Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Resubmission) | February 16, 2027 (New) | March 16, 2027 (Resubmission) | June 16, 2027 (New) | July 16, 2027 (Resubmission) | October 16, 2027 (New) | November 16, 2027 (Resubmission) | January 7, 2028 (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over two years, with no more than $200,000 in one year
Summary: NCI supports exploratory bioengineering research demonstrating feasibility and potential utility of new or improved biomedical research and care capabilities.
Key Information: Basic cancer biology studies and late-phase or randomized clinical trials are not responsive.
Description
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers this engineering-oriented R21 program to support early feasibility testing and exploratory development of biomedical capabilities. Projects may develop new tools, technologies, model systems, or methods, or improve existing solutions’ quality, speed, efficacy, operability, cost, or accessibility. The program encourages quantitative and physical scientists to work with biomedical researchers on problems in research, clinical care delivery, and access to care.
Research may be hypothesis-driven, discovery-driven, developmental, or design-directed, including multidisciplinary approaches and data collection supporting future research. Extensive preliminary data are not required. Clinical trials may test functionality or validate performance in the chosen setting. Stated goals include identifying cancer risks and risk-reduction strategies, understanding factors causing cancer in humans, and developing prevention mechanisms and interventions.
