Establishing collaborations to benefit biomedical science Partnership Development Office

The Partnership Development Office establishes the partnerships and collaborations among our scientists and external researchers in government, academia, industry, and the nonprofit research sector.

We engage with a wide range of research collaborators and partners—from international research institutes to start-up companies—to solve urgent problems in biomedical research. By working together, we accelerate progress against cancer, AIDS, and emerging health challenges.

Our office offers a range of contractual agreement options to fit a variety of partners and projects. The appropriate collaborative mechanism is considered based on the scope and objectives of the partnership.

The Frederick National Laboratory also offers a range of unique laboratory services through our Technical Services Program. These services are readily available on a reimbursable basis via a Technical Service Agreement.

Scientists looking at computer monitors in a lab

Email PDO@nih.gov about our partnership opportunities.

FNL partnership breakdowns

43% from university
28% from industry
25% from research institutes
4% from government or other categories

Collaboration achievements

271 Technical Service Agreements
77 Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
20 material Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
27 Memorandum of Understandings
8 Technology Showcases

PDO in Action

Partnership Development Office Director Maggie Scully, Ph.D. (left) and Partnership Alliance Manager Amanda Corbel (right) engage an attendee at AACR24. Each year, PDO attends and exhibits at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.

Group of people standing around exhibition tables

Each year, our team helps organize and host the annual Technology Showcase alongside the National Cancer Institute Technology Transfer Center. The event highlights technologies and capabilities being developed at both institutions to encourage licensing and collaboration.

Technology Showcase

HBCU/MSI Program Manager Crystal Canja (center) lead the partnership with UK-based nonprofit Black in Cancer to host its first U.S.-based conference. Sigourney Bonner, Ph.D. (right), CEO of Black in Cancer, worked with Canja and National Cancer Institute's Chanelle Case-Borden, Ph.D. (left), to orchestrate the event.

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Three people stand together in front of a FLC backdrop

The Partnership Development Office plays a critical role with the Federal Laboratory Consortium. Partnership Alliance Manager Amanda Corbel (right) is FLC's new Mid-Atlantic Coordinator, announced during the 2024 FLC National Meeting. Vladimir Popov, Ph.D. (center), director of the Center for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, previously held the role. Lyuba Khavrutskii (left), partnership development lead, also attended the meeting.

Group of people watching a presentation in an auditorium

We co-host a quarterly speaker series, Biotech Connector, with the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce where we invite speakers from various biotech industries in the area to discuss the latest in their field.

Biotech Connector

Two women stand at the Frederick National Laboratory exhibition booth

HBCU/MSI Program Manager Crystal Canja (right) and Intern Kaylin Carey (left) exhibit at 2023 National HBCU Week Conference. PDO is dedicated to increasing partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

PDO Director Maggie Scully, Ph.D., was a panelist at the 2023 BIO International Convention.

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Five people behind a panelist table and one person standing behind them

HBCU/MSI Program Manager Crystal Canja (center) was a panelist at HBCU Engage 2023 in Nashville.

In July 2024, FNL executed a CRADA with the in silico drug discovery startup, Qubit Pharmaceuticals SAS, to support a collaborative a drug discovery effort targeting the SHOC2 protein. Dhirendra Simanshu, Ph.D., of the RAS Initiative is spearheading the effort on the FNL side.
In October 2024, FNL executed a CRADA with the nonprofit PATH. For this collaboration, the HPV Serology Laboratory under Ligia Pinto, Ph.D., will evaluate immune responses from a single-dose HPV clinical trial in low- to middle-income countries.
In October 2024, the FNL signed a CRADA with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to expand an existing collaborative effort, led by Trent Balius, Ph.D. of the RAS Initiative, to exploit RAS flexibility for ligand discovery. The study focuses on RAS mutants that are of importance for pediatric cancers and diseases.
In December 2023, we signed an FNL CRADA with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation that was led by Steve Anderson of the Basic Science Program. The collaboration will help produce mRNA vaccines that will include one or more mRNAs encoding proteins that inhibit Natural Killer cell lysis that can increase side effects and limit the duration immune responses.
In March 2023, FNL and Bowie State University formalized our partnership by signing an MOU. Bowie State is Maryland’s oldest historically Black university.
In February 2023, we signed a M-CRADA with Hospital Moinhos de Vento, a Brazilian hospital, to support work around virus-like particles, including virus-like particles for HPV-16 and HPV-18. This partnership is being led by Dr. Ligia Pinto of the Vaccine, Immunity, and Cancer Directorate.
In January 2023, we executed a MOU with Stillman College, a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We are excited to have this new collaboration to support student training efforts.