CTR Funding Opportunities
NSF launches $20M pilot to accelerate commercialization of promising deep technologies from small businesses
The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced a $20 million investment to launch a two-year pilot supporting small businesses in commercializing their deep-technology ventures. The pilot aims to address a persistent gap separating federally funded deep technology research from commercial success. The investment ensures that the U.S. remains at the forefront of global innovation.
"NSF invests in small businesses that bring the most innovative, cutting-edge technologies to the market," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. "By helping these companies go further in bridging the so-called 'valley of death,' we can build on NSF's R&D investments and help more breakthrough innovations reach the market, strengthening U.S. competitiveness and economic growth."
"We are grateful to NSF for its continued confidence in UCF and for the opportunity to help shape the future of research translation and commercialization," said University of Central Florida (UCF) President Alexander N. Cartwright. "Discovery reaches its greatest potential when it moves beyond the laboratory and improves lives, strengthens industries and creates opportunities. UCF's National Commercialization and Translation Institute (NCTI) builds on UCF's growing national leadership in helping promising technologies become products, companies and economic growth. With Central Florida's extraordinary concentration of talent, industry, and innovation, UCF is well positioned to build a model that can deliver impact for Florida and across the nation."
Led by UCF's NCTI, the pilot will provide and test the administration of commercialization funding, expert mentorship, and investor connections, while also evaluating which factors, conditions, and approaches most effectively help deep technology companies reach the marketplace.
The results of this pilot — ultimately a descriptive and evaluative research study unto itself that will generate rigorous evidence regarding commercialization of deep-tech ventures — will be used to establish and implement best practices in translating deep-tech into nationally impactful technologies.
The pilot was authorized under the NSF Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (NSF SBIR/STTR) Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program.
NSF pioneered the federal SBIR/STTR model in the late 1970s, demonstrating an approach that Congress formally established government-wide in 1982 for federal agencies with significant extramural research and development budgets. Today, NSF SBIR/STTR provides early-stage funding to technology startups and small businesses to de-risk promising technologies, develop prototypes, and translate research and development into products and services with commercial and societal impact. In recent years, $1.6 billion in NSF SBIR/STTR investments over a five-year period helped support startups in attracting more than $36 billion in subsequent funding — demonstrating the program's ability to leverage federal R&D investments and accelerate technologies toward the marketplace. To learn more about SBIR/STTR, visit the program page.
CTR Funding Opportunities
CTR Student Internships
External Funding Opportunities
VentureWell is inviting student innovators to apply for the Summer 2026 E-Team Program, a grant and mentorship initiative that helps transform student inventions into businesses. Teams can receive up to $25,000 to advance their innovation, and there are info sessions and resources available to help applicants. The program is open to students at U.S.-based institutions and supported by partners like The Lemelson Foundation, Cooley LLP, and Qualcomm.
The Point-of-Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN) is pleased to announce six new innovation award opportunities from its centers. We are currently seeking applications from academic and industry applicants who have innovative point-of-care technologies in areas of chronic disease, infectious disease and disease prevention, such as cancer detection, heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, STIs, emerging infectious disease in low-resource settings, and more.
Apply now to help transform of your technology through collaborative efforts that seamlessly blend scientific and technological expertise with clinical need.
Applications are due no later than June 6, 2025 at 11:59PM.
Don't miss this chance to propel your health tech innovation forward!
Clinical Translational Science Research Award Program 2025 Request for Applications.
NJ ACTS Element E is requesting applications for research projects that will:
- Focus on strategies and/or innovations to overcome truly significant challenges in clinical and translational research
- Improve dissemination and/or implementation of evidence-based interventions
- Address a translational research question in a particular disease or intervention context, but provide insights or innovations that are generalizable across different diseases and/or translational research projects
- Increase efficiency and/or effectiveness of research translation
Who is eligible? Faculty affiliated with the Alliance Partners of NJ ACTS (Rutgers, Princeton, NJIT, or RWJ Barnabas Health). To learn more about Element E and review the RFA, please visit: https://njacts.rbhs.rutgers.edu/about/elements/element-e/
LOI deadline: September 15, 2025
Full application deadline (selected projects only):
November 21, 2025
Award notification: January 2026
Earliest start date: May 1, 2026 (pending Regulatory and NCATS approvals)
The xTechOverwatch competition is seeking innovative autonomous systems capable of conducting overwatch and terrain-shaping tasks by leveraging advanced AI, robotics, secure networking, and real-time data processing. The key technical areas of interest and their corresponding technologies, located in the RFP Number/Website: RFI include
- Autonomous Unmanned Systems (UAVs, UGVs, Stationary Sensors)
- Sensor Fusion, Data Integration, and AI-Driven Target Recognition & Classification
- Secure Communications and Networking
- Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for Effective Decision-Making
- Edge Computing for Onboard Processing
- Resilient Robotics for Adaptive Terrain Navigation
- Automated Self-Recovery Mechanisms
- Collaborative/Mission-Focused Autonomy
- UGV and UAS Payloads
- Modular & Open Architecture
If you are interested in participating in the competition or learning more about the program, please visit the Army xTech Program website at https://www.xtech.army.mil/ and check out the attached flyer. Please share this information with others who may be interested in applying.
RFP Number/Website: PAR-25-202
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Letter of Intent: Not required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: June 16, 2025; October 16, 2025; February 16, 2026
Awards: Application budgets are limited to a total of $275,000 Direct Costs over the two-year project period. No more than $200,000 Direct Costs may be requested in any single year. Direct cost limits exclude consortium F&A costs. The budget must be well justified and reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
ACED: Accelerating Computing-Enabled Scientific Discovery
RFP Number/Website: NSF 24-541
Awards: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant
Anticipated Funding Amount: $15,000,000
Letter of Intent: Not required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
September 17, 2025
Discovery Proposals Only
September 17, 2026
Discovery Proposals Only
________________________
Partnerships for Innovation (PFI)
RFP Number/Website: NSF 23-538
Awards: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant
Anticipated Funding Amount: $30,000,000; PFI-TT projects will be funded for up to $550,000 for 18-24 months per award; approximately 15-35 awards are anticipated. PFI-RP projects will be funded for up to $1,000,000 for 36 months; approximately 10-20 awards are anticipated.
Letter of Intent: Not required
Limit on Number of Proposals: Please see below.
Preliminary Proposal Deadline: Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There is no limit on the number of PFI-TT proposals an organization may submit to the deadlines of this solicitation. However, an organization may not submit more than one (1) new or resubmitted PFI-RP proposal to a deadline of this solicitation. This eligibility constraint will be strictly enforced. If an organization exceeds this limit, the first PFI-RP proposal received will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review. An organization may not receive more than two (2) awards from a submission deadline of this solicitation. Internal Institutional Review: If you plan to submit a proposal, please send a concept paper to Shawn Chester, Associate Vice Provost for Research at shawn.chester@njit.edu two months prior to the submission deadline for institutional internal review. The concept paper should include title, project summary, intellectual merit, boarder impact, investigator team, budget summary and any specific institutional resources or cost-sharing needed. In case the number of concept papers exceeds the institutional limit requirement, the internal review will provide selection recommendations for institutional submission.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Recurring (First Tuesday in January, Annually Thereafter)
Recurring (First Tuesday in May, Annually Thereafter)
Recurring (First Tuesday in September, Annually Thereafter)
__________________________
Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE)
RFP Number/Website: NSF 24-606
Awards: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant
Anticipated Funding Amount: $27,800,000
Letter of Intent: Not required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Second Tuesday in January, Annually Thereafter
Phase I Proposals
September 02, 2025
First Tuesday in September, Annually Thereafter
Phase I and Phase II Proposals
___________________________
National Institutes of Health
Translational Neural Devices (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Optional)
RFP Number/Website: PAR-25-053
Awards: Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. In all cases, applicants should propose a budget that is reasonable and appropriate for completion of the research project.
Letter of Intent: 60 days prior to the receipt date.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: Please see the RFP website above
__________________________________
Past Funding Opportunities
Past External Funding Opportunities
U.S. National Science Foundation
Ideas Lab: Use-Inspired Acceleration of Protein Design
RFP Number/Website: NSF 24-550
Awards: wards will be funded up to $3,750,000 per year for up to 3 years, commensurate with the complexity of the proposed research and development plan and the final maturity level and translational impact of the results.
Anticipated Funding Amount: The total funding available for this activity is up to $40,000,000 over 3 years.
Letter of Intent: Please contact the program director.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: August 30 2024
____________________________
Next Era of Wireless and Spectrum
RFP Number/Website: NSF 24-549
Awards: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant; Estimated Number of Awards: 18 to 24
Anticipated Funding Amount: $13,200,000
Letter of Intent: Not required
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: May 28, 2024
_________________________
Ideas Lab: Breaking the Low Latency Barrier for Verticals in Next-G Wireless Networks
RFP Number/Website: NSF 24-545
Awards: Cooperative Agreement; Estimated Number of Awards: 4
Anticipated Funding Amount: $12,000,000
Letter of Intent: Not required
Preliminary Proposal Deadline: Required by April 18, 2024
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: September 30, 2024
_______________
Department of Energy
Flexible and Innovative Transformer Technologies (FITT)
RFP Number/Website: Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory DE-FOA-0003071
Awards: Award Ceiling: $2,500,000
Anticipated Funding Amount: $18,000,000
Letter of Intent: Please contact the program director.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: 04/12/2024 - 05:00 PM ET
__________________________________
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence for Science
RFP Number/Website: Department of Energy - Office of Science DE-FOA-0003264
Awards: Award Ceiling: $7,050,000
Anticipated Funding Amount: Estimated Total Program Funding: $ 36,000,000
Letter of Intent: Please contact the program director.
Preliminary Proposal Deadline: Submission Deadline for Pre-Applications: March 19, 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time A Pre-Application is required.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: May 21, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
______________________
Department of Defense
RFP Number/Website: N0001424SF002
Awards: Award Ceiling: $7,500,000
Anticipated Funding Amount: $200,000,000
Letter of Intent: Please contact the program director; White Paper Required
Preliminary Proposal Deadline: White Papers must be received no later than 17 May 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: Applications must be received no later than 06 September 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time
_________________________________________________________________________
Department of Commerce
FY2024 CHIPS R&D National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) Materials & Substrates
RFP Number/Website: National Institute of Standards and Technology 2024-NIST-CHIPS-NAPMP-01
Awards: Multiple awards
Anticipated Funding Amount: In FY24, CHIPS R&D anticipates making available approximately $300,000,000 for funding of multiple awards in amounts up to approximately $100,000,000 over up to 5 years per award, not including voluntary co-investment, though additional funding may be provided to applicants who address more than one technical area.
Letter of Intent: Concept Papers Due April 12, 2024
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, July 3, 2024
This work was partially supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Accelerating Research Translation cooperative agreement (TIP-2331429) and the NJIT Center for Translational Research. The opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
