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National Institutes of Health · United States

NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)

Open

Applications close on 7 Jan 2028. Eligible applicant types include city or township governments, nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, state governments and 12 more.

About this call

The NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant supports exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of these projects. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. This Parent Notice of Funding Opportunity requires that at least 1 clinical trial be proposed. The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions.Applicants should note that some ICs (see Related Notices) only accept applications proposing mechanistic studies that meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial through this funding opportunity announcement.

Who can apply

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

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.

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

Topics

Education Environment Health Income Security and Social Services

How to apply

1. Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
2. Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
3. For NIH: the organisation and the principal investigator also need eRA Commons accounts; applications are usually submitted through Grants.gov (for example with ASSIST).
4. Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
5. 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

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.

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