NIH posted new Funding Opportunity Announcements supported by ARRA. The first funding announcement (RFA-OD-09-008) seeks grant applications for a new initiative called “Biomedical Research, Development, and Growth to Spur the Acceleration of New Technologies” (BRDG-SPAN) pilot Program. This new pilot program uses a new mechanism called the RC1.
The purpose for this pilot is to address the funding gap between promising R&D and the time it takes to transition to the market. This funding gap is often referred to as the “Valley of Death”. The funding will help to transition research innovations and technologies toward developing products or services for the marketplace.
NIH is committing at least $35 million for these grants. It is anticipated that at least ten awards will be made in FY 2010. Funding priority will be given if the project is thought to have high commercial potential to be developed into a product or service as indicated by the underserved and their needs.
This program is open to any U.S. for-profit enterprise or commercial organization and applications may be given funding priority if the applicant is associated with a small business organization with 500 or less employees.
For more details on RFA-OD-09-008, go to http://www.grants.gov/ or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-008.html.
The second posting (RFA-OD-09-009) referred to as the “Recovery Act Limited Competition: Small Business Catalyst Awards for Accelerating Innovative Research” uses the SBIR Phase 1 activity code. This program is looking for grant applications from small businesses that are interested in accelerating innovation through high risk and high reward R&D with commercial potential.
Applications from small business concerns without a history of NIH SBIR/STTR support may receive funding priority. NIH seeks early stage ideas that represent advancement in a technological area that promises to lead to major leaps forward and not merely incremental improvements of existing technologies. Projects can involve research tools techniques, devices, inventions, or methodologies.
NIH plans to commit at least $5 million in response to this project in FY 2010 to fund 20-25 grants. Both applications for funding were posted on June 2, 2009 and are due September 1, 2009. Letters of intent are not required but encouraged and must be submitted by August 3, 2009.
For more details on RFA-OD-09-009, go to http://www.grants.gov/ or http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-09-009.html. In order to submit applications for NIH funding, it is necessary to register in both http://www.grants.gov/ and eRA Commons.
