Funding Opportunities for Test Method Developers
NICEATM and ICCVAM seek to facilitate development of test methods that replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in testing. In addition, both organizations are committed to the protection of human health, animal health, and the environment. This page lists announcements of funding opportunities intended to support the development of alternative test methods. If you are aware of a funding opportunity that could be included on this page, please contact NICEATM.
SBIR and STTR Omnibus Grant Solicitations of the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration
NIEHS is offering funding for small businesses developing technologies of interest to the Tox21 program. These technologies include:
- Informatics tools and platforms to organize, store, retrieve, extract, and integrate information on exposures and health effects data.
- Application of machine learning methods and natural language processing for extracting and integrating diverse data types and for generating causal networks from experimental data and public knowledgebases.
- Adapting or developing new methods and tools for automating environmental health-related literature and systematic reviews, including article selection and prioritization, data extraction, study quality evaluation, and summarization of for environmental health impacts.
- Mid- to high-throughput and high-content assays using in vitro or tissue chip technologies to screen and rank toxicity of emerging engineered nanomaterials for cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and metabolic toxicity.
- Human and rodent organotypic culture models and microphysiological systems.
- Approaches to characterize and integrate key molecular and cellular changes related to effects of toxicant exposures in carcinogenicity, developmental neurotoxicity, or cardiotoxicity.
- Screening systems that incorporate genetic diversity into toxicology testing.
- Short-term tests, assays, or systems designed specifically to reduce or replace existing regulatory animal studies for acute toxicity (oral or inhalation), reproductive or developmental toxicity, carcinogenicity, or ocular toxicity
The funding is being offered as part of the 2024 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and Food and Drug Administration. This funding is available for small business grant applications to support development and commercialization of innovative technologies. View more information on the NIEHS website.
SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitations and Accompanying Resources
- Solicitation notices on NIH website (posted July 3, 2024)
- Program Descriptions and Research Topics
- Application Guide for SBIR/STTR Grant Applications
Next due date: September 5, 2025
For more information about this opportunity, contact:
NIH Funding Resources
The NIEHS SBIR/STTR Program Staff encourages applicants to submit grants at least one week before the deadline and to take advantage of the following resources:
- NIH "All About Grants" Podcast on the Office of Extramural Research website.
- NIH RePORTER Matchmaker – useful for an initial screen for matching your technology to an institute and a relevant study section for review. It is also a great place to better understand what types of technologies NIH institutes fund.
- NIH Grants Policy Statement – rules for applying for and accepting a grant.
- Frequently Asked Questions about SBIR and STTR grants on the NIH website.
- SBIR/STTR tutorials
- Annotated SBIR/STTR SF424 application forms.
- Webinar series for funding opportunities for environmental technologies.
- NIH study section identifier – allows you to search your topic of interest.
- Application cover letters are optional but provide you an opportunity to designate an institute or study section.
- Rules for calculating number of employees.
- Registration and application instructions (this process can take six to eight weeks and should be initiated well before the deadline).
Nominations Due June 6 for Humane Science Innovator Award
Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, is soliciting nominations for the Humane Science Innovator Award, formerly known as the Russell and Burch Award. The Humane Science Innovator Award recognizes scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the replacement of animals in research and testing.
Nominations will be accepted through June 6. Both self-nominations and nominations of colleagues are welcomed. Candidates will be judged on the scientific merit of their contributions, their professional commitment to the replacement of animals in research and testing, and their related track record in the field. The award will be given at the 13th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences this summer in Rio de Janeiro. The winner will receive $10,000 and a commemorative award. To apply email [email protected].
Applications Due May 31 for Herbert Stiller Research Prize
The German nongovernmental organization Doctors Against Animal Experiments is accepting applications for the Herbert Stiller Research Prize. This €20,000 prize is awarded for excellent innovative research focusing on the investigation and therapy of human diseases, and is particularly aimed at motivating young scientists to use and develop non-animal technologies. Supported projects should significantly contribute to medical progress by employing animal-free, human-based approaches such as in vitro studies or clinical and epidemiological investigations into the causes of the diseases of civilization. Eligibility for the prize is limited to those working in Germany or other German-speaking countries, but applications will be accepted in either German or English. Applications are due May 31.
PCRM Offering Early-career Travel Awards for 2025 Conferences
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) ERA21 travel awards are designed to support the next generation of life sciences researchers using human-based nonanimal methods. The monetary value of each award will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the conference. Recipients must be dedicated to promoting the replacement of animals in science and must have been accepted to present animal-free research at the conference in which the travel award will assist.
An applicant may apply for more than one award but is eligible to receive only one ERA21 award within a one-year period. Priority will be given to applicants who apply prior to two months from the date of the event. Additional travel awards are available on a case-by-case basis for early career researchers who are dedicated to using nonanimal methods and who can demonstrate financial need. Please send a letter of intent briefly describing your presentation, the conference, a statement of need, and how your research advances nonanimal science (250 words maximum) to Mikalah Singer, [email protected].
Grants Offered to Support Development of Animal-free Antibody Applications
PETA Science Consortium International e.V., the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation are offering grants for free recombinant antibodies for use in research and testing. Awardees will receive commercially available recombinant antibodies to test in applications that currently use animal-derived antibodies. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a proposal describing in detail the how the antibody will be used. Awardees will be expected to provide updates to grant sponsors on the progress of their work and publish their results. The offering has a rolling deadline, and grant amounts will vary based on details of the projects.
Grants Will Support Development of Tissue Models for Cancer Research
The National Cancer Institute is offering grants to support the development and characterization of state-of-the-art biomimetic tissue-engineered technologies for cancer research. Projects supported by this funding will become part of the Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC) Research Program. The goals of the Cancer TEC Program are to (1) catalyze the advancement of innovative, well-characterized in vitro and ex vivo systems available for cancer research, (2) expand the breadth of these systems to several cancer types, and (3) promote the exploration of cancer phenomena with biomimetic tissue-engineered systems.
Applications for funding were accepted beginning in May 2022, with applications due quarterly through May 2025. Grants of up to $400,000 will be awarded to fund projects that can continue up to five years. Eligibility for these grants is open to for-profit and nonprofit institutions within and outside the United States.
Recurring Open Grant Programs
The organizations listed below award grants periodically supporting research projects to develop or implement alternatives to animal testing. While none of them are currently accepting applications, links are provided to help prospective applicants plan future proposals.