Seed Funding RFA

Background

Cannabis and various constituents, including multiple cannabinoids and terpenes, exhibit a wide array of pharmacologic effects that have propagated interest from both health care providers and the public about the medicinal effects of cannabis products. Despite widespread availability and established therapeutic potential, rigorous biomedical research remains limited due to substantial regulatory and logistical barriers. Consequently, data on the basic mechanisms, safety, abuse potential, and efficacy for many cannabinoids and other constituents in cannabis are insufficient. In response, the NIH established the Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (R3CR) to help investigators overcome the many barriers to conducting their research projects. The R3CR aims to facilitate research advances through synergistic interactions among experts in relevant commercial, basic science, clinical research, and regulatory domains. The legal landscape of medical and recreational cannabis use is rapidly evolving with wide variation in state policies. These policy changes in turn create many unknowns about the most up to date regulatory requirements, thereby impacting progress on cannabis research. Once regulatory compliant, researchers often face various logistical barriers

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of this seed funding opportunity is to help investigators overcome these barriers to initiating and conducting cannabis research. These funds are to be used only for non-research activities, not hypothesis-driven research. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Tool and/or outcome measure development and validation (e.g., standardized common data elements or surveys).
• DEA registration and other required documents.
• Costs of the cannabis materials/products.
• Security infrastructure and procedural revisions to meet regulatory and institutional compliance (e.g., acquisition, storage, monitoring, and disposal of the cannabis material).
• IND application development.
• Support personnel to assist in any of the above activities.

Funding Priorities

The R3CR will award seed funding to provide regulatory and logistical support to investigators to facilitate the advancement of cannabis research. These funds are intended to help investigators overcome barriers to conducting projects that align with the research priorities of our NIH funding partners, specifically NCCIH, NCI, NIA, and NIDA. Descriptions of these priorities can be found here: https://r3cr.org/funding-opportunity/.

Eligibility

• To be considered responsive for seed funding, applicants must propose activities that align with the examples listed above. The activities must be completed within the proposed timeline described in the application.
• Eligible individuals from higher education institutions, nonprofits other than institutions of higher education, small businesses, local governments and eligible agencies of the Federal Government are welcome to apply, particularly those who can demonstrate regulatory and logistical barriers to conducting their research. Applicants with potential research support are more likely to receive priority.
• Individuals from foreign organizations are prohibited from applying due to regulatory challenges.
• Applicants serving as reviewers in the same round are prohibited..
• Eligible organizations, including higher education institutions, local and federal governments, and non- and for-profit organizations, are detailed here: https://r3cr.org/funding-opportunity/.
• An eligible organization may submit multiple distinct applications if each is scientifically and administratively independent.
• Funding will support non-research, non-hypothesis driven activities that are essential for the conduct of a cannabis research project (see examples above).
• Awards for this seed funding opportunity are anticipated to be made in March 2026.

Application Deadline

Applications for this seed funding opportunity are due December 8, 2025, by 5:00 pm local time. Please submit the full application as a pdf file to info@R3CR.org. Future funding opportunities will be announced on the R3CR website.

Budget and Timeline

• Seed funding requests may not exceed $50,000 total costs, and the project must be completed within the proposed timeline, which may not exceed one year. Funds must be spent by the end of the proposed timeline.
• Up to eight awards will be funded per year, beginning in March 2026.
• See examples above for allowable budgetary costs.
• All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
• Seed funds will be awarded in the form of a subcontract. See Appendix A. Additional details can be found here: https://r3cr.org/funding-opportunity/.

Application Process

• Step 1: submit a Letter of Intent to info@R3CR.org due October 31, 2025, by 5:00 pm local time. Letters must include:
• Full name and title of applicant
• Institution or company
• Description of intended use of funds (≤300 words)
• Step 2: submit a full application due December 8, 2025, by 5:00 pm local time. Please see next section for additional details about application requirements.

Application Submission Format

Applications must include the following:

• Standard PHS 398 Face Page (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/fp1.pdf)
• Title: R3CR Seed Funding
• Number: R3CR-001
• A detailed budget and budget justification
• NIH biographical sketches for key personnel proposed in the application
• Summary of the intended use of funds (not to exceed 20 lines; separate page, which does not count towards the 3-page proposal limit)
• Seed funding proposal (not to exceed 3 pages, not including references, if any, and the summary) that includes objectives, intended use and justification of the funds, timeline, and milestones. Do not include appendices. Please follow the NIH font and format specifications (i.e., font size of 11 points or larger; single-spaced; no more than 15 characters per inch; no more than 6 lines per inch, and at least one-half inch margins for all pages) and include a page number and the applicant’s name on each page.

Review Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the R3CR aligned to it’s mission are evaluated for merit through peer review and in accordance with terms of an NIH Cooperative Agreement. Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for successful completion of the proposed non-research activities.

Scored Review Criteria

1. Responsiveness: Does the application clearly address regulatory or logistical barriers to cannabis research? Are the proposed activities non-research enablement (not hypothesis-driven research)?
2. Significance: Will completion of the proposed activities position the team for competitive NIH funding?
3. Investigators and Environment: Are the PI and other personnel well suited to fulfill their roles? Do they have appropriate experience and training? Are resources and institutional support available to the investigator(s) to complete the proposed activities?
4. Approach: Is the overall strategy and operational plan well-reasoned and appropriate for completing the proposed activities? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented?
5. Feasibility: Are the proposed activities achievable within one year, with a budget not to exceed $50k within the proposed time frame? Are the proposed activities clearly linked to regulatory and logistical readiness? Is the budget fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed activities? Is the proposed timeline appropriate?

Deliverables and Reporting

Progress and outcomes will be submitted as two reports, one halfway through the timeline and one upon completion of the proposed activities. Each report is not to exceed 2 pages. As part of these reports, information must be included about what has been accomplished (progress on timeline tasks). Relevant challenges and barriers to implementation should also be noted. Awardees are expected to report outcomes to the R3CR at the annual investigators’ meetings.

Terms and Conditions of Award

Awardees agree to comply with the following:

• Use of award funds only as approved.
• Timely submission of a semi-annual report on progress and accomplishments and a final report.
• Because resources are limited, funds may be withdrawn for approved activities if satisfactory progress within a timely fashion has not been demonstrated.
• Potentially present an update on the proposed activities to the R3CR at the annual investigators’ meetings or another appropriate scientific forum.
• Acknowledge the R3CR in any presentation or publication of data resulting from the funded activities with the citation “supported with seed funding from Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids Research, grant U24 AT013161”.