PAR-21-208: Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-25-101). Status: Due dates in the notice, expires August 11, 2027. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2021.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $150,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on August 14, 2024.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed March 20, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$150,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsOptional
- Funded byNIDA
- Median yearly award$218,473
- 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 PAR-21-208 were run by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 20 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 PAR-21-208 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAR-25-101 | December 30, 2024 | Due dates in the notice, expires August 11, 2027 | Open |
Key dates
| Posted | March 26, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | August 14, 2024 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | September 13, 2024 |
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 $218,473; it allows up to $150,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (70% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cutting-Edge Basic Research Award (CEBRA) is designed to foster highly innovative or conceptually creative research related to the etiology, pathophysiology, prevention, or treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). It supports high-risk and potentially high-impact research that is underrepresented or not included in NIDA's current portfolio that has the potential to transform SUD research. The proposed research should: 1. develop, and/or adapt, revolutionary techniques or methods for addiction research or that show promising future applicability to SUD research; and /or 2. test an innovative and significant hypothesis for which there are scant precedent or preliminary data and which, if confirmed, would transform current thinking.
Funded under PAR-21-208 so far
NIH funded 20 projects under PAR-21-208 in fiscal 2022 to 2025, at 18 institutions. The median yearly award was $218,473.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microbial Biofilms as Regulators of Amphetamine Use Disorders | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 2025 | $222,750 |
| Validating a novel chemogenetic strategy for opioid use disorder | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 2025 | $210,000 |
| GPR6: A Circuit-Level Druggable Target in Cocaine Use Disorder | University of Texas Med BR Galveston | 2025 | $440,000 |
| Genetic analysis of psychoplasticity in C. elegans | University of Oregon | 2025 | $406,051 |
| Finding the missing parts of human genetics of substance use disorders | Yale University | 2025 | $357,613 |
| Studying synaptic transmission under opioid exposure using hiPSC-derived midbrain model and hyperspectral fluorescence lifetime imaging | University of Texas at Austin | 2025 | $181,740 |
| Device-free, long-term monitoring of opioid circuit activity in individual mice exposed to fentanyl | University of Pennsylvania | 2025 | $454,251 |
| The Genetics of Impulsivity and Motivation | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah | 2024 | $231,000 |
Who has won Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (93.279) awarded $7.3 billion across 5,071 grant awards, an average of $1.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 150 | $305 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 156 | $262 million |
| University of California, San Diego | California | 120 | $242 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 100 | $182 million |
| New York University | New York | 62 | $173 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, PAR-25-101, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is PAR-21-208 still open?
No. It closed on August 14, 2024. A newer notice is open: PAR-25-101, due dates in the notice, expires August 11, 2027.
Who can apply for Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (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 Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed August 14, 2024. 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 $150,000 each.
Who has been funded under PAR-21-208?
NIH RePORTER lists 20 projects funded under PAR-21-208 in fiscal 2022 to 2025, at 18 institutions. The most were at Yale University, University of California, San Diego, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Who has won Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Yale Univ, The Johns Hopkins University, University of California, San Diego. The program made 5,071 awards worth $7.3 billion in that time.
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