NIBIB Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21) | PAR 17 441

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 441

The NIBIB Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21), listed as Funding Opportunity Announcement PAR-17-441, is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant aimed at early-stage, high-potential biomedical and bioengineering ideas that are still too new or unproven for traditional funding mechanisms. Run through NIH under CFDA number 93.286, this opportunity is designed for projects that could open up entirely new directions in biomedical imaging and bioengineering or significantly advance existing ones. The central theme is innovation: the program is looking for concepts that could ultimately lead to breakthroughs in techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or meaningful new applications of these tools to human health research.

A defining feature of this R21 program is that it explicitly welcomes exploratory, developmental, proof-of-concept, and high risk-high impact work. The expectation is that investigators may be proposing something bold enough that the outcome is uncertain, but the potential payoff is substantial. In practice, that means applications can be technology design-directed (building or engineering a new tool or system), discovery-driven (seeking new phenomena or capabilities), or hypothesis-driven (testing an idea), as long as the work aligns with NIBIB priorities and has a credible path to creating outsized impact. Importantly, applicants are expected to propose novel approaches where there is not preliminary data demonstrating feasibility. This emphasis is meant to lower the barrier for genuinely new ideas that have not yet had time to accumulate supporting results, while still requiring a clear scientific or technical rationale and a well-thought-out plan.

The award information provided indicates an award ceiling of $200,000, positioning the R21 as a smaller, targeted investment intended to generate key early findings, prototypes, validation experiments, or foundational methods that can support larger follow-on studies. While the dataset does not list an expected number of awards, the overall structure reflects the typical R21 purpose: enable a short, focused set of aims that reduce major uncertainties, establish initial feasibility, or demonstrate a compelling proof of concept, rather than fully mature and extensively validated systems.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that might contribute innovative biomedical imaging and bioengineering research. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; 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 that are not federally recognized. The program also allows participation from public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in that category), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. In addition, the FOA highlights other eligible applicant categories 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). That wide net reflects an interest in drawing innovative concepts from many settings, including institutions that serve underrepresented communities and organizations outside the United States when they can contribute uniquely to the research objectives.

Administratively, the opportunity is associated with an original closing date of December 15, 2017, and a creation date of August 4, 2017, indicating the listing is tied to that specific FOA release and timeframe. Even so, the core program description captures the intent and character of the NIBIB R21 mechanism: support creative, early-stage biomedical imaging and bioengineering research where the work is not yet supported by extensive preliminary evidence, where risk is acceptable, and where the potential to transform tools, methods, models, or applications relevant to human health is the main reason to invest.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIBIB Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21)" 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 2017-08-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-12-15. (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 17 441

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