Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

Key Facts

Status: Open

Posted date: June 11, 2025

Opportunity ID: 358886

Opportunity number: FOR-EB-26-001

Opportunity category: Discretionary

Agency name: National Institutes of Health

Agency code: HHS-NIH11

Award floor: $0

Award ceiling: $0

Cost sharing required: No

Funding Instrument Types
  • Grant
Category of Funding Activity
  • Health
Eligible Applicants
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • 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
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • State governments
Tools
Categories (use these for quoted searches)
  • agency_code:hhs_nih11
  • category_of_funding_activity:health
  • cost_sharing_or_matching_requirement:false
  • eligible_applicants:county_governments
  • eligible_applicants:for_profit_organizations_other_than_small_businesses
  • eligible_applicants:independent_school_districts
  • eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_governments_federally_recognized
  • eligible_applicants:native_american_tribal_organizations_other_than_federally_recognized_tribal_governments
  • eligible_applicants:nonprofits_having_a_501_c_3_status_with_the_irs_other_than_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:private_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:public_and_state_controlled_institutions_of_higher_education
  • eligible_applicants:public_housing_authoritiesindian_housing_authorities
  • eligible_applicants:small_businesses
  • eligible_applicants:state_governments
  • funding_instrument_type:grant
  • opportunity_category:discretionary
  • status:open
Description

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, with the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health intend to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the Trailblazer Award. This is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm) to pursue research programs that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high-risk high-impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the R21 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into the application of principles and techniques from engineering and quantitative sciences, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer sciences are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in trans-disciplinary research approaches with the potential to open new areas of biomedical investigation will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.

Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, with the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health intend to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the Trailblazer Award. This is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm) to pursue research programs that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high-risk high-impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the R21 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into the application of principles and techniques from engineering and quantitative sciences, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer sciences are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in trans-disciplinary research approaches with the potential to open new areas of biomedical investigation will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Open
National Institutes of Health
Health
Grant
State governments
County 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
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
2025-06-11