PAR-21-209: NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Early-stage Investigator Research Award (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
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 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on July 27, 2021.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed April 19, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNINDS, NIEHS
- Median yearly award$218,707
- Typical project length4 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-21-209 were run by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, 1 project) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, 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 PAR-21-209 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | April 19, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | July 27, 2021 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | September 1, 2021 |
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 Institutions) 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 6 programs behind this notice (71% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to recruit Early Stage Investigators (ESI) to pursue research programs of interest to NIH Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP) under the Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) grant/cooperative agreement program. ESI CounterACT R21 projects may be exploratory, applied, proof of principle, or high risk-high impact research to discover safe and effective therapeutics to mitigate toxicities resulting from exposures to highly toxic chemicals. A distinct feature for this FOA is that no preliminary data are required, expected, or encouraged. However, if available, minimal preliminary data are allowed. All preliminary data should be clearly marked and limited to one-half page, which may include one figure. Applications including preliminary 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. Projects supported by this FOA will have an extended level of support (3 years) and are expected to generate preliminary data that would facilitate the development of competitive applications for more extensive funding support from the NIH CounterACT programs or other related initiatives.
Funded under PAR-21-209 so far
NIH funded 2 projects under PAR-21-209 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 2 institutions. The median yearly award was $218,707.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-Throughput in Vivo Discovery of Novel Countermeasures Against Organophosphate-Induced Seizure and Status Epilepticus Using Zebrafish | Northwestern University | 2026 | $200,000 |
| Sickle Cell Trait Mice are More Susceptible to Chlorine Exposure and Haptoglobin Improves the Outcomes | University of Alabama at Birmingham | 2024 | $148,500 |
Who has won Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research (93.855) awarded $22 billion across 13,282 grant awards, an average of $1.6 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Washington | 85 | $938 million |
| Duke University | North Carolina | 230 | $781 million |
| University of California, Los Angeles | California | 138 | $745 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 321 | $668 million |
| Emory University | Georgia | 282 | $650 million |
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 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 |
Other programs behind this notice
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 PAR-21-209 still open?
No. It closed on July 27, 2021.
Who can apply for NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Early-stage Investigator Research Award (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
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 Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Early-stage Investigator Research Award (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed July 27, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
Who has been funded under PAR-21-209?
NIH RePORTER lists 2 projects funded under PAR-21-209 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 2 institutions. The most were at Northwestern University, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Who has won Environmental Health grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The program made 1,980 awards worth $2.1 billion in that time.
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