Small Business Funding Opportunities

Clinical Technology Applications

NCRR's Division for Clinical Research Resources seeks to increase small business participation in federally supported research and development as well as the private-sector commercialization of technology developed with federal support. It does this through the federal government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Funding Areas

NCRR is interested in the application of clinical technology, instruments, devices, and related methodologies that may have broad application to clinical research. In particular, the center funds applications that enhance the ability to perform clinical research and improve patient care. To help facilitate clinical research, NCRR seeks resources focused on:

• Patient-centered technologies and systems
• Methods, resources, and tools used for clinical and translational research
• Medical and health care computer and communication technologies
• Research informatics and information systems
• Miniaturization of existing biomedical technologies for adaptation to pediatric use
• Vehicles for drug delivery, vectors for gene therapy, high throughput technologies, and methods and techniques for studies of human diseases
• Techniques, instruments, and reagents to optimize the recovery and quality of cells for subsequent use in either basic research or clinical protocols

NCRR fosters collaboration between small businesses with academic researchers through its Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. Its goals are to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients as well as to train the next generation of clinical translational researchers. A national consortium, funded through CTSAs, will link together about 60 institutions by 2012 with a budget of $500 million per year to energize the discipline of clinical and translational science.

One of the goals of the CTSA consortium is to stimulate alliances in medical research and research training by identifying opportunities via collaboration among CTSA members and private-sector, nonprofit, and government partners. Specific efforts related to private-public partnerships, translational research, and other CTSA committees can be found on the CTSA consortium Web site.

Contact Information

For further information about NCRR support for small business opportunities related to clinical research, contact:

Rosemarie A. Filart, M.D., M.P.H.
SBIR/STTR Program Officer
Division for Clinical Research Resources
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
One Democracy Plaza, Room 906
6701 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 4874
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4874 (20817 for express mail)
Telephone: 301-435-0178
Fax: 301-480-3661
E-mail: FilartR@mail.nih.gov