The National Cancer Institute has issued the Innovative Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research funding opportunity to advance early-stage development of novel technologies that improve the collection, handling, processing, preservation, and storage of biospecimens for cancer research and clinical care. The funding opportunity emphasizes the development of innovative tools, devices, and methods to enhance sample quality and address issues related to the pre-analytical degradation of targeted analytes, with the goal of accelerating progress in cancer biology, diagnostics, treatment, and reducing health disparities.
This opportunity is part of the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program, which focuses on the creation of new tools with the potential to transform cancer research. Technologies proposed must offer significant advancements beyond current approaches, introducing new capabilities to maximize the integrity and utility of biospecimens. Projects can include novel methods for assessing biological integrity, improving preservation of molecular or cellular analytes, and enhancing the preparation of biospecimens for downstream analyses like sequencing or proteomic profiling.
Applications must demonstrate the feasibility of their proposed innovations and include clear, quantitative performance measures to evaluate progress. Projects should address unmet needs in cancer research, provide significant technical innovation, and detail the potential impact on cancer disparities, prevention, diagnostics, or clinical care. Research that applies existing technologies without significant modifications or focuses solely on biomarker discovery, imaging, or therapeutic development will not be considered.
The award mechanism is the R61 Phase 1 Exploratory/Developmental Grant, supporting proof-of-concept studies at their inception stage. Budgets are limited to one hundred fifty thousand dollars in direct costs per year for up to three years. Applicants are not required to provide preliminary data but must justify the feasibility and significance of their proposed technology. Successful projects may serve as a foundation for follow-on development through related funding mechanisms.
Eligible applicants include public and private higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, for-profit organizations, government entities, and foreign institutions. Applicants may submit multiple proposals if they are scientifically distinct. Proposals must comply with all registration requirements in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons prior to submission.
Applications are due April 4, 2025, and October 3, 2025, with a requirement to submit a letter of intent at least thirty days prior to the deadline. Applications will undergo peer review based on significance, innovation, feasibility, and alignment with program goals. Awardees are required to attend an annual meeting to share progress and foster collaboration. The program provides up to four awards, totaling one million dollars annually for fiscal year 2026, to support transformative technologies in biospecimen science that will accelerate advancements in cancer research and clinical care.
