active State Grant

CPRIT Product Development Research Awards (Seed / Texas Therapeutics / Diagnostics & Devices)

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)

Up to $3M (Seed); larger for therapeutics

See if you qualify — free Visit official program ↗

Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 7 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓

The short version

Texas cancer-company commercialization grants

CPRIT's Product Development Research (PDR) program funds Texas-based for-profit companies advancing cancer-focused therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and prevention products toward commercialization. It is one of the largest non-federal sources of cancer-company funding in the U.S., allocating roughly $70 million per year to company investments. The program runs several company award mechanisms — the Seed Award for early-stage companies, the Texas Therapeutics Company (TTC), and the Texas Diagnostics and Devices Company (TDDC) awards — each structured as a milestone-based contract. Companies must be headquartered in Texas or relocate to Texas as a condition of award, and must provide matching funds (generally 50% of the CPRIT award). CPRIT can receive revenue-sharing back to the state if the funded product succeeds.

Funding type: Grant
Level: State
Amount range: $100,000 – $3,000,000
Realistic amount: Seed-stage companies typically receive awards toward the program's caps (often $1M–$3M) structured as milestone tranches over 2–3 years. Therapeutics/devices companies at later stages receive larger multi-year awards.
Deadline: Cyclical RFAs. Seed Award (RFA C-26.1-SEED): preliminary applications due April 16, 2026; full applications due July 9, 2026. Other PDR mechanisms (TTC, TDDC) cycle on their own RFA calendars.
Status: active
States: Texas
Payment model: milestone

Who qualifies

Texas-based for-profit company, or a company willing to relocate to Texas as a condition of the award
Product must address cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or related research/technology
Must provide matching funds of at least 50% of the CPRIT award amount (repeat awardees may face dollar-for-dollar matching)
Must demonstrate a credible path to a commercially viable product
Company must maintain Texas operations for the duration of the milestone contract
Intellectual property rights necessary for commercialization must be controlled by the applicant

Hard requirements

Must be an incorporated business

What it covers

Eligible expenses

Preclinical and clinical product development
Regulatory preparation and submissions
Manufacturing/process development and scale-up
Personnel directly working on the funded project
Specialized equipment and materials for the project
Commercialization and business development activities tied to milestones

Ineligible expenses

Activities outside Texas inconsistent with the relocation/operations requirement
General overhead beyond allowable indirect limits
Costs not tied to the approved milestones
Lobbying

How to apply

1

Confirm RFA fit and Texas/match eligibility

Identify the correct mechanism (Seed, TTC, TDDC) for your stage. Confirm you are or will become a Texas-based company and can document at least 50% matching funds. Review the active RFA on cprit.texas.gov / cpritgrants.org.

~8 hrs
2

Submit preliminary application

For the Seed cycle, file a preliminary application (company overview, product, market, milestones) by the preliminary deadline. CPRIT screens for fit and invites strong applicants forward.

~24 hrs
3

Submit full application via cpritgrants.org (CARS)

Invited applicants submit a full product-development plan: technical/clinical/regulatory strategy, commercialization plan, detailed budget and milestones, matching-funds evidence, and team. Register in the CPRIT grants management system.

~60 hrs
4

Peer and Product Development Committee review

Applications undergo scientific/commercial peer review and Product Development Review Council evaluation, with awards approved by the CPRIT Oversight Committee.

~8 hrs
5

Negotiate milestone contract

Awardees negotiate a milestone-based contract including matching-funds terms and revenue-sharing provisions to the state, then receive tranches against milestone achievement.

~16 hrs

Insider tip

The 50% match is the real gate — line up a credible private co-investment or in-kind match before you file, because reviewers treat a soft match as a soft application. The Seed mechanism is the most accessible entry point for an early company; relocating-to-Texas applicants are genuinely welcome, not just tolerated.

Deadline & timing

CPRIT releases Product Development Research RFAs in cycles (e.g., Cycle 23.1, Cycle 26.1). Seed cycle for 2026 uses a two-stage preliminary/full-application process. Watch cprit.texas.gov and cpritgrants.org for each cycle's RFA release and deadlines.

Not accepting applications right now — get one email when it reopens

GrantCompass tracks CPRIT Product Development Research Awards (Seed / Texas Therapeutics / Diagnostics & Devi…’s application windows in the live catalog. Leave an email and we’ll tell you the day the next window opens.

Free. One email when the window moves, deadline warnings on your watchlist, and the monthly closing-soon digest. Unsubscribe anytime.

Programs that stack well

Related programs

This program is not taking applications today — these are

Alternatives computed from the live GrantCompass catalog on August 25, 2026 — all 183 open grant programs · filter the database.

Explore more funding

Last updated September 5, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.