Grants for Small businesses - Federal

This grant provides researchers with access to advanced facilities and technical support for developing non-hormonal contraception and reproductive health products, without direct funding.

The "DoD Rare Cancers, Idea Development Award" is a grant aimed at supporting early-stage research ideas with high potential impact, which could lead to significant advancements in the diagnosis, treatment, and improved health outcomes for individuals suffering from rare cancers, with a particular focus on innovative research involving nuclear medicine, women's health, and adherence to rigorous study design standards.

This funding opportunity supports innovative research aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, particularly in relation to military service and traumatic brain injury, targeting independent researchers from various eligible organizations.

This funding opportunity supports independent researchers in studying the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases related to military toxic exposures, benefiting Service Members, Veterans, and their families.

This funding opportunity supports research projects that explore the basic mechanisms and effects of trained immunity in the innate immune system, targeting a wide range of institutions and researchers interested in immune responses and related diseases.

The Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize offers up to $2.4 million in prizes for innovative solutions that advance the electrification retrofits of residential homes across all building types and geographies. The goal is to make electrification more affordable and accessible in existing U.S. homes, with a focus on equitable solutions for all homeowners, including those in low-income and under-resourced communities. The prize supports design solutions, tools, and technology innovations that enable the switch to electric products and reduce carbon emissions. Low-power electrification solutions are strongly encouraged. The competition consists of two phases: Phase 1 focuses on presenting proposed solutions and up to five winners receive a $5,000 cash prize and a $75,000 voucher to work with DOE national laboratories. Phase 2 involves finalizing teams, demonstrating functional prototype solutions, and up to three winners receive prizes, with a top prize of $1 million. The competition is open to individuals, private entities, nonfederal government entities, and academic institutions. For more information, refer to the official rules document.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that create and manage equine therapy programs aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life for disabled veterans and members of the Armed Forces.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the RNA Modifications Driving Oncogenesis (RNAMoDO) Initiative. It aims to promote mechanistic research in the emerging area of RNA modifications that drive oncogenesis, with a focus on the central role of RNA modifications in translational reprogramming of cancer cells. RNA modifications have been recognized to exert a substantial impact on gene expression and function and their de-regulation has been linked to the cancer phenotype. In particular, recent insights point to a crucial role for mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA modifications in translational reprogramming during tumor initiation, progression, and adaptation to therapy. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this reshaping of the translatome caused by dynamic changes in RNA modifications, and especially the interplay between different RNA modifications within and across RNA molecules during translation, are not understood and represent the focus of this initiative. Historically, the research community has largely pursued investigations of RNA modifications by studying single RNA species and modification types. However, elucidating how dysregulation of mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA modifications reprograms translation to drive oncogenesis is not likely feasible for any single research laboratory, but will require the combination of expertise in mRNA, tRNA and rRNA biology, translational regulation, and cancer research. To stimulate progress in this emerging field, the RNAMoDO program will support collaborative research projects, preferably using an MPI structure, on how modifications in mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA molecules can drive the oncogenic process through translational reprogramming. To be responsive to the NOFO, each project will also explore the impact of interactions between modifications residing on the same or different RNA molecules during translation. This Notice of Intent to Publish (NOITP) is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The NOFO is expected to be published in the early Fall of 2024, with an expected application due date in November 2024. The NOFO will utilize the U01 mechanism for Research Project Cooperative Agreement (Clinical Trial Not Allowed). Potential applicants are encouraged to view the presentation of this initiative to the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA), available at: (https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=54423) beginning at 1 hour, 32 minutes, 52 seconds. Presentation slides are downloadable at https://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/bsa/0324/Maas.pdf.

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for a new project, Dignity in Documentation Initiative (DIDI). This effort focuses on global, integrated, and holistic CRSV documentation programming seeking truth and justice for victims and survivors as well as accountability for crimes committed in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. The DIDI must take a survivor-centered and trauma-informed approach, prioritizing the individual needs and efforts of CRSV survivors, while supporting survivor networks, civil society, and community-based organizations. This solicitation will result in the first tranche of these program efforts, with incremental funding envisioned over the life of the 5-year project, depending on the availability of funding.

