Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 337

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 337

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is offering a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-25-337). The core purpose of this program is to push promising scientific discoveries and engineering advances across the gap between early research and real-world use, specifically by supporting partnerships that can turn those advances into practical technologies, methods, or tools. While the title highlights diagnosis and treatment, the scope is broader: the NOFO is designed to encourage translation of innovations that can strengthen both basic research (for understanding disease mechanisms) and applied research (for assessing risk, detecting disease, preventing disease, diagnosing, treating, and managing disease). In practical terms, the program is looking for projects that move beyond concepts and prototypes toward capabilities that can be validated, refined, and positioned for use in research environments and care delivery settings.

A defining feature of this NOFO is the emphasis on academic-industrial collaboration. The intent is to combine the strengths of academic investigators (novel discovery, deep domain expertise, hypothesis-driven research) with the strengths often found in industry partners (product development discipline, manufacturing or scale-up experience, regulatory awareness, design controls, and pathways to dissemination). The NCI frames this as a way to "deliver new capabilities" that meet evolving needs in technology and methods relevant to advancing research and care. The envisioned impact spans pre-clinical settings (such as laboratory and animal studies), clinical settings (where patient-facing tools, diagnostics, and therapeutic approaches may be evaluated or used), and non-clinical settings (which can include environments like public health, field use, or operational contexts where healthcare decisions are supported). The NOFO also explicitly notes that the work may be domestic or foreign, as long as it aligns with the missions of participating NIH institutes and centers.

The mechanism is an R01 research project grant, and clinical trials are optional. That means applicants can propose projects that do not include a clinical trial (for example, technology development and validation using biospecimens, retrospective datasets, benchtop testing, or preclinical models), or they can propose work that includes a clinical trial if it is appropriate for the technology being translated. This flexibility is important for technology translation programs because the right next step can vary widely depending on maturity of the tool, the level of evidence already available, and what is required to demonstrate performance, utility, and readiness for broader adoption.

The opportunity falls under CFDA numbers 93.394 and 93.395, reflecting its placement within NIH/NCI assistance programs. The listing identifies the award ceiling as $499,000 (as provided in the source data), and the original closing date is January 7, 2028. The source data does not specify the expected number of awards, so applicants should plan with the assumption that awards may be competitive and dependent on annual appropriations and program priorities.

Eligibility is broad and deliberately inclusive, consistent with NIH-wide efforts to support a wide range of organizations capable of performing research and translation work. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and both nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses and for-profit entities other than small businesses). It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), tribal organizations that are not federally recognized, and public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities. In addition, the NOFO highlights other eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions. Taken together, this means the program is open to a wide set of potential lead applicants and partners, which fits the partnership-driven translation goal.

Overall, the NOFO is best understood as a technology translation catalyst: it aims to support projects where a partnership can realistically advance a diagnostic or treatment-related technology (or enabling method) toward broader research and/or clinical use. The NCI is signaling that it wants deliverables that address concrete needs in cancer-relevant or institute-mission-relevant disease research and care, and it is encouraging applicants to build teams that can handle both the scientific/engineering innovation and the practical steps needed to make a tool usable, reliable, and impactful in real settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394, 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for PAR 25 337

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