NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 207

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 207

The NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (PAR 18-207) is an NIH grant opportunity designed to help new, early stage, or otherwise less-funded investigators launch independent research programs that align with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). It specifically targets researchers who are still early in their independent careers or who have not previously received substantial NIH support, and it is meant to create space for bold ideas that may not yet have the kind of preliminary results typically expected in more traditional NIH applications. The mechanism is an R21, and clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose clinical trial work if it fits the project, but they are not required to.

At its core, the program funds research that integrates engineering and the physical sciences with the life and behavioral sciences, which is a defining feature of the NIBIB mission area. The opportunity is intentionally broad in the types of projects it will consider: proposals can be exploratory and developmental, proof-of-concept in nature, or framed as high risk/high impact efforts. The FOA also makes clear that different styles of science are welcome, including technology design-directed projects (for example, building or refining a tool, device, imaging approach, or analytical platform), discovery-driven projects (where the goal is to uncover new phenomena or capabilities), and hypothesis-driven projects (where the work is organized around testing a specific scientific hypothesis). A key expectation is that applicants will propose approaches where there are minimal or no preliminary data, which is meant to encourage genuinely early-stage concepts rather than incremental extensions of already well-established projects.

From an eligibility standpoint, the solicitation is relatively inclusive in terms of what kinds of organizations can apply. Eligible applicants include many levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments). The FOA also allows applications from nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. In addition, the FOA explicitly highlights a range of institution types that are welcomed as applicants, such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

There are also clear boundaries around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S.-based applicant may include certain well-justified parts of the work performed outside the United States if the arrangement meets NIH policy requirements and is scientifically necessary.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity issued by the National Institutes of Health under the health funding activity category (CFDA 93.286). The listed award ceiling is $200,000, indicating the maximum award amount expected under the opportunity as posted in the source summary. The original closing date shown in the source information is January 7, 2020, and the record creation date is November 17, 2017. Overall, the program is best understood as an NIH on-ramp for promising investigators who want to pursue NIBIB-relevant, cross-disciplinary biomedical imaging and bioengineering research that is still at an early stage, where the main value is the idea, the approach, and the potential impact rather than an extensive package of preliminary findings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.286.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 18 207

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