Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 25 346

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 346

The Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) funding opportunity (PAR-25-346) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant administered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that supports early-stage, engineering-driven projects aimed at creating or significantly improving tools, technologies, and methods that address needs in biomedical research and cancer-related clinical contexts. It uses the R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory and developmental work where the main goal is to demonstrate feasibility and show strong potential utility, rather than to deliver a fully validated, late-stage product. A key restriction is that clinical trials are not allowed under this notice, meaning applicants should not propose studies that meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial (even if the project is clinically relevant). Instead, the focus is on developing and testing new capabilities, prototypes, workflows, computational methods, instrumentation, or other bioengineering solutions that can eventually enable or accelerate future translational and clinical impact.

Programmatically, NCI is looking for projects that can move the needle on practical performance measures such as quality, speed, efficacy, ease of use (operability), cost, and accessibility. The scope is broad and can span basic biomedical research, pre-clinical research, clinical research infrastructure (without running a clinical trial), clinical care delivery improvements, and approaches that expand access to high-quality methods or services. In other words, the intent is to fund engineering innovation that solves concrete bottlenecks, whether those bottlenecks occur in the laboratory, in preclinical model systems, in the way clinical data or specimens are processed, or in how care processes might be supported by better devices, platforms, or analytical systems. The emphasis on feasibility suggests applications should be structured around a clear engineering problem, a plausible technical approach, and convincing proof-of-concept aims that reduce risk for later-stage development.

The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant program within the Education and Health funding activity category, and it is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.121, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399), reflecting NIH/NCI program alignment across cancer research and related infrastructure. While the listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided source data, applicants should generally treat R21 budgets and project scope as targeted to early development and demonstration rather than large-scale validation. The opportunity was created on December 11, 2024, and shows an original closing date of January 7, 2028, indicating a multi-year window during which applications may be accepted according to the notice's submission schedule.

Eligibility is wide and includes many common U.S. applicant types: state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The notice also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized; and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This broad eligibility signals an interest in attracting diverse institutional perspectives and enabling engineering innovation across many settings, including community-based and international environments, so long as the proposed work aligns with NCI priorities and complies with NIH policy.

Taken together, PAR-25-346 is best understood as an NCI-backed entry point for high-impact bioengineering ideas that are still in a formative stage but can credibly show that the underlying concept works and could materially improve how biomedical and cancer research or care-related processes are performed. Competitive applications will typically make a strong case that the proposed engineering advance is not incremental, define measurable performance improvements (for example, faster processing, lower cost per sample, improved sensitivity or robustness, or improved usability), and outline focused experiments or development milestones that demonstrate feasibility without drifting into a clinical trial design.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• Eligible applicants include: 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.

Apply for PAR 25 346

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: