Key Dates

Related Announcements

• July 3, 2024 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed).  See NOFO PA-24-245.
• July 3, 2024 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required).  See NOFO PA-24-246.
• July 3, 2024 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed).  See NOFO  PA-24-247.
• July 3, 2024 - PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required).  See NOFO PA-24-248.

Issued by

National Eye Institute (NEI)

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

Purpose

The National Eye Institute (NEI) and participating National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes (IC) and Centers are issuing this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to solicit applications proposing to advance research activities relevant to quantum sensing in biomedical and clinical research and application. The purpose of this NOSI is to support small businesses for stimulation of technological innovation in quantum sensing. The specific research interests of participating NIH ICs are detailed within.

Background

Quantum sensing technologies are gaining importance with several near-term, real-world applications on the horizon in biomedical research.  Quantum sensing harnesses the sensitivity of quantum mechanics for engineering and measuring quantum states at a sub-atomic level to improve sensing performance. Quantum sensors can monitor different signals such as electric fields, pH, temperature, and very weak magnetic and optical signals using many-fold less power and decreased size than their classical counterparts. Quantum sensing technologies promise to provide more equitable and granular data collection across the biomedical landscape through the development of low-cost, portable, and user-friendly medical devices.  Through further technological biological development and optimization, novel quantum sensing technologies could drastically enhance current biological imaging and sensing measurements, providing novel opportunities and unique capacities to understand biomedical phenomena and advance clinical translation, the use of research outcomes in patient care settings. For more information on NIH’s Quantum Information Science Initiative, please refer to https://datascience.nih.gov/quantum-information-science. 

This NOSI invites researchers to explore innovative and potentially transformative research on applications of quantum sensing in biomedical and clinical research. Enabling quantum sensing technologies toward biomedical research will require collaborative efforts and inclusion of an integrative research plan based on collaborations between quantum sensing researchers and biomedical engineers, geneticists, biologists, and/or physician scientists.

Research Objectives

This NOSI encourages Phase I, Fast-Track and Direct to Phase II SBIR, as well as Phase I and Fast-Track STTR grant applications from Small Business Concerns to develop commercializable tools, resources, and approaches that harness new quantum sensing approaches to solve biomedical research questions with application in areas of preventing, monitoring and diagnosing disease. The overarching goal is to bring quantum mechanics -based sensing applications from the lab to the biomedical market and clinic. To be responsive to this NOSI, a project must focus on a relevant biomedical problem that falls within the mission of one of the participating Institutes or Centers.  Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIH Scientific/Research staff and participating NIH Institutes/Centers prior to preparing an application.   

This NOSI aims to catalyze application of innovative quantum-enabled technologies that leverage quantum sensing properties (coherence, interference, superposition and entanglement) of various materials (e.g., color centers, solid-state defects, 2D quantum materials), superconducting circuits, atomic magnetometry,  integrated photonics, non-classical sources of light, quantum optical effects, hyperpolarized spin states, entangled photons, tunneling, quantum correlation, or other quantum phenomena. Areas of interest and examples of applications that are responsive to this NOSI for the participating institutes and centers include, but are not limited to,

NEI

The mission of the National Eye Institute (NEI) is to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research.  Specific areas of interest include but not limited to the following:

• Novel quantum technology imaging systems to improve detection and diagnosis of diseases that affect the visual system, especially those that are relevant to NEI’s Strategic Plan.
• Quantum computer algorithms and quantum-classical computational solutions to improve disease diagnosis and classification.

NCATS

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) mission is to support development of innovative quantum technology applications that reduce, remove, or bypass costly and time-consuming bottlenecks in the translational science process, to speed drug development, early detection, diagnostics, medical devices, delivery of new drugs, and behavioral interventions to patients across various diseases. Under this funding announcement, NCATS is interested in supporting applications that utilize advances in quantum technologies in all research areas described in this NOSI and aligns with the NCATS mission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Scientific/Research staff noted in this NOSI about proposed activities prior to submission.  Specific areas of interest include but not limited to the following:

• Quantum technologies that enable chip-scale microfluidic technologies for high-throughput single-cell or single-molecule resolution assays for early-detection, diagnostics, or drug development.
• Scalable quantum-enabled sensing and detection technologies for enabling drug discovery and therapeutic development.
• Portable quantum sensors for ultra-sensitive in vivo non-invasive measurement of early markers of disease (molecular, physiological, electrochemical, other physical and chemical changes).
• Quantum technologies that enable novel non-invasive technologies for early in vivo detection of cell toxicity, exposure to pathogens, and metabolic changes in diseases or exposures.
• Novel algorithms and quantum-classical computational solutions for enabling use of the quantum devices and technologies, and for in silico discovery of novel biologically relevant chemical space (e.g., predicting novel molecular structures with associated biological activities (SARs), efficacy through protein-ligand interactions).

NCI

NCI’s mission is to lead, conduct, and support cancer research across the nation to advance scientific knowledge and help all people live longer, healthier lives. For this NOSI, NCI is particularly interested in supporting projects that develop novel quantum technology systems to improve detection, bio-sample conservation, and dynamic treatment analysis (e.g. biomarker discovery/analysis) related to both tumor and normal tissues, especially those that are relevant to NCI’s Strategic Plan.

