PA-25-169: Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (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 2025.
National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on May 7, 2026.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed June 16, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsOptional
- Funded byNIBIB, NIA
- Median yearly award$233,625
- Typical project length3 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-25-169 were run by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB, 38 projects) and National Institute on Aging (NIA, 12 projects). 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-25-169 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAR-24-022 | November 18, 2022 | Closed January 7, 2025 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | January 8, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | May 7, 2026 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | June 6, 2026 |
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; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 3 programs behind this notice (74% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
This Trailblazer Award is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm) to pursue research programs that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high risk-high impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Importantly, applicants must propose research approaches for which there are minimal or no preliminary data.A distinct feature for this FOA is that no preliminary data are required, expected, or encouraged. However, if available, minimal preliminary data are allowed. Preliminary data are defined as material which the applicant has independently produced and not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal. All preliminary data should be clearly marked and limited to one-half page, which may include one figure. Applications including data more than one-half page or more than one figure will be considered noncompliant with the FOA instructions and will not go forward to review.
Funded under PA-25-169 so far
NIH funded 50 projects under PA-25-169 in fiscal 2026, at 39 institutions. The median yearly award was $233,625.
Who has won Aging Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Aging Research (93.866) awarded $19 billion across 11,026 grant awards, an average of $1.7 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 337 | $575 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 242 | $574 million |
| University of Southern California | California | 203 | $572 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 210 | $556 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 232 | $538 million |
Who has won Vision Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Vision Research (93.867) awarded $3.4 billion across 3,275 grant awards, an average of $1.0 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 137 | $139 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 87 | $96.5 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 78 | $89.9 million |
| Duke University | North Carolina | 79 | $75.5 million |
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 57 | $73.9 million |
Who has won Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health (93.286) awarded $1.8 billion across 1,983 grant awards, an average of $886,380 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The General Hospital Corporation | Massachusetts | 75 | $83.5 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 68 | $83.5 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 64 | $53.0 million |
| Brigham & Womens Hospital Inc | Massachusetts | 41 | $49.5 million |
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 44 | $48.3 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-25-169 still open?
No. It closed on May 7, 2026.
Who can apply for Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (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 Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed May 7, 2026. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
Who has been funded under PA-25-169?
NIH RePORTER lists 50 projects funded under PA-25-169 in fiscal 2026, at 39 institutions. The most were at Massachusetts General Hospital, Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah, University of Kentucky.
Who has won Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The General Hospital Corporation, The Johns Hopkins University, The Leland Stanford Junior University. The program made 1,983 awards worth $1.8 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
- 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)
- Early-Stage Dissemination and Implementation Research in Communication Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)