, the program promotes short-term, high-impact projects that enhance access to innovative cancer care and accelerate clinical translation, commercialization, and policy adoption.
With approximately $60 million allocated for fiscal year 2025–2026, the fund supports seven distinct grant categories, including Rapid Translation, Clinical Trials, Consortium research, Nutrition-Based Cancer Prevention, and Generic Drug Repurposing. Each funded project must be completed within a strict 12-month timeline and demonstrate immediate and measurable impact on patient care, cancer prevention, healthcare delivery, or economic outcomes. All activities must be conducted in Florida, with rare exceptions for essential out-of-state services under 10% of the budget.
Eligible applicants include licensed hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare entities meeting at least one of ten statutory eligibility criteria, such as serving rural/underserved communities, offering chemotherapy or radiation, providing low-cost screenings, or advancing biomedical cancer research. All applicants must designate a single Principal Investigator who meets residency and employment requirements. Collaboration across institutions is encouraged.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with three closing dates during the fiscal year: October 27, November 25, 2025, and January 9, 2026. Each PI may submit only one application per fiscal year, per grant category. Submitted projects are reviewed by the Cancer Connect Collaborative, and successful applicants must comply with detailed post-award reporting and open-access data sharing obligations.
Applications must include a scientific abstract, specific aims, work plan, budget, evaluation metrics, and regulatory approvals. Emphasis is placed on projects with immediate scalability, impact in underserved areas, innovative methodologies, and potential for extramural funding. The maximum grant award is $2 million, and all spending must adhere to state-specific disallowed cost guidelines.
Prepare all regulatory approvals in advance; only one application per grant category allowed; focus on measurable 12-month outcomes; highlight rural, nutrition, or accessibility impacts
