NCI SBIR NOSI for Cancer Technology for Low-Resource Settings

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): NOT-CA-21-062

Applications due: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

 

The NCI encourages grant applications from small businesses to develop or adapt, apply, and validate existing or emerging technologies into user-friendly, low-resource setting-appropriate technologies for cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment.

Projects proposed in response to this NOSI will require multidisciplinary efforts to succeed, and, therefore, all applicant teams must include expertise in oncology, engineering, global health, and healthcare delivery in low-resource settings. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with academic institutions, local hospitals, community groups, non-governmental organizations, or charities for the conduct of the proposed cancer global health product development activities.

Gaps in access to cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment present significant challenges in many global health settings. Though this NOSI will not restrict applications focused on any specific cancer type, four cancer types (based on histology) are highlighted that are particularly amenable to prevention, diagnosis, or treatment in LMICs. They are: cancers of the cervix, colon/rectum, esophagus, and oral cavity. These four cancer types are given a high priority because the introduction of low-cost technologies to prevent, diagnose, or treat them is likely to have a strong impact on reducing the burden of these cancers in low-resource settings. Cancers, including those caused by oncogenic viruses, remain an important comorbidity for HIV-infected populations even in the current era of worldwide access to antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, NCI encourages applications proposing research on HIV-associated cancers.