Technology area

Bioinformatics

449 funded awards, $303.0M total, FY2023-FY2025.

Data current as of 2026-05-11

Pattern read

Bioinformatics is anchored by NIGMS (109 records) and NCI (74), the two ICs that have historically funded computational-method development and oncology data analytics. NIAID at 53 follows, mostly genomic surveillance and sequence-analysis tools. The tag captures a higher proportion of Phase II awards than most (255 R44 vs 129 R43), which reflects the fact that bioinformatics work tends to mature into productizable platforms once an algorithm has been validated. Median award is $569K, on the higher end. Recipient concentration is roughly 9% in the top three, which is higher than most therapeutic tags; a smaller pool of specialized firms shows up repeatedly. STTR (R41) participation is modest at 46 but real, and the academic-spinout pattern still drives a slice of the work.

Fit indicators

  • NIGMS and NCI dominate. If your tool maps to basic-science method development or oncology data, the natural reads are clear.
  • Higher median award ($569K) and stronger R44 share point to a tag where the Phase I-to-Phase II path has been workable.

Watchouts

  • Top-three concentration of 9% is higher than therapeutic tags. A handful of established bioinformatics companies appear repeatedly; new entrants are visible but the landscape is less open than it looks.
  • 'Computational' as a label alone isn't enough. Reviewers want a biological problem and a metric, not a method paper dressed as a product.

Where the money sat, by Institute / Center

IC funding decisions are set by portfolio priorities, NOFO scope, and program-officer judgment. These are funded records, not predictions of future funding.

ICNameRecordsMedian award
GM (NIGMS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences 109 $731,568
CA (NCI) National Cancer Institute 74 $678,817
AI (NIAID) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 53 $843,964
HG (NHGRI) National Human Genome Research Institute 50 $406,895
AG (NIA) National Institute on Aging 40 $865,892
DK (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 26 $498,516
TR (NCATS) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 20 $346,624
HL (NHLBI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 16 $303,111
NS (NINDS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 15 $459,525
MH (NIMH) National Institute of Mental Health 12 $1,231,991
EY (NEI) National Eye Institute 6 $550,175
AT (NCCIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 5 $302,392
ES (NIEHS) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 5 $306,374
OD NIH Office of the Director 4 $1,009,093
DA (NIDA) National Institute on Drug Abuse 4 $392,933
DE (NIDCR) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 4 $933,207
HD (NICHD) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 2 $297,008
AA (NIAAA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 1 $322,070
MD (NIMHD) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 1 $294,450
LM (NLM) National Library of Medicine 1 $349,432
AR (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 1 $275,250

FOA / NOFO routes

Opportunity number prefixes: PA = Parent Announcement (broad, omnibus, multiple ICs), PAR = Parent with Special Review, PAS = Parent with set-aside funds, RFA = Request for Applications (targeted, single-IC, fixed budget). Status unknown means the pipeline has not verified whether the FOA is currently posting awards; the SBIR omnibus has been in reauthorization gap during this window. See the glossary for full definitions.

OpportunityStatusRecords
PA-22-176 unknown 107
PA-23-230 unknown 84
PA-21-259 unknown 61
PA-24-245 unknown 39
PAS-22-196 unknown 22
PA-23-232 unknown 17
PA-20-260 unknown 16
PA-24-247 unknown 14
PA-22-178 unknown 13
PA-20-047 unknown 11
PA-20-272 unknown 5
PA-21-262 unknown 5
PA-22-177 unknown 4
RFA-CA-23-035 unknown 4
PA-25-212 unknown 3
RFA-HG-21-008 unknown 3
PAS-19-316 unknown 3
PAR-21-247 unknown 3
PA-21-345 unknown 3
RFA-CA-22-025 unknown 2
PA-23-233 unknown 2
RFA-CA-22-017 unknown 2
RFA-CA-21-001 unknown 2
RFA-ES-20-008 unknown 2
PA-19-272 unknown 2
PAS-19-317 unknown 2
PAR-21-225 unknown 1
RFA-DA-24-038 unknown 1
RFA-MD-24-007 unknown 1
RFA-DA-25-053 unknown 1
RFA-DA-23-021 unknown 1
PAR-24-131 expired 1
PA-24-248 unknown 1
PAS-22-197 unknown 1
PA-24-246 unknown 1
PA-20-025 unknown 1
PAR-23-213 unknown 1
RFA-MD-23-002 unknown 1
RFA-DA-19-020 unknown 1
RFA-DK-21-012 unknown 1
PA-18-574 unknown 1
PA-20-265 unknown 1
PA-21-260 unknown 1
RFA-NS-23-006 unknown 1

Comparable funded projects

ApplIDFYICTitleOrganizationAmount
10825409 2025 OD Tools and Methods for Producing High Quality Functional Protein Microarrays for Biomarker Discovery SPOC PROTEOMICS INC. $1,370,834
10907583 2025 CA Development of a Universal Assay for Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia using Duplex Sequencing TWINSTRAND BIOSCIENCES, INC. $1,985,831
10994631 2025 GM Research and cloud deployment of enhanced sampling methods in MovableType QUANTUMBIO, INC. $654,406
11005406 2025 AI Development of a Rapid Phenotypic Pyrazinamide Susceptibility Testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Well-Standardized Protocol PZA INNOVATION LLC $843,964
11008553 2025 GM Improved Methods and Commercialization of a Multimodal Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization Source INVIBRAGEN INC. $1,147,352
11014847 2025 GM Combinatorial pipeline for discovery of anti-GPCR Nanobodies BIOCOGNON LLC $303,024
11032992 2025 DA Advancing Nr4a1 as a novel target in cocaine use disorder. RAFIAS LLC $405,230
11039937 2025 AI Development of ultra-efficient antibodies for single cell mapping applications EPICYPHER, INC. $1,004,302

Review panels that have appeared on these records

Panel names use NIH's Center for Scientific Review (CSR) format: a 2-4 letter study-section code plus a meeting-cycle number in parentheses (e.g. ISB (12) = Instrumentation and Systems Development, cycle 12). SBIR/STTR review groups are temporary, meeting-specific bodies. The names below describe panels that have appeared on the cited funded-project records, not where future applications get assigned. NIH assigns panels at the time of submission based on the application content.

Limitations

Want help with your NIH SBIR application?

Get started with Aims First →