Developing novel theory and methods for understanding the genetic architecture of complex human traits (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Developing methods to understand complex human traits by integrating genetic and non-genetic factors across different scales and disciplines.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Resubmission/revision) | January 7, 2027 (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over two years, with no more than $200,000 in any year
Summary: Supports novel theory, models, and methods explaining genetic and non-genetic contributions to complex human trait variation.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed, and methods must generalize across human health- and disease-relevant traits.
Description
This NIH R21 exploratory/developmental research opportunity is offered by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Cancer Institute (NCI). It supports new theory and methods for understanding how genetic and non-genetic factors shape complex human traits across individuals, families, and populations. The goal is to move beyond counting trait-associated alleles and estimating their frequencies and effects toward more comprehensive explanations of trait variation.
Projects should address interdependencies across biological, social, and ecological scales using formal theory, mechanistic models, simulations, and empirical validation with publicly accessible, large-scale datasets. Interdisciplinary teams spanning natural and social sciences are encouraged. Areas of interest include multivariate trait simulation, hierarchical genotype–phenotype maps, direct and indirect genetic effects, nonlinear genome–phenome methods, evolutionary and sociocultural processes, and agent-based models of intergenerational trait transmission.