NIBIB

The mission of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is to transform through engineering the understanding of disease and its prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. The Small Business Program at the NIBIB contributes to the mission of the institute by supporting innovative technologies through various stages of commercial research and development. The NIBIB welcomes SBIR and STTR applications from small businesses proposing ideas relevant to its scientific program areas. Please review NIBIB’s Small Business Program Description for additional details and contact program staff if you have questions about which institute(s) would be the best fit for your technology.

NIBIB interests include the development and integration of advanced bioengineering, sensing, imaging, and computational technologies for the improvement of human health and medical care. An application is not within the NIBIB mission if its principal focus is the development of a technology with the goal of understanding basic biological functions  or pathological mechanisms. Additionally, NIBIB only supports projects developing platform technologies that are applicable to a broad spectrum of disorders and diseases. However, applicants may propose research that utilizes only a single tissue, organ, or physiological condition as a model system to facilitate the development and translation of what is expected to be a more broadly applicable enabling technology.

Examples of research of interest to NIBIB include, but are not limited to:

• Development of novel quantum imaging and sensing technologies to support clinical decisions.
• Advanced quantum AI/ML algorithms, modeling, or simulation technologies
• Quantum-based point-of-care technologies for the clinical or hospital setting.
• Wearables and portable devices leveraging quantum technology for continuous monitoring, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes

For this NOSI, if an application proposes a clinical trial, NIBIB funding of clinical trials will be in accordance with NOT-EB-21-005 "NIBIB Guidance for Support of Clinical Trial Applications." Briefly, NIBIB will only support mission-focused (see NIBIB's program areas) early-stage clinical trial applications, i.e., feasibility, Phase I, first-in-human, safety, or other small clinical trials, that inform early-stage technology development. NIBIB will not support applications proposing pivotal, Phase II, III, IV, or trials in which the primary outcome is efficacy, effectiveness, or a post-market concern. Also, mechanistic trials are not supported unless the primary focus of the project is on technology development.)

NHLBI

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides global leadership for a research, training, and education programs to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders or conditions.

Under this SBIR/STTR NOSI, NHLBI is interested in supporting applications that utilize advances in quantum technologies to support commercializable product development that aligns with the NHLBI mission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Scientific/Research staff noted below NOSI about proposed activities prior to submission.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Next-generation quantum technology imaging systems to improve detection and diagnosis of diseases relevant to NHLBI
• Portable quantum sensors for ultrasensitive in vivo non-invasive measurements of early biomarkers of HLBS diseases or conditions (e.g., fetal magnetocardiography)
• Quantum sensor technologies to better understand biological mechanisms of HLBS diseases, track disease progression and response to treatment (e.g., SCD vaso-occlusive crises, lung fibrosis)
• Innovative quantum sensing approaches to modalities including microscopy, spectroscopy, NMR, such as hyperpolarized MRI, quantum OCT and photon-counting CT
• Quantum technologies for developing lab-on-a-chip systems and microfluidic approaches for point-of-care diagnostics and screening new therapeutics for HLBS conditions
• Quantum sensors for drug efficacy assessment; quantum sensing NMR to study drug - target interactions at the atomic level
• Novel algorithms and quantum-classical computational solutions for enabling use of the quantum devices and technologies, for development of biomanufacturing tools, and for in silico discovery of personalized treatments.

Application and Submission Information

Applicants must select the IC and associated NOFO to use for submission of an application in response to this NOSI. The selection must align with the IC requirements listed in order to be considered responsive to that NOFO. Non-responsive applications will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative. In addition, applicants using NIH Parent Announcements (listed below) will be assigned to those ICs on this NOSI that have indicated those NOFOs are acceptable and based on usual application-IC assignment practices.

This Notice applies to due dates on or after October 24, 2024 and subsequent receipt dates through January 27, 2027.

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the notice of funding opportunity used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT- EY-24-014” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to the contacts in Section VII of the listed notice of funding opportunity with the following additions/substitutions:

Tony D. Gover, Ph.D.
National Eye Institute 
Telephone: 301-529-7370
Email: tony.gover@nih.gov

Geetha Senthil, Ph.D.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Telephone: 301-496-7876
Email: Senthilgs@mail.nih.gov

Greg Evans, PhD.
National Cancer Institute
Email: evansgl@mail.nih.gov

Kari Ashmont, Ph.D. 
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Email: nibib-sbir@mail.nih.gov  

Afrouz Anderson, Ph.D.
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Telephone: 301-435-0513 
Email: afrouz.anderson@nih.gov

Julia Berzhanskaya, Ph.D. 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-443-3707
Email:  julia.berzhanskaya@nih.gov

John Haller, Ph.D.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0513 
Email: julia.berzhanskaya@nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s) 
Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).
Financial/Grants Management Contact(s) 
Karen Robinson Smith
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Telephone: 301-435-8178
Email: Karen.Robinson.Smith@nei.nih.gov