ASPIRE — Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration

ASPIRE Reduction-to-Practice (Seed)

Supports translational chemistry and automation platform development through university-linked partnerships.

ASPIRE — A Specialized Platform for Innovative Research Exploration — is a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) research program designed to transform chemistry from an individualized craft into a modern, information-based science. The program addresses fundamental challenges of standardization, reproducibility, and predictability in how chemical compounds behave in biological systems. ASPIRE's technical foundation integrates chemical lab automation, microfluidic flow chemistry, high-throughput screening platforms, and machine learning to create scalable, reproducible chemical research infrastructure applicable across drug discovery and biomedical research contexts.

ASPIRE operates through a multidisciplinary collaboration model that brings together government agencies, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, funders, professional societies, and scientific publishers. Historically, ASPIRE has been funded through RFA mechanisms using U01 cooperative agreements, including a Reduction-to-Practice component that supports translation of ASPIRE-developed methods and tools into research workflows. Eligible applicants span for-profit companies, universities, and research organizations registered in the United States. No specific open FOA was available at the time of data collection; NCATS directs prospective applicants to its funding opportunities portal at ncats.nih.gov/funding/funding-opportunities with the keyword "aspire" to identify current active solicitations.

Applicants interested in ASPIRE should monitor NCATS's website for RFA postings, as funding is released through discrete, time-limited solicitations rather than a standing program announcement. The FY2026 OMB appropriations withholding that affected NIH broadly also creates uncertainty around NCATS's near-term award timelines, and NCATS underwent organizational restructuring in early 2026. Early engagement with NCATS program staff is advisable to confirm whether a Reduction-to-Practice or related ASPIRE solicitation is anticipated in the current fiscal cycle before investing in application development.