RFA-CA-25-003: Innovative Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2024.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $150,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. It expected to make about 4 awards worth $150,000 in total. Applications closed on December 9, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed December 9, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$150,000
- Total funding$150,000
- Expected awards4
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR61
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNCI
- Median yearly award$226,876
- Typical project length3 years
- R61, Exploratory/Developmental Phase I. The first phase of a phased award. Moving on to the R33 phase depends on meeting agreed milestones. Other open R61 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-CA-25-003 were run by National Cancer Institute (NCI, 3 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-CA-25-003 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-CA-24-010 | November 28, 2023 | Closed October 1, 2024 | Closed |
| RFA-CA-23-004 | December 2, 2022 | Closed September 1, 2023 | Closed |
| RFA-CA-22-003 | November 3, 2021 | Closed September 22, 2022 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | December 16, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | December 9, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | February 7, 2026 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- 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 (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $226,876; it allows up to $150,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (61% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicits grant applications proposing exploratory research projects focused on the early-stage development of highly innovative technologies to improve the quality and handling of samples used for cancer research or clinical care. This includes tools with new capabilities to address issues related to pre-analytical degradation of targeted analytes during the collection, processing, handling, and/or storage of cancer-relevant biospecimens. The overall goal is to support the development of highly innovative technologies capable of maximizing or otherwise interrogating the quality and utility of biological samples used for downstream analyses. This NOFO will support the development of tools, devices, instrumentation, and associated methods for the collection, handling, processing, preservation, or storage of cancer-relevant biospecimens and their derivatives. This includes tools with new capabilities to preserve or protect sample integrity, establish verification criteria for quality assessment/quality control, and address issues related to pre-analytical degradation of target analytes. These technologies are expected to accelerate and/or enhance research in cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment, or epidemiology, and/or address issues associated with cancer health disparities. This funding opportunity is part of a broader NCI-sponsored Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program.
Funded under RFA-CA-25-003 so far
NIH funded 3 projects under RFA-CA-25-003 in fiscal 2026, at 3 institutions. The median yearly award was $226,876.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| A New Window into the in vivo tumor Microenvironment: Rapid harvesting and isolation of tissue interstitial space extracellular vesicles while preserving tissue functional state and cytomorphology | George Mason University | 2026 | $226,876 |
| Engineering Cellular Neighborhood Models of Bone Marrow Malignancies | University of Pennsylvania | 2026 | $236,997 |
| A Direct RNA Sequencing Platform to Detect Uridine Modifications in Human Lung Cancer Transcripts | Northeastern University | 2026 | $224,400 |
Who has won Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research (93.394) awarded $2.7 billion across 1,944 grant awards, an average of $1.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 56 | $114 million |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Washington | 37 | $96.7 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 62 | $89.1 million |
| Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research | New York | 52 | $88.7 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 63 | $86.5 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-CA-25-003 still open?
No. It closed on December 9, 2025.
Who can apply for Innovative Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Innovative Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed December 9, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $150,000 each. About $150,000 in total across about 4 awards.
Who has been funded under RFA-CA-25-003?
NIH RePORTER lists 3 projects funded under RFA-CA-25-003 in fiscal 2026, at 3 institutions. The most were at George Mason University, University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern University.
Who has won Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, The Leland Stanford Junior University. The program made 1,944 awards worth $2.7 billion in that time.
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