Phased Technology Application Award

Technologies that are under development and have near-term application potential frequently have difficulty obtaining support for evaluation and pilot testing in a study of interest to biomedical research. When the transition from research to development is delayed, potentially valuable technologies go undeveloped.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed the Phased Technology Application Award to complement the Phased Innovation Award and foster the translation of emerging technologies from evaluation to pilot application, speeding the adoption of near-term technological opportunities.

Special features of the Phased Technology Application Award include:

• Support for evaluating the utility of new technologies through the R21 mechanism coupled to a second phase supporting pilot application in studies of interest to cancer research using the R33 mechanism.
• Minimal or no funding gap between the evaluation and pilot application phases based on the accomplishment of negotiated scientific milestones.
• Flexible timing of evaluation and pilot application phases.
• Flexible budget structure.

The rapid transition of technology evaluation to a pilot application phase, which is critical to the success of the Phased Technology Application Award, depends on the completion of negotiated scientific milestones. Scientific program staff members at NCI coordinate the review of the progress made in the evaluation phase. The type of review depends on the complexity of the milestones and the size of the proposed funding increase.