NIH Highlighted Topic: Optimal Interprofessional Teaming and Care Coordination Strategies for Cancer Care Quality and Outcomes
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is encouraging innovative research proposals focused on improving interprofessional teamwork, care coordination, and collaborative healthcare delivery across the cancer care continuum. This highlighted topic supports research designed to improve cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and patient outcomes through more effective coordination between healthcare professionals, care settings, and health systems.
NIH is particularly interested in projects that examine the behavioral, cognitive, technological, and organizational factors that influence effective interprofessional cancer care teams. Companies developing healthcare coordination platforms, oncology workflow systems, telehealth solutions, care navigation software, patient engagement tools, interoperability technologies, virtual tumor board platforms, AI-enabled clinical coordination systems, or health services analytics tools may be strong candidates for funding.
Areas of interest include team-based care coordination, health information technology integration, cancer care workflow optimization, patient-reported outcome monitoring, multidisciplinary oncology collaboration, longitudinal care management, healthcare operations analytics, telehealth-enabled cancer care, and interventions designed to improve care quality and patient outcomes across fragmented healthcare systems.
Funding is available through the NIH SBIR/STTR Program, which currently provides up to approximately $323,090 for Phase I projects and up to $2,153,927 for Phase II projects, with opportunities for follow-on funding and commercialization support depending on project scope and translational impact.
This highlighted topic is supported primarily by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), and the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), all of which are seeking scalable innovations that improve cancer care coordination, interdisciplinary collaboration, healthcare quality, and patient outcomes.
How much funding would I receive?
Awards provide up to $323,090 for Phase I projects (up to 2 years) and $2,153,927 for Phase II projects (up to 3 years). Some topics approved by NIH may exceed these limits. Fast-Track and Phase IIB (follow-on) options allow continuous or extended funding beyond Phase II.
What could I use the funding for?
Funding may support the research, development, validation, and commercialization of healthcare coordination technologies, oncology workflow systems, digital health platforms, clinical decision support tools, and team-based cancer care solutions.
Eligible activities may include:
Oncology care coordination and workflow management platforms
AI-enabled healthcare operations and team collaboration tools
Virtual tumor board and multidisciplinary care technologies
Telehealth and remote oncology coordination systems
Clinical decision support software for cancer care teams
Patient navigation and care management platforms
Health information exchange and interoperability technologies
Patient-reported outcome monitoring systems
Healthcare analytics and cancer care quality measurement tools
Digital platforms supporting longitudinal cancer care management
Workflow optimization technologies for cancer screening and treatment
Communication tools connecting inpatient, outpatient, and community care settings
Coordinated dental and oncologic care solutions for head and neck cancers
Organizational and behavioral analytics tools for healthcare teams
Cancer survivorship and post-treatment coordination platforms
Community-based and home-based cancer care technologies
Prototype development, pilot testing, and implementation studies
Commercialization planning, regulatory preparation, and scale-up activities
Funding may also support personnel, software development, cloud infrastructure, health data integration, clinical validation studies, implementation research, interoperability development, AI model training, intellectual property protection, regulatory strategy, and commercialization activities necessary to advance a scalable and commercially viable healthcare or digital health solution aligned with NIH priorities.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Beyond the formal funding award, awardees gain several strategic advantages:
Government Validation and Credibility:
Being selected for an NIH-backed SBIR grant signals technical excellence and alignment with national health and biomedical priorities. This validation builds investor and partner confidence.Enhanced Visibility and Market Recognition:
Awardees are featured in NIH and HHS announcements, helping attract partnerships, media attention, and future contracting opportunities.Access to the Federal Innovation Ecosystem:
Recipients join a national network of researchers and agencies advancing life science innovation, often opening doors to collaborations with NIH laboratories and federal health programs.Stronger Commercial and Exit Potential:
By maturing technology through nondilutive funding, companies strengthen valuation, de-risk commercialization, and increase attractiveness for acquisition or follow-on private investment.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
Applications are accepted each year on January 5th, April 5th, and September 5th. Funding is received approximately 9 months after submission.
Where does this funding come from?
Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with statutory set-asides requiring NIH, CDC, and FDA to devote portions of their extramural R&D budgets (3.2% for SBIR, 0.45% for STTR) to support small business innovation.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must be U.S. small business concerns (SBCs) that:
Are organized for profit with a U.S. place of business.
Have ≤ 500 employees including affiliates.
Are > 50% owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents, qualifying U.S. entities, or combinations thereof.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
Projects that demonstrate:
A clear unmet medical or public-health need,
Strong scientific rationale and feasibility,
High commercialization potential, supported by a realistic market and regulatory strategy, and
Alignment with an NIH Institute’s or CDC/FDA Center’s specific research mission (e.g., infectious disease, digital health, diagnostics, therapeutics, or data analytics).
Competitive applicants often have an early prototype, preliminary data, and a defined path to market adoption.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Companies must complete multiple federal registrations (SAM.gov, Grants.gov, eRA Commons, SBA Company Registry) before applying.
Foreign entities are not eligible.
Disclosure of foreign affiliations and compliance with national security screening are mandatory. Currently we do not recommend any sort of foreign affiliation.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive submission will likely take 120–200 hours in total.
How can BW&CO help?
Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:
Triple your likelihood of success through proven strategy and insider-aligned proposal development
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Ensure you are targeting the best opportunity for your project and positioning your company for long-term growth.
