Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why was the Office of Technology and Industrial Relations established? Does it indicate a change in direction at NCI?
   
   OTIR was established in recognition of the major changes underway in the cancer research enterprise in the post-genomic age, of which team science and large-scale collaborations are essential components. Through OTIR, the NCI is able to manage its large-scale, multi-disciplinary and networked endeavors in a systematic way.
   
   
2. Does OTIR fund research directly?
   
   Yes. For more information on specific funding opportunities, please click here.
   
   
3. What is the relationship of OTIR to other NCI programs, such as caBIG™?
   
   OTIR is a matrix organization responsible for leading, coordinating, and interfacing with a broad range of technology development and infrastructural support initiatives within the NCI and beyond. OTIR programs collaborate with caBIG™ to collect, analyze, and disseminate information to the broader cancer community.
   
   
4. How can the private sector interact with OTIR?
   
   Private sector and non-profit organizations are essential partners in the process of developing biomedical technologies for cancer research and clinical applications. The NCI actively seeks partnerships and offers opportunities to license technologies developed via its support to commercial partners that can carry such technologies forward into clinical development and into clinical use.
   
   In particular, small businesses can benefit from NCI’s SBIR and STTR award programs. In fiscal year 2005, the NCI SBIR & STTR Program had 265 active grants and contracts totaling nearly $98 million. Additional information can be found in the Small Business Programs and Funding sections of this website.
   
   
5. What is the OTIR focused on in 2006?
   
   During 2006, OTIR is advancing its major technology initiatives that are expected to have a transformative impact in the cancer research community. Among the activities are fostering collaborations among all the multi-disciplinary scientists and programs of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer; awarding the Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative grants and contracts; launching the pilot project of The Cancer Genome Atlas program; and issuing First-Generation Guidelines for NCI-Supported Biorepositories.