CPRIT extends Company Investment application date to January 12, 2010

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) announced today that it has extended the deadline to January 12, 2010 to file a letter of intent to submit a proposal for the Company Investment request for application (RFA). The RFA is available on the CPRIT website, www.cprit.state.tx.us/funding.html.

CPRIT will foster cancer research as well as product and service development in Texas by providing financial support for a wide variety of projects relevant to cancer. This investment award is intended to support companies undertaking product research and development in Texas with Texas-based employees. It will allow companies or limited partnerships located in Texas, or those that are willing to relocate to Texas, the opportunity to further the development of new products for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer; to establish infrastructure that is critical to the development of a robust industry; or to fill a treatment or research gap.

Companies are encouraged to submit applications for innovative products addressing critically important needs related to diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of cancer and the product development infrastructure needed to support these efforts. The long-term objective of this investment award is to support commercially oriented translational research, therapeutic and medical technology products, diagnostic- or treatment-oriented information technology products, diagnostics, tools, services, and infrastructure projects. No maximum award amount is set on the amount of funding that can be requested.

Applicants must file a letter of intent. The company investment letter of intent will help CPRIT align its review committees with the expected applications. CPRIT began accepting letters of intent through its web-based grant portal www.cpritgrants.org on December 1, 2009 until January 12, 2010.

Company Investment applications will be accepted starting February 12, 2010 through March 1, 2010. Applications will be reviewed March – May, 2010, and award notifications are expected in June 2010.