RFA-RM-25-006: Pilot Projects to Enhance the Human Virome Program (R03, Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Pilot Projects to Enhance the Human Virome Program (R03 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) (RFA-RM-27-024). Status: Closes October 22, 2027 (349 days left). It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2025.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $100,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on November 24, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed September 22, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$100,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR03
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNIDCR
- Median yearly award$334,000
- Typical project length2 years
- R03, Small Grant. A small, short project such as pilot work, a feasibility study, secondary data analysis or a new method, usually for up to two years. Other open R03 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-RM-25-006 were run by National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR, 6 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 RFA-RM-25-006 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-RM-27-024 | October 8, 2026 | Closes October 22, 2027 (349 days left) | Open |
Key dates
| Posted | September 22, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | November 24, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | December 30, 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: Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Regional Organizations; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $334,000; it allows up to $100,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (72% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The Common FundHuman Virome Program(HVP) aims to extensively and comprehensively characterize the human virome and create tools, models, and methods that will enable an in-depth study of its variation and composition in relation to host factors and its influence on health and disease. The purpose of this NOFO is to support small pilot projects that extend the goals of the HVP, including further validating, improving, and complementing existing and newly developed tools from the HVP program by leveraging human specimens collected from the cohorts under the program; samples from animals to promote the refinement, utilization, and translation of these tools to better serve the goals of the HVP program; expanding existing cohorts and/or biospecimen sampling sites for virome characterization; developing tools and methods to study the human virome; and defining interactions between the human virome and host. These pilot projects will encourage collaboration across the HVP and expand the consortium. Pilot projects should not overlap with existing HVP efforts. The R03 is intended to support small research projects that can be carried out in a short period of time with limited resources.
Funded under RFA-RM-25-006 so far
NIH funded 6 projects under RFA-RM-25-006 in fiscal 2026, at 6 institutions. The median yearly award was $334,000.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spatial structure-based annotation of proteins for the NIH Human Virome Program | UT Southwestern Medical Center | 2026 | $332,000 |
| Discovery of Prokaryotic RNA Virus-Host Pairs Through a Scalable Reverse-Genetics Platform | University of Rochester | 2026 | $291,958 |
| The role of endogenous retroviruses in maintaining gut barrier function | University of California, San Diego | 2026 | $340,942 |
| An Integrated Analytical Framework for Human Virome Studies: Validation, Standardization, and Statistical Innovation | Washington University | 2026 | $311,000 |
| Unveiling the Hidden Human Virome: Defining Antigenicity and Immune Recognition of Anelloviruses | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | 2026 | $336,000 |
| Defining Molecular Interactions Between Commensal Respiratory Viruses and the Human Host | J. David Gladstone Institutes | 2026 | $378,000 |
Who has won Trans-NIH Research Support grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Trans-NIH Research Support (93.310) awarded $5.9 billion across 4,433 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | North Carolina | 66 | $219 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 104 | $176 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 82 | $154 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 95 | $152 million |
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 85 | $149 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, RFA-RM-27-024, 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 RFA-RM-25-006 still open?
No. It closed on November 24, 2025. A newer notice is open: RFA-RM-27-024, closes October 22, 2027 (349 days left).
Who can apply for Pilot Projects to Enhance the Human Virome Program (R03, Clinical Trials 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 Pilot Projects to Enhance the Human Virome Program (R03, Clinical Trials Not Allowed)?
Closed November 24, 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 $100,000 each.
Who has been funded under RFA-RM-25-006?
NIH RePORTER lists 6 projects funded under RFA-RM-25-006 in fiscal 2026, at 6 institutions. The most were at UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Rochester, University of California, San Diego.
Who has won Trans-NIH Research Support grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Duke University, The Leland Stanford Junior University, University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. The program made 4,433 awards worth $5.9 billion in that time.
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