The key aspects of this award are: Impact: The SRA is intended to support research designed to have a major impact on the health and well-being of melanoma survivors, their families, and/or caregivers. Impactful research will accelerate the movement of promising ideas into clinical applications or other real-world applications and advance the field of melanoma-specific quality of life and survivorship. Study Design: Applications should clearly articulate and justify the chosen study design. Studies proposing retrospective analyses or prospective enrollment should clearly describe the architecture of the study (e.g., descriptive, correlational, field experimental, meta-analyses) and the study population(s). The study population(s) should be representative of the people who are anticipated to benefit from the research. If applicable, questionnaires should be described in sufficient detail to justify interpretation of potential results. Melanoma Consumer Collaboration: For the purposes of the SRA, a melanoma consumer is defined as a melanoma survivor, family member, and/or caregiver who can provide lived experience expertise to the research project team. Applicants to the SRA are required to establish a collaborative research approach with the melanoma consumer community to maximize the impact and translatability of the research for the benefit of the intended melanoma community(ies). The research team must include at least one melanoma consumer or a melanoma-community supporting organization who will be integral to the planning, execution, and implementation of the proposed research. The role of the melanoma consumer collaborator(s) should include providing objective input on the research question being addressed; the study design, execution, and evaluation; and the potential impact of the research outcomes on the health and well-being of melanoma survivors, their families, and/or their caregivers. The melanoma consumer collaborator(s) should be active participants and integrated into the research team; their participation should not be limited only to passive activities (e.g., attending seminars or quarterly team meetings). Additional information and resources for establishing a collaborative research approach with the melanoma consumer community is provided below.Other Important Considerations:Collaborative Research Approaches: Collaborative research approaches create partnerships between scientific researchers and, for the purposes of the SRA, melanoma consumers to create knowledge useable by both sets of stakeholders. Recognizing the strengths of each partner, scientific researchers and melanoma consumers collaborate and contribute equitably on all aspects of the project, which may include needs assessment, planning, research intervention design, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. Collaborative research approaches feature shared responsibility and ownership for the research project to ensure non-tokenistic involvement of the melanoma consumers within the research team. Research results are jointly interpreted, disseminated, and fed back to affected communities and in some instances may be translated into interventions or policy.Collaborative relationships with the melanoma consumer community may be established through integrating melanoma consumers and/or melanoma-community supporting organizations into research teams as co-researchers, advisors, and/or consultants. Examples for implementing collaborative research approaches are listed below, but each research team may pursue other options as appropriate for the proposed research: The research team includes at least one melanoma consumer who will provide advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the research project. The consumer(s) should be able to speak to the needs of the melanoma consumer community, not just speak to their own personal experiences. The research team establishes partnerships with at least one community-supporting organization that provides advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the research project. Community-supporting organizations may include advocacy groups or other formal organizational stakeholders that can speak to the needs of the melanoma consumer community. The research team assembles a melanoma consumer community advisory board. The advisory board may include melanoma consumers, a coalition of community-supporting organizations, or any combination thereof that provides advice and consultation throughout the planning and implementation of the overall program and/or individual research projects.

This funding opportunity provides supplemental support for NSF-funded researchers to collaborate with NIST scientists, enhancing their scientific projects in biological sciences, engineering, and mathematical and physical sciences through access to advanced measurement tools and expertise.

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects for at-risk species in the U.S. by providing financial assistance to a diverse range of applicants, including nonprofits, educational institutions, and government entities, to implement proactive measures that prevent species from needing federal protection.

This funding opportunity supports research partnerships between technology developers and academic researchers to optimize and evaluate digital mental health interventions, particularly for underserved populations.

This funding opportunity supports research projects aimed at developing safe and effective medications for treating substance use disorders, particularly for substances like cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis, and is open to a wide range of eligible institutions and organizations.

This grant provides funding to early-career researchers focused on melanoma to support their independent research and professional development while fostering collaboration within a network of experts.

This grant provides funding for research aimed at developing new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), specifically targeting projects that have already shown promise in preclinical studies and emphasize the use of biomarkers for therapeutic development.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for small businesses to develop innovative medical devices specifically designed to help children and young adults affected by substance use and addiction.

The National Institute on Aging is offering a grant for graduate students interested in aging-related research, providing funding and support for their doctoral dissertation projects and transition into postdoctoral positions in the field.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for faculty and students at under-resourced academic institutions to collaborate with NASA on research projects, fostering mentorship and skill development in STEM fields.

This initiative provides up to $10 million in prizes to innovators developing advanced LED lighting solutions that improve energy efficiency, quality, and accessibility for commercial use.