PA-25-307: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
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 2024.
National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on May 24, 2026.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed April 21, 2026. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Funded byNIA, NIMH, NIAAA
- Median yearly award$431,750
- 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-25-307 were run by National Institute on Aging (NIA, 7 projects), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 3 projects), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, 2 projects) and National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH, 2 projects), and 4 more. 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-25-307 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | December 18, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | May 24, 2026 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | June 23, 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.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 12 programs behind this notice (72% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant supports exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of these projects. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. This Parent Notice of Funding Opportunity is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants. These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should submit under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Studies conducted with specific applications toward processes or products in mind should submit under the appropriate Clinical Trials Required or Clinical Trial Optional FOA.The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions
Funded under PA-25-307 so far
NIH funded 19 projects under PA-25-307 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 18 institutions. The median yearly award was $431,750.
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 Cardiovascular Diseases Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cardiovascular Diseases Research (93.837) awarded $15 billion across 11,798 grant awards, an average of $1.2 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 313 | $380 million |
| Brigham & Womens Hospital Inc | Massachusetts | 274 | $374 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 277 | $355 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 207 | $335 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 295 | $320 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 |
Other programs behind this notice
- Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs
- Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research
- Vision Research
- Alcohol Research Programs
- Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders
- Nursing Research
- Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health
- Lung Diseases Research
- Translation and Implementation Science Research for Heart, Lung, Blood Diseases, and Sleep Disorders
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-25-307 still open?
No. It closed on May 24, 2026.
Who can apply for NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)?
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 NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)?
Closed May 24, 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-25-307?
NIH RePORTER lists 19 projects funded under PA-25-307 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 18 institutions. The most were at Yale University, University of California-Irvine, University of North Texas HLTH Sci Ctr.
Who has won Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, The University of Iowa. The program made 2,231 awards worth $2.1 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)