Technology Development Research for Establishing Feasibility and Proof of Concept (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding for early-stage technology research with high impact potential in biomedical fields, supporting proof of concept development.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
National Institutes of Health has archived this opportunity.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 16, 2026 | October 16, 2026 | February 16, 2027 | June 16, 2027 | October 16, 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over 2 years; no more than $200,000 in any single year.
Summary: Supports high-risk, early-stage exploratory research to establish feasibility and proof of concept for new technologies broadly enabling biomedical research.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed; applications must not include preliminary data showing feasibility or proof of concept.
Description
This opportunity supports exploratory research projects that aim to establish feasibility and proof of concept for new technologies relevant to the mission of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The focus is on high-risk, innovative ideas that, if successful, could significantly advance the state of the art in biomedical research tools, methods, or platforms. Projects may include development of laboratory instruments, devices, algorithms, software, chemical reagents, or engineered biological systems, provided these represent new concepts and are not incremental improvements or repurposing of existing technologies.
Applications must propose work at the conceptual stage, without preliminary data or established feasibility. The goal is to demonstrate whether a novel approach is viable and to lay the groundwork for future, more mature technology development projects.
