Funding Overview

The NCI SBIR & STTR Programs are an entryway to federally-funded cancer research. Organizations apply first for a Phase I award of up to $150,000 to test the technical merit and feasibility of a particular concept. Support under Phase I is normally provided for six months for SBIR and one year for STTR.

If Phase I proves successful, the company may apply for a two-year Phase II award of up to $1 million to further develop the concept, usually to the prototype stage. Proposals are judged competitively on the basis of scientific, technical, and commercial merit. Phase I and II applicants may propose and justify longer periods of time and greater amounts of funds necessary for completion of the project.

To help address the funding gap a company may encounter between the end of the Phase II award and the commercialization stage, the NCI SBIR Program has created a Bridge Award pilot initiative for previously funded NIH SBIR Phase II projects in the areas of cancer therapies and imaging technologies. With budgets up to $1 million in total costs per year (a total of $3 million over three years) that may be requested from the NCI, this funding opportunity helps advance cancer research towards commercialization and incentivizes partnerships between small businesses and third-party investors, and/or strategic partners.

Following completion of Phase II, small businesses are expected to obtain funding from the private sector and/or non-SBIR or STTR government sources to develop the concept into a product for sale in the private sector.

Click on the links below to learn more about NCI SBIR & STTR Programs funding.

• Find Funding – Learn more about the latest funding opportunities from the NCI SBIR & STTR Programs.
• Receipt Dates – View upcoming receipt dates for applications to NCI SBIR & STTR Programs funding opportunities.
• Notices – Review current funding-related announcements
• About Funding – Read more about the process for obtaining funding from the NCI SBIR & STTR Programs.
• Past Funding Opportunities – Visit this page for information about past funding opportunities from the NCI SBIR & STTR Programs.
• Research Topics of Interest – View a list of high-priority research areas under the National Cancer Institute.