COVID-19

  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funding
  • Applicant/Recipient COVID-19 Update History
  • CDC COVID-19
  • Get the latest research information from NIH | Español
Expand for resources

n/a Warning! This browser is not supported - Some features might not work. Try using a different browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • National Institutes of Health
Grants Home
  • eRA  |  new windowwNIH Staff   |  Glossary  |  FAQs  |  Help
  • Home
  • About Grants
    • Grants Process Overview
    • Get Started

    • Learn the Basics
    • Plan Your Application
    • How to Apply

    • Prepare to Apply
    • Write Application
    • Submit
    • How to Apply Video Tutorials

      Application Referral and Review

    • Receipt and Referral
    • Peer Review
    • Pre-Award and Post-Award Processes

    • Pre-Award and Award Process
    • Post Award Monitoring and Reporting
    • Forms Library

      Information For

    • Researchers
    • Research Administrators
    • Reviewers
    • Small Businesses Link to External Site
    • Foreign Grants
    • Media and the Public
    • NIH Staff Lock Icon
  • Funding
    • Find Grant Funding (NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts)
    • Other Transactions
    • Contracts
    • Research Training and Career Development Link to External Site
    • Loan Repayment Programs Link to External Site
    • Extramural Diversity Link to External Site
    • NIH Funding Strategies




      Notice IconAvoid Grant Scams
  • Policy & Compliance
    • NIH Grants Policy Statement
    • Notices of Policy Changes
    • Compliance & Oversight
    • Policy Topics

    • Animal Welfare Link to External Site
    • Application Submission Policies
    • Clinical Trial Requirements
    • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
    • Early Stage Investigator Policies
    • Family-Friendly Initiatives
    • Financial Conflict of Interest
    • Human Subjects Research
    • Inclusion Policies
    • Intellectual Property Policy
    • Lobbying Guidance for Grantee Activities
    • Natural Disasters
    • NIH Funding Strategies
    • Peer Review Policies and Practices
    • Protecting U.S. Biomedical Intellectual Innovation
    • Public Access Link to External Site
    • Research Integrity
    • Rigor and Reproducibility
    • Sharing Policies Link to External Site
    • Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace
  • News & Events

      Latest News

    • News Highlights
    • "Open Mike" Blog Link to External Site
    • Extramural Nexus Link to External Site
    • Subscribe and Follow

    • Listservs
    • Social Media

      Virtual Learning

    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
    • NIH Grants YouTube Channel Link to External Site

      Connect In Person

    • NIH Regional Seminars on Program
      Funding & Grants Administration
    • SBIR-STTR Engage & Connect Link to External Site
    • Loan Repayment Program (LRP)
      Contact & Engage
       Link to External Site
    • Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
      Workshops and Conference
      Link to External Site
    • Events Calendar
  • About OER
    • About the Office of Extramural Research
    • OER Offices

    • Immediate Office of the Director (IMOD)
    • Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
    • Office of Research Reporting and Analysis (ORRA)
    • Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
    • Strategic Management and Contracts Office (SMCO)
    • Office of Electronic Research Administration (eRA)
    • Division of Communication & Outreach (DCO)
    • Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED)
    • Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW)
    • Division of Human Subjects Research (DHSR)
  • eRA
    Link to External Site
  • NIH Staff Lock Icon
  • Home
  • FAQs
  • Help

Funding

  • Grants (NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts)
  • Research Training and Career Development Link to External Site
  • Contracts
  • Loan Repayment Programs Link to External Site
Home  »   Funding   »     »  Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program
Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program

News Flash: IRS Begins Accepting Applications for Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program (June 18, 2010)


  • Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Projects (48D)
  • IRS Notice 2010-45
  • Fact Sheet
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Tax Credit or Grant for Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Projects
  • Application Forms and Instructions
    • IRS Form 8942 and Instructions
    • Project Information Memorandum
  • HHS/NIH PIM Review Information

Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Projects

The Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project tax credit is provided under new section 48D of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148). The credit is a tax benefit targeted to therapeutic discovery projects that show a reasonable potential to:

  • Result in new therapies to treat areas of unmet medical need or prevent, detect or treat chronic or acute diseases and conditions,
  • Reduce the long-term growth of health care costs in the United States, or
  • Significantly advance the goal of curing cancer within 30 years.

Allocation of the credit will also take into consideration which projects show the greatest potential to create and sustain high-quality, high-paying U.S. jobs and to advance U.S. competitiveness in life, biological and medical sciences. 

The credit is only available to taxpayers with no more than 250 employees. The credit covers up to 50 percent of a taxpayer's qualified investment. To provide an immediate boost to U.S. biomedical research, the credit is available for qualified investments made or to be made in 2009 and 2010. To claim the credit, a taxpayer must apply for certification of its qualified investments. The amount of the credit which a taxpayer may be allocated will be limited to a maximum of $5 million per taxpayer, and the total amount of credits available to all taxpayers is limited to $1 billion.

IRS Notice 2010-45

IRS Notice 2010-45 (PDF - 78 KB), released on May 21, 2010, describes the process by which taxpayers can apply to have a therapeutic discovery project certified as eligible for a credit or grant. The application form will be available no later than June 21, 2010, and applications must be postmarked no later than July 21, 2010. In addition to the application form, the application must include a Project Information Memorandum in the form described in Appendix A to Notice 2010-45. The IRS will issue certifications by October 29, 2010.

Fact Sheet

  • Administration Releases Guidance For $1 Billion Tax Credit Under Affordable Care Act To Support Biomedical Research By Small Firms - (PDF - 122 KB) (May 21, 2010)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Tax Credit or Grant for Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Projects

  • IRS and HHS Questions and Answers

Application Forms and Instructions

To apply, applicants must use IRS Form 8942, Application for Certification of Qualified Investments Eligible for Credits and Grants Under the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program (Catalog Number 37748D). Applicants must also include a Project Information Memorandum in the form described in Appendix A to Notice 2010-45.

  • IRS Form 8942 (PDF - 9 KB) and Instructions (PDF - 145 KB) - (June 2010)
  • Project Information Memorandum - (MS Word - 47 KB) (PDF - 515 KB) (June 1, 2010)

HHS/NIH PIM Review Information

  • QTDP_PIM Review Process - (PDF - 36 KB) (June 17, 2010)
  • QTDP Decision Support - (PDF - 161 KB) (August 20, 2010)

This page last updated on June 15, 2010 
Content Manager: sbir@od.nih.gov 
Technical Issues: E-mail OER Webmaster   

Back to Top
  • Contact Us
  • Bookmark & Share
  • E-mail Updates
  • RSS Feed
  • Podcast
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

  • Search
  • Help Downloading Files
  • Disclaimer
  • Older Versions of this Page
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • FOIA
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Grants.gov
  • USA.gov - Government Made Easy


  • National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892

  • NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health