NCCIH Research Blog

Natural products have historically been an extremely rich source of effective medicines. Even today, about half of all medications owe their existence either directly or indirectly to natural sources. 

I’m happy to let the research community know that on July 16th, NCCIH reissued a longstanding funding opportunity targeted to the small business community. This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI), “Methods Development in Natural Products Research,” illustrates our interest (which dates back at least 5 years) in supporting development of methodologies and technologies to help propel the field of natural products research forward. 

I have often been told that pharmaceutical companies are interested in natural products, but that natural product research is “too labor-intensive” to be compatible with their high-throughput platforms and timelines. NCCIH’s hope is that by improving the efficiency of natural products research, we can eliminate the bottlenecks preventing further exploration in the field. 

If this topic area aligns with your interests, please take a look at the NOSI and how to apply using specific small business funding opportunities. You will find useful information about the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Programs related to this NOSI on NCCIH’s portal, as well as on the NIH SBIR/STTR website.

The NCCIH Division of Extramural Research strongly encourages researchers to reach out to the Division before you write or submit an application and to discuss your concept for responding to this NOSI.

For More Information

NOSI: Methods Development in Natural Products Research (SBIR/STTR) (NOT-AT-20-015)