Exploratory Research for Technology Development (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 254

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 254

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Exploratory Research for Technology Development program (R21, clinical trial not allowed; Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-254) is designed to fund early, high-risk efforts to create genuinely new or unconventional technologies that could eventually move biomedical research forward. The emphasis is on technology development itself rather than on answering a specific biological or clinical question. In practical terms, applicants are expected to focus on inventing or substantially advancing a method, tool, platform, instrument, assay, computational approach, or other enabling capability that could be broadly useful later on, even if the ultimate biomedical payoff is still distant and uncertain at the time of the proposal.

A central theme of this opportunity is that it intentionally rewards novelty and risk. NIH is looking for projects where the approach is bold enough that success is not already likely or predictable, but where the upside could be substantial if the technology works. The work should be positioned as proof-of-concept and feasibility-oriented technology development, meaning the project should test whether the core idea can function at all and establish the basic groundwork needed for later, more mature development. The program is not meant for incremental improvements, routine engineering, or extensions of techniques that have already been demonstrated. Reviewers will be evaluating whether the proposal is genuinely exploratory and whether it could open up new technical capabilities for the field rather than simply applying existing tools.

A major boundary condition in this FOA is that applying the proposed technology to specific biomedical research questions is considered out of scope. In other words, the application should not be framed around using the tool to resolve a particular disease mechanism, validate a specific hypothesis, or generate biological findings as the primary outcome. Those kinds of question-driven demonstrations would generally belong in other mechanisms or later-stage grants once the technology is real. Here, the deliverable is the technology itself and evidence that it can feasibly do what it claims at a foundational level.

Another unusually strict feature is the prohibition on unpublished preliminary data. The FOA states that feasibility must not already be established, either in the published literature or through preliminary results in the application. NIH allows applicants to cite published papers to define the state of the art and explain why current approaches are inadequate, but those citations cannot be used to imply that the proposed idea is already likely to succeed. The logic is that even small amounts of preliminary data can implicitly forecast outcomes and reduce the exploratory character of the work. Because of that, the application should be constructed without relying on internal pilot results, unpublished figures, or other nonpublic evidence. One exception is that widely available preprints are acceptable if they have a DOI, meaning applicants can reference preprint data that are already publicly accessible in a stable, citable form.

The award uses the NIH R21 exploratory/developmental grant mechanism and is categorized as a discretionary grant in the health funding activity area (CFDA numbers 93.213 and 93.859). The listed award ceiling is $200,000. The opportunity is explicitly marked as "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which means proposed work cannot include prospective assignment of human participants to interventions to evaluate health-related outcomes, and applicants need to keep the scope within technology development rather than human-subject clinical testing.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (including other than small businesses); and small businesses. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities and other eligible entities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA draws clear lines around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain well-justified elements of the work being conducted abroad under NIH rules, even though the applicant organization itself must be U.S.-based.

Finally, the source information lists an original closing date of 2022-05-07 and a creation date of 2019-04-12. Anyone considering a similar application now would need to confirm current availability and due dates, since NIH often reissues, updates, or supersedes opportunities over time even when the scientific intent remains similar.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Exploratory Research for Technology Development (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-04-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-07. (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 19 254

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