Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 16, 2025 (New) | July 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | October 16, 2025 (New) | November 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | Additional standard NIH due dates through January 7, 2028
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 direct costs over 2 years; no more than $200,000 in any single year; project period max 2 years.
Summary: Supports high-risk, early-stage exploratory or developmental research in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical fields; clinical trials are not allowed.
Key Information: Preliminary data not required; projects must be novel and distinct from R01-type research; foreign organizations are eligible.
Description
The NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (R21, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) provides support for early and conceptual stages of research projects that are exploratory, high-risk, and have the potential for significant impact in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. The program is designed to encourage the introduction of innovative ideas, model systems, tools, agents, targets, and technologies that may differ substantially from current thinking or practice and may not yet be supported by substantial preliminary data.
Projects should be distinct from those supported by the traditional R01 mechanism—long-term or incremental projects are not appropriate. Instead, R21 applications should break new ground or extend previous discoveries in new directions. Applications proposing clinical trials are not permitted under this opportunity.
Due Dates
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Upcoming Deadlines:
- June 16, 2025 (New applications)
- July 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- October 16, 2025 (New applications)
- November 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- Additional standard NIH due dates: February, June, October (New); March, July, November (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) through January 7, 2028
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All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
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Expiration date: January 8, 2028
Funding Amount
- Maximum direct costs: $275,000 over a two-year project period
- Annual direct cost cap: No more than $200,000 in any single year
- Project period: Up to 2 years
- Number of awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications
Eligibility
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Eligible organizations:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal governments and organizations (federally recognized and other)
- 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
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Eligible individuals: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as PD(s)/PI(s) may apply.
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Multiple applications: Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided each is scientifically distinct.
Application Process
- Submission platforms: Applications must be submitted electronically via NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
- Required registrations: All applicant organizations must register with SAM, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. Registration can take 6 weeks or more.
- Application guide: Follow the NIH How to Apply - Application Guide and the specific instructions in the funding announcement.
- Page limits: Adhere to the NIH Table of Page Limits.
- Data management: All applications must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan.
- Appendix: Only limited appendix materials are allowed; no publications except blank questionnaires/surveys.
Additional Information
- No clinical trials: Applications proposing clinical trials will not be accepted.
- Preliminary data: Not required, but may be included if available.
- Distinct from R01: Projects should be exploratory and novel, not incremental or long-term.
- Foreign eligibility: Non-U.S. organizations and foreign components are eligible to apply.
- Cost sharing: Not required.
- Review criteria: Emphasis on significance, innovation, rigor, feasibility, investigator expertise, and environment.
- Budget requests: Applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year are not allowed under this mechanism.
External Links
Contact Information