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CRI Technology Impact Award

Cancer Research Institute

Program Overview

The CRI Technology Impact Award is designed to support early-stage, pre-development concepts — innovations that have not yet been built or tested, but that hold the potential to transform the landscape of cancer immunotherapy.

Focus and Scope

The CRI Technology Impact Award aims to bridge the gap between conceptual technological innovation and real-world clinical application. By encouraging collaboration between technology
developers and clinical cancer immunologists, CRI hopes to accelerate the creation of technologies that can generate proof-of-principle data and unlock novel biological insights.

Technology Impact Awards are not intended to fund the continuation or refinement of existing technologies. Instead, they support visionary, high-risk/high-reward ideas that could lay the groundwork for a new generation of tools, platforms, and systems capable of overcoming the most critical barriers in the field. Proposals that fundamentally apply existing technologies (e.g. scSeq, spatial seq, etc.) without substantial instrumentation, device, or algorithm development will typically be considered non-responsive.

The most competitive applicants will propose innovations that address areas where technological advancement can have the greatest impact on cancer immunotherapy and patient outcomes. Such technologies may include, but are not limited to:

Computational systems biology approaches to analyze large-scale datasets, develop more accurate models of underlying cellular and molecular networks, with the goal of better explaining and predicting response/resistance to cancer therapy
Advanced cancer (or molecular) profiling technologies that can be used to identify key barriers to immunotherapy and improve target identification and therapeutic decision-making
Real-time visualization technologies that allow tracking of molecular and cellular immune responses to treatment in mice or humans
Complex multicellular culture systems that model interactions between tumor and the immune system and enable therapeutic testing or mechanistic studies
Novel therapeutic technologies that promise to safely and effectively promote tumor immunity in new ways

Proposals will be evaluated based on novelty, creativity, technical sophistication, and most importantly, their transformative potential to shape the future of cancer immunotherapy. The CRI Technology Impact Award does not support clinical trials, though samples collected as part of independently funded clinical trials can be used if appropriate for technology development. For clinical trial support refer to the CRI Clinical Innovator.

Ultimately, the CRI Technology Impact Award invests in innovation at its earliest and most uncertain stage — with the goal of accelerating the discovery of disruptive technologies that can drive the next wave of effective, personalized, and durable cancer immunotherapies. By funding what doesn’t yet exist, we aim to help create the tools and insights that will lead to breakthroughs for patients worldwide.

Financial Support

Technology Impact Awards provide seed funding of up to $600,000 over 2-4 years to ignite the development of entirely new technologies that harness the immune system to detect, understand, and treat cancer.

Institutions will be provided indirect costs of up to 10% of the total amount awarded. Indirects are provided in addition to awarded funds.

Deadlines

The process for applying for a CRI Technology Impact Award consists of two parts:

Letter of Intent
Invited Application

The deadline for the receipt of the Letter of Intent is November 15. Candidates will be notified by mid-February whether they have been invited to submit a full grant proposal. The full application is due March 1. If these deadlines fall on the weekend, applications will be accepted the following Monday. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on these dates. The earliest an award can activate is July 1. Awards activate on the first of the month.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Across CRI’s funding portfolio — whether a fellowship, clinical innovator award, or impact grant — successful applicants tend to share the following strengths:

✔ 1. Clear Alignment With Immuno-Oncology Goals

The institute’s mission is specifically cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Proposals must articulate how the proposed research will advance understanding or therapeutic application of immune mechanisms in cancer. This focus is central to reviewer evaluation. Wikipedia

✔ 2. Scientific Rigor and Innovation

Review committees assess:

Well-defined hypotheses or trial concepts

State-of-the-art methodology

Potential to generate impactful insights or breakthroughs.

Innovation can be conceptual (new mechanisms), methodological (novel biomarkers or computational approaches), or translational (moving toward clinical benefit).

✔ 3. Investigator Capability and Mentorship

For Fellowships and early-career awards, a strong training environment with a scientifically active mentor is critical. Reviewers look for evidence that the candidate and host lab have the expertise and resources to complete the project.

✔ 4. Feasibility and Milestones (Especially for Clinical Trials)

Clinical Innovator proposals are evaluated on:

Feasible trial design

Clear endpoints and deliverables

Realistic patient accrual and analysis plans

Defined milestone metrics for funding release.

✔ 5. Broader Impact Potential

Whether basic research or clinical translation, reviewers prioritize projects that can:

Inform future research directions,

Enable new therapeutic strategies, or

Catalyze next steps toward patient benefit.

🛠 Practical Tips

✔ Frame the immunological question clearly — tie it to tumor–immune interactions or immunotherapy mechanisms.
✔ Demonstrate feasibility with preliminary data or strong rationale.
✔ Articulate a plausible path to impact (e.g., biomarkers, trial design implications).
✔ Secure a strong sponsor/mentor statement for fellowships.
✔ Follow CRI’s specific deadlines and formats (e.g., clinical concept then full protocol for innovator grants). Cancer Research Institute

📌 Summary: CRI Funding Mechanisms

Funding Line	Target	Focus	Typical Support
Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship	Early-career immunologists	Career development & discovery research	Tiered stipend + institutional allowance (3 yrs) Cancer Research Institute
Immuno-Informatics Fellowship	Quantitative cancer immunology	Computational & biological integration	Tiered stipend + allowance Cancer Research Institute
Impact Grants	Researchers with focused aims	High-priority immunotherapy projects	Varies with partnership Cancer Research Institute
Clinical Innovator Grant	Clinician-scientists	Early immunotherapy clinical trials	Up to ~$1M Cancer Research Institute
Scientific Awards	Established researchers	Recognition for impact in field	Honorific prestige Wikipedia

Specialties

Cancer

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must hold a tenure-track position at a not for profit research center or institution. Clinical cancer immunologists and technology developers are encouraged to collaborate. Co-PIs are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Cancer Research Institute

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 29 Broadway, Floor 4  New York, NY 10006-3111

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