Atom | NICHD Small Research Grant Program (R03 Clinical Trial Required)

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Funding Amounts: Up to $50,000 direct costs per year, max 2 years ($100,000 total direct costs)

Summary: Supports small clinical trial research projects within the NICHD mission, including pilot studies, feasibility studies, and methodology development.

Key Information: Clinical trial is required; limited to small, well-defined projects; foreign and domestic applicants eligible.

Description

This opportunity supports small-scale clinical trial research projects that align with the mission of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The R03 mechanism is intended for discrete, well-defined projects that can be completed in a short period with limited resources. Eligible project types include pilot and feasibility studies, secondary analysis of existing data, small self-contained research projects, development of research methodology, and development of new research technology. All applications must propose at least one clinical trial.

Research must fall within the scientific missions of the NICHD Division of Extramural Research (DER) or the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR). Areas of interest include human development, contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, childhood and adolescent development, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and rehabilitation medicine.

Due Dates

New Applications: June 16, 2025 | October 16, 2025 | February 16, 2026 | June 16, 2026 | October 16, 2026 | February 16, 2027 | June 16, 2027 | October 16, 2027
Renewal/Resubmission/Revision: July 16, 2025 | November 16, 2025 | March 16, 2026 | July 16, 2026 | November 16, 2026 | March 16, 2027 | July 16, 2027 | November 16, 2027
AIDS-related Applications: September 7, 2025 | January 7, 2026 | May 7, 2026 | September 7, 2026 | January 7, 2027 | May 7, 2027 | September 7, 2027 | January 7, 2028

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The final application deadline is January 7, 2028.

Funding Amount

Direct Costs: Up to $50,000 per year
Project Period: Maximum of 2 years (total up to $100,000 direct costs)
No cost sharing or matching required
Number of awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and number of meritorious applications

Eligibility

Eligible organizations include:

Public/State and Private Institutions of Higher Education
Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
State, county, city, township, and special district governments
Independent school districts
Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and other)
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Faith-based and community-based organizations
Regional organizations
U.S. territories and possessions
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and foreign components of U.S. organizations

Individuals: Any investigator with the skills, knowledge, and resources to carry out the proposed research may apply. Multiple applications from the same organization are allowed if scientifically distinct.

Application Process

Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov using ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
Required Registrations: Applicant organizations must register with SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. All PD/PIs must have an eRA Commons account.
Application Guide: Follow the NIH Research (R) Instructions and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
Forms: Use the SF424 (R&R) application package, including all required attachments (e.g., Research Strategy, Data Management and Sharing Plan, Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information).
Page Limits: Adhere to NIH-specified page limits for each section.
Clinical Trial Requirement: Applications must propose at least one clinical trial as defined by NIH.

Additional Information

Review Criteria: Applications are evaluated for significance, innovation, approach, investigator(s), and environment. R03 applications should be concise and focused; extensive preliminary data are not required.
Data Management and Sharing: All applications must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
Foreign Applicants: Non-U.S. organizations and components are eligible and must follow NIH policies for foreign applicants.
Overlap Policy: NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time.
Award Administration: All NIH policies and terms apply. Clinical trial registration and results reporting in ClinicalTrials.gov are required.

External Links

Contact Information

Topic	Contact Name/Office	Email/Phone
General Grants Info	NIH Grants Information	GrantsInfo@nih.gov
		301-480-7075
Application Support	eRA Service Desk	eRA Helpdesk
		301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552
Grants.gov Support	Grants.gov Customer Support	support@grants.gov
		800-518-4726
Scientific/Research	NICHD Referral Office	NICHDReferral@mail.nih.gov
Peer Review	Joanna Kubler-Kielb, PhD (NICHD)	kielbj@mail.nih.gov
		301-435-6916
Grants Management	Margaret Young (NICHD)	margaret.young@nih.gov
		301-642-4552