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
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) stru…
- 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
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.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.