PA-21-219: Joint NINDS/NIMH Exploratory Neuroscience Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2021.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $200,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on January 7, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed May 17, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$200,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsOptional
- Funded byNINDS, NIMH, NICHD
- Median yearly award$240,000
- Typical project length2 years
- R21, Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant. Early, exploratory ideas that may not have preliminary data yet, usually for up to two years. Other open R21 notices.
Projects funded under PA-21-219 were run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, 603 projects), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 54 projects) and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, 1 project). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read PA-21-219 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | May 10, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | January 7, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | February 6, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $240,000; it allows up to $200,000 per award.
- Most of the money in the 2 programs behind this notice (73% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The Joint NINDS/NIMH Exploratory Neuroscience Research Grant program supports exploratory and innovative research projects, which fall within the missions of the NINDS and NIMH. Awards will provide support for the early and conceptual stages of projects. These studies often assess the feasibility of a novel avenue of investigation and involve considerable risk, but have the potential to bring about breakthroughs in the understanding of important areas of neuroscience, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, or models, of high value to the neuroscience community. While this funding opportunity also accepts clinical trials, only applications proposing mechanistic clinical trials or studies or basic experimental studies with humans (BESH) will be considered for funding. For information on the types of clinical trial that are within scope of this funding opportunity announcement, refer to Funding Opportunity Description, below.
Funded under PA-21-219 so far
NIH funded 658 projects under PA-21-219 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 188 institutions. The median yearly award was $240,000.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissociating Sensory and Integrative Pain Processes in the Human Insula | Stanford University | 2026 | $192,500 |
| Treating Alzheimer's Disease with PMO RNA Therapeutics | University of California, San Diego | 2026 | $199,375 |
| Understanding the Neuroanatomical Abnormalities of Repetitive Head Impacts | New York University School of Medicine | 2026 | $254,250 |
| GPR123 Activation by Steroid Ligands | Emory University | 2026 | $195,625 |
| Mechanisms of Satellite Oligodendroglia-Neuron Interaction in Brain Maturation | University of California at Davis | 2026 | $437,870 |
| Red Blood Cell BPGM Deficiency Contributes to Cognitive Impairment Following Ischemic Stroke | Massachusetts General Hospital | 2026 | $200,400 |
| Uncovering the Molecular Function of the Tweety Homologue Membrane Protein Family | Cornell University | 2026 | $188,462 |
| Understanding small molecule modulation of splicing for Huntington's disease therapy | University of Colorado Denver | 2026 | $234,000 |
Who has won Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (93.853) awarded $9.1 billion across 8,641 grant awards, an average of $1.0 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The General Hospital Corporation | Massachusetts | 203 | $288 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 248 | $277 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 230 | $276 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 188 | $226 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 179 | $221 million |
Who has won Mental Health Research Grants grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mental Health Research Grants (93.242) awarded $8.8 billion across 6,785 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 185 | $371 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 200 | $297 million |
| University of California, Los Angeles | California | 176 | $234 million |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 144 | $212 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 149 | $211 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is PA-21-219 still open?
No. It closed on January 7, 2025.
Who can apply for Joint NINDS/NIMH Exploratory Neuroscience Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Joint NINDS/NIMH Exploratory Neuroscience Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed January 7, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $200,000 each.
Who has been funded under PA-21-219?
NIH RePORTER lists 658 projects funded under PA-21-219 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 188 institutions. The most were at Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Yale University.
Who has won Mental Health Research Grants grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Yale Univ, University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, University of California, Los Angeles. The program made 6,785 awards worth $8.8 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
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- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Developing novel theory and methods for understanding the genetic architecture of complex human traits (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Mechanisms that Impact Cancer Risk with Use of Incretin Mimetics (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- New Approaches for Measuring Brain Changes Across Longer Timespans (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
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