NINDS Renewal Awards of SBIR Phase II Grants (Phase IIB) for Clinical Trials and Clinical Research (R44 Clinical Trial Optional)

Purpose NINDS is committed to advancing diagnostics and treatments for people burdened by neurological diseases, and the NINDS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs have provided the small business community with critical seed funding to support the development of a wide variety of technologies and therapeutics for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases. The SBIR/STTR Programs are structured in three phases. The main objective in SBIR/STTR Phase I is to establish the technical merit and feasibility of the proposed research and development (R&D) efforts, whereas in SBIR/STTR Phase II it is to continue the R&D efforts to advance the technology toward ultimate commercialization. At the conclusion of an SBIR/STTR Phase II, it is expected that the small business concern (SBC) will fully commercialize their product or technology using non-SBIR/STTR funds in Phase III. The development of medical biotechnology products is often impeded by a significant funding gap (known as the Valley of Death ). To achieve commercialization, some projects initiated with SBIR or STTR funding require considerable grant-in-aid financing beyond the SBIR/STTR Phase II award to achieve follow-on investment or commercialization. In particular, the development of regulated products such as therapeutics and medical devices often requires several years and substantial capital investments, due in part to the high costs of clinical trials. This FOA supports SBIR Phase IIB applications from Small Business Concerns (SBCs) for clinical trials or clinical research that contribute to the justification for a future trial to establish efficacy (such as a Phase 3 trial or a Pivotal device trial). This includes Phase 1 and 2 studies of drugs and biologics, feasibility studies of devices, as well as preliminary studies of surgical, behavioral or rehabilitation therapies. A wide range of trials at different stages of development are allowed, including first-in-human (as defined by the Food and Drug Administration), Phase 1 and 2 single-site studies, and Phase 2b multicenter studies. Applications must aim to generate data that inform further clinical development of the proposed intervention or diagnostic. The earliest studies should be designed to provide important initial information regarding the intervention (e.g., safety, tolerability, dosing) or diagnostic. Later-stage studies will generally include randomization and blinding and should yield data that allow a clear go/no-go decision regarding whether the intervention should proceed to an efficacy trial. All applications must outline specific plans for future development in the event of promising results. In addition, NINDS recognizes that companies developing products that have small potential revenue streams or that target small patient populations face additional barriers to market entry that make them less attractive to investors and strategic partners at preclinical or early clinical stages of development. Many of these technologies require complex clinical trial designs because of small and geographically diverse patient populations. For the purposes of this FOA, NINDS has defined small markets as development of novel products that: Address a rare disease, defined in the Rare Diseases Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-280) as a condition affecting fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States; or Qualify as a Humanitarian Use Device, defined as a medical device intended to benefit patients in the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that affects or is manifested in fewer than 4,000 persons in the United States per year; or Target a young pediatric population defined as including neonates (0-28 days), infants (