ASPIRE Funding Information

Current Opportunities

• There are no open funding opportunities at this time.

Expired Funding Announcements

• RFA-TR-21-001: New Chemistries for Un-drugged Targets through A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration (ASPIRE) Collaborative Research Program (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • This Funding Opportunity Announcement aims to promote partnerships between NCATS intramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research within the labs and clinics of NCATS) and extramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research in labs and clinics outside of the NIH). Specifically, the FOA will provide support for extramural investigators to take advantage of the unique research opportunities available at the NCATS ASPIRE Laboratory, within the Center’s Division of Preclinical Innovation, and develop innovative ASPIRE modules that will facilitate identification of novel chemical entities targeted towards currently undrugged biological space.
• RFA-TR-21-002: Virtual Approaches Towards New Chemistries for Un-drugged Targets through A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration (ASPIRE) Collaborative Research Program (U18 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
  • This Funding Opportunity Announcement aims to promote partnerships between NCATS intramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research within the labs and clinics of NCATS) and extramural investigators (e.g., those conducting research in labs and clinics outside of the NIH). Specifically, the FOA will provide support for extramural investigators to take advantage of the unique research opportunities available at the NCATS ASPIRE Laboratory, within the Center’s Division of Preclinical Innovation, and develop innovative ASPIRE modules that will facilitate identification of novel chemical entities targeted towards currently undrugged biological space.
• 2020 NCATS ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice Challenge: Development of a Comprehensive Integrated Platform for Translational Innovation in Pain, Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose
  • The goal of the 2020 NCATS ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice Challenge is for an open competition to integrate the best designs for a chemistry database, electronic laboratory knowledge portal for synthetic chemistry, algorithms, and biological assays into a single comprehensive platform. Innovators should invoke further scientific and technological development of a comprehensive and integrated solution for the development of new treatments for pain, opioid use disorder and overdose. Innovators design and then demonstrate their integrated solutions and working prototypes, from which winners will be selected.
  • The NCATS ASPIRE Challenges are part of the of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative® to speed scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis.
• NOT-TR-20-035: NCATS Announces Plans to Publish the ASPIRE 2020 Reduction-to-Practice Challenge Prize Competition
  • NCATS intends to publish a Prize Competition Announcement to solicit entries for the NCATS ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice Challenge: Development of a Comprehensive Integrated Platform. This Notice is being provided to allow potential entrants sufficient time to form multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions to submit to the competition. The Announcement is expected to be published in September 2020 with an expected submission window from late November through the end of February 2021.
• NOT-TR-18-031: HEAL Initiative: Announcement of the NCATS ASPIRE Design Challenges to Develop Innovative and Catalytic Approaches Towards Solving the Opioid Crisis
  • The goal of the inaugural NCATS ASPIRE Design Challenges is to develop innovative and catalytic approaches toward solving the opioid crisis through development of (1) novel chemistries; (2) data-mining and analysis tools and technologies; and (3) biological assays that will revolutionize discovery, development and pre-clinical testing of the next-generation, safer and non-addictive analgesics to treat pain, as well as new treatments for opioid use disorder and overdose. The total prize purse for each challenge is $500,000. Learn more about the challenges.
  • The NCATS ASPIRE Challenges are part of The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative to speed scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis.