Early-Stage Innovative Technology Development for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Cancer Institute is soliciting R61 grant applications under RFA-CA-27-001 to support the early-stage development and proof-of-concept of innovative technologies for molecular or cellular characterization of cancer and the improved handling and quality control of biospecimens. This initiative is part of the broader Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies Program and focuses on the technical feasibility of new materials, platforms, assays, instrumentation, and devices. Projects must be focused on cancer-relevant use cases and include verifiable performance measures with specific numerical targets. Applications that merely apply existing technologies to hypothesis-driven research without technological novelty are not responsive. The funding opportunity provides for a project period not to exceed three years, with direct cost budgets limited to 150,000 dollars per year. For fiscal year 2027, the NCI intends to commit a total of 5.1 million dollars to fund approximately 20 awards. Applications are evaluated based on the importance of the research, rigor and feasibility of the approach, and the expertise of the investigators and their environment. Eligible applicants include small businesses and other for-profit organizations, all of whom must maintain active SAM registration and eRA Commons accounts. The final deadline for submission via Grants.gov is November 10, 2026.