National Institutes of Health · United States

Pilot Projects Investigating Understudied Proteins Associated with Rare Diseases (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

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National Institutes of Health expects to make awards of up to $100,000 each. Applications close on 16 Nov 2027. Eligible applicant types include county governments, nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education and 12 more.

Deadline: 16 Nov 2027 (in 366 days)
Grant amount: Up to $100,000 per project
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Cost sharing: Not required
Likely applicant types: Public bodies, Non-profits, Universities & research, SMEs / start-ups, Companies From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Reference: PAR-25-122
Assistance listing: 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research; 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders; 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants; 93.350 National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders; 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research
Last checked: 13 Nov 2026

Open the official call ↗ Add deadline to calendar

About this call

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for pilot projects to elucidate a role for understudied proteins in rare disease. Awards will support generation of preliminary data and/or tools around eligible understudied protein(s). A list of eligible proteins is provided and are members of druggable protein families that have a known association with a rare disease. This NOFO is intended to jumpstart research on understudied proteins that are associated with rare diseases and provide applicants with sufficient funding to perform basic biochemical and/or biological work to further the characterization of understudied proteins within the context of rare disease.

Who can apply

County governments
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
Independent school districts
State governments
Small businesses
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
City or township governments
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Special district governments
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

Other Eligible Applicants include the following:

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Health

How to apply

Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
For NIH: the organisation and the principal investigator also need eRA Commons accounts; applications are usually submitted through Grants.gov (for example with ASSIST).
Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

National Institutes of Health · grantsinfo@nih.gov · 301-402-2541

Where these facts come from

Fact	Value	How we know	Taken from the source
Deadline	16 November 2027	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Amount per applicant	Up to $100,000	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Total budget	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—
Funding rate	No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated	read from the official text	15 Nov 2026
Who can apply	County governments; Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education; Private institutions of higher education; Independent school districts; State governments;…	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Where to apply	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—

Official sources

Official call page · Funder's programme page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 13 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.