Pilot phase has ended and please see the program's main page.

Overview

The NIH has established a 1-year pilot program to support early translation of medical device interventions for diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Funding Opportunity

 
In support of the Blueprint MedTech Pilot, the Point of Care Technology Research Center (POCTRN) at CIMIT seeks groundbreaking collaborative research projects in the early stages of translation to improve the diagnosis and/or treatment of disorders of the nervous system. Applications must present potentially transformative solutions to unmet needs with an ultimate goal of improving healthcare outcomes. If successful, projects should be viable candidates for commercial development. Awards will be up to $100,000 in total costs for a period up to 12 months.

In addition to monetary support, awardees will receive ongoing, specialized support from mentors experienced in commercializing neurotech devices. Awardees will work with their individual mentor several hours each week to help address any business, regulatory, clinical, and technical issues surrounding their projects. Mentorship will include a one-day meeting, required for all awardees, to kick-off the program.

 
Review Process and Eligibility

 
Applications are solicited and evaluated in two stages. First, applicants submit pre-proposals which will undergo review by the POCTRN Center at CIMIT and Blueprint MedTech scientific staff. A subset of the applicants who submit pre-proposals will be invited to submit full proposals.

To be eligible, academic Principal Investigators must hold a faculty appointment at an institution of higher education or medical center in the United States. PIs from industry are not required to hold a faculty appointment.

 
Instructions and Timeline

• Pre-proposals must be submitted through the CIMIT’s online application system no later than 11:59pm ET on June 21, 2021.
• Applicants will be notified by June 25, 2021 as to whether they are invited to submit a full proposal. Invitations will be sent by email both to the PI and to the administrative contact listed in the pre-proposal.
• Invited full proposals must be received by 11:59pm ET on July 23, 2021. Proposals must be submitted through the online proposal submission system.
• Each full proposal will be reviewed on a confidential basis. All applicants will be informed of review decisions by August 26, 2021.
• Promising applications will proceed to an advanced, interactive review stage that is expected to take approximately two weeks after which a funding decision will be made.
• The earliest anticipated start date for funding for selected full proposals is September 27, 2021 (provided that funds are received from the Federal government and all necessary IACUC approvals are in place).
• The anticipated performance period is 12 months.
• Awards will be up to $100,000 in total costs. Indirect costs will be provided at your institution’s Federally-negotiated rate. We expect to make up to 7 awards.

Please contact Blueprint-MedTech@nih.gov if you have any questions about the program.