Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

What Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas does

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) is a Texas state government agency established in 2008 following voter approval of Proposition 15, which authorized $3 billion in general obligation bonds for cancer research and prevention. Headquartered in Austin with a lean 1–10 employee administrative footprint, CPRIT operates three merit-based grant programs: the Academic Research Program, which funds groundbreaking cancer studies at Texas universities and research institutions; the Prevention Program, which delivers evidence-based cancer prevention interventions to underserved Texas populations and represents a statutory 10% allocation of funds; and the Product Development Research Program, which provides early-stage capital to Texas-based companies developing cancer treatments and technologies.

CPRIT's primary "customers" are grant recipients rather than commercial buyers, including academic research institutions, biotech and medical device startups, and prevention program operators. Since inception the agency has awarded 2,285 grants totaling over $4.15 billion, recruited 351 cancer researchers and their labs to Texas, funded 282 childhood and adolescent cancer projects, delivered 11.8 million prevention services to Texans, and brought or funded 79 companies to the state. Notable grantees include UT Southwestern Medical Center (over $250 million since 2009), Iterion Therapeutics ($26 million for tegavivint development), CrossBridge Bio ($15 million for CBB-120 ADC, subsequently acquired by Eli Lilly for $300 million), Diakonos Oncology ($7 million for DOC1021), and NovaScan ($3.7 million for MarginScan).

The agency has no traditional revenue model; it distributes voter-approved bond proceeds through a merit-based application process administered via the cprit.texas.gov portal, with award decisions made by the CPRIT Oversight Committee. Strategic partnerships with the National Cancer Institute and Texas Medical Center extend its reach — including the jointly launched Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices (ACMD), which combines CPRIT funding with prototyping infrastructure and regulatory/commercialization guidance at TMC. Leadership is headed by CEO Wayne Roberts alongside chiefs covering operations, product development, science, prevention, and compliance.

Name

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Legal name

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Website

https://cprit.state.tx.us

Company type

Public

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CPRIT is a Texas state agency, established in 2008 by voter-approved bonds, that awards merit-based grants for cancer research, prevention, and product development to Texas academic institutions, biotech startups, and underserved populations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Training Grants (Public Health) (HLAJALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Cancer research grants
• Cancer prevention funding
• Academic research grants
• Product development grants
• State research funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grants and Awards, Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CPRIT is a Texas state government agency that awards merit-based grants to support cancer research and prevention. It operates three core programs: the Academic Research Program funding cancer studies at Texas universities, the Prevention Program delivering evidence-based prevention services to underserved Texans, and the Product Development Research Program supporting early-stage development of cancer treatments and technologies at Texas-based companies. The agency has awarded 2,285 grants totaling over $4.1 billion since its founding in 2008.

Product overview

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) is a state funding agency, not a technology product company. It operates three merit-based grant programs: the Academic Research Program funding cancer studies at Texas universities and research institutions, the Prevention Program supporting evidence-based cancer prevention interventions for underserved populations, and the Product Development Research Program supporting early-stage development of promising cancer treatments at Texas-based companies. CPRIT also partners on the Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices (ACMD) with Texas Medical Center to provide prototyping and commercialization support for oncology device startups. CPRIT has awarded 2,285 grants totaling over $4.1 billion since its founding in 2008, recruited 351 cancer researchers to Texas, funded 282 childhood and adolescent cancer projects, and provided 11.8 million prevention services to Texans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Research Program Merit-based grant program funding groundbreaking cancer studies at universities and research institutions across Texas, supporting critical advances against cancer. Targeted at academic researchers and research institutions.
• Prevention Program Grant program allocating ten percent of CPRIT funds to support delivery of evidence-based cancer prevention interventions to underserved populations in Texas, having provided 11.8 million prevention services to Texans. Targeted at community organizations serving at-risk populations.
• Product Development Research Program Grant program supporting early-stage development of promising cancer treatments and technologies at Texas-based companies, having funded or brought 79 companies to Texas. Targeted at early-stage Texas-based biotech and oncology companies.
• Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices (ACMD) Joint program between Texas Medical Center and CPRIT providing high-precision fabrication via the CPRIT Prototyping Core at Medical Device Labs @ TMC, combined with regulatory, reimbursement, and commercialization guidance for early-stage oncology device startups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 351 cancer researchers recruited to Texas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• UT Southwestern Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPRIT has invested over $250 million in grants to UT Southwestern since 2009, enabling recruitment of over 300 scientists. The funding has grown Simmons Cancer Center to 277 faculty members across 37 departments and hundreds of active clinical trials, supporting its NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center status.
• Texas Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPRIT and TMC launched the Accelerator for Cancer Medical Devices (ACMD) to help early-stage oncology device startups overcome prototype-stage bottlenecks. CPRIT provides funding through the CPRIT Prototyping Core at Medical Device Labs @ TMC, combining engineering infrastructure with regulatory and commercialization guidance.
• National Cancer InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPRIT is an NCI-approved funder, recognized as one of 57 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers supporting national cancer research efforts.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Peers

• Susan G. Komen Foundation: Major breast cancer-focused nonprofit funding research, screening, and treatment. Direct peer with disease-specific research funding mandate, though narrower cancer focus than CPRIT's broader oncology portfolio.

Direct peers

• Gateway for Cancer Research: Nonprofit funding Phase I and II clinical cancer trials. Direct peer focused on early-stage cancer treatment development, similar to CPRIT's Product Development Research program.
• American Cancer Society: Largest voluntary health organization funding cancer research, prevention, and patient support. Direct peer in cancer research grantmaking, though operating at national scale with donor funding.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Private nonprofit funding cancer research through competitive grants. Direct peer with similar grant-making mission and merit-based award structure, though funded through donations rather than bond proceeds.
• Stand Up To Cancer: Charitable program funding collaborative cancer research 'Dream Teams.' Direct peer in cancer research funding with similar translational focus on accelerating new treatments to patients.
• California Institute for Regenerative Medicine: California's state-funded agency for stem cell and biomedical research. Direct peer as another voter-approved, bond-funded state agency distributing research grants, with similar governance and program structure to CPRIT.

Regional players

• Texas Biomedical Research Institute: San Antonio-based independent research institute conducting infectious disease and biomedical research. Regional peer within Texas's biomedical ecosystem that may receive or collaborate on CPRIT-funded projects.

Broad incumbents

• National Cancer Institute: The federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training. Broad incumbent that funds the majority of U.S. cancer research; CPRIT operates as a state-level complement with NCI-approved funder status.
• National Institutes of Health: The largest public funder of biomedical research globally. Broad incumbent providing federal grant funding across cancer and other diseases; CPRIT serves as a state-level funding layer beneath the NIH ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Mary Crowley Cancer Research: Dallas-based nonprofit conducting early-phase clinical trials for cancer patients. Emerging peer with regional Texas presence and similar focus on translational oncology research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPRITTexas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cprittexas
• Facebookfacebook.com/cprittexas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancer-prevention-and-research-institute-of-texas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments65 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas