NASA and NCI recognize they have a common need for new cutting-edge
technologies. Their shared goals
are to advance the development of technologies and informatics tools that will
enable minimally invasive detection, diagnosis, and management of disease and
injury. While NASA's medical
objective is to ensure the health and safety of astronauts during long duration
space flight, NCI's objective
is to fight cancer through safe, painless early detection and intervention.
The two agencies began their
collaboration with a jointly sponsored workshop
in 1999. A working group meeting followed where the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding between NASA and NCI initiated a formal program. Together,
NASA and NCI developed and implemented an approach that first focuses on identifying
important technologies, then generates joint program announcements (or solicitations)
that target fundamental research within key technology areas. The first of such
solicitations
was released in mid-FY2001 with awardees
selected at the beginning of 2002. Future plans call for continued updates
and reviews to evaluate research and develop competitive supplements for
collaboration among investigators. As partners in this program, NASA and NCI
are united in their commitment to make this an applied program. That is, both
results of the research and any products developed will be used to solve the
independent, yet related life threatening concerns both NASA and NCI face for
the future.
