This initiative will support exploratory research leading to the development of innovative technologies for biomedical research. The program will recognize and reward high risk approaches with potential for significant impact. Projects should entail a high degree of risk or novelty, which will be offset by a correspondingly high potential impact. However, the possible impact is likely to be far off. Application of the proposed technology to specific biomedical questions is considered beyond the scope of the program, should not be included, and would not be funded. The goal of this FOA is to support proof of concept studies for feasibility and exploratory technology development. Feasibility must not have already been established in the literature or with preliminary data. Published data can be used to establish the current state of the art but cannot forecast or predict project outcomes. Preliminary data for any purpose might appear to forecast the likelihood of success. Therefore, no unpublished data is allowed. While unpublished data are not permitted, references and data from widely available preprints that have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) are acceptable.
