Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 150

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 150

The Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 19-150) that uses the R21 mechanism and allows clinical trials, but does not require them. It is explicitly engineering-oriented and is designed to support early-stage, exploratory, or developmental bioengineering work that can show feasibility and clear potential utility. In practical terms, the program is looking for projects that introduce new technological capabilities or meaningfully improve existing approaches in ways that matter to real biomedical or healthcare problems, such as making methods or tools higher quality, faster, more effective, easier to use, less expensive, and/or more accessible to the people and settings that need them.

The core focus is on solution-building for challenges across the biomedical pipeline, including basic biomedical research, pre-clinical research, clinical research, clinical care delivery, and broader healthcare accessibility. A competitive project under this FOA typically centers on an innovative tool, device, platform, method, or system-level engineering advance, with a strong emphasis on demonstrating proof-of-concept and practical value rather than completing a fully mature product development program. The spirit of an R21 is to enable high-impact, higher-risk ideas that need targeted support to generate critical feasibility data, validate an approach, or show that a new engineering concept can work in a biomedical or clinical context.

This opportunity is categorized under Education and Health funding activity areas and is associated with multiple CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) numbers: 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, and 93.399, reflecting that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers may participate or align with the research areas supported. While the announcement text provided does not list a specific expected number of awards, it does specify an award ceiling of $200,000, signaling that individual awards under this FOA are intended to be relatively small, targeted investments consistent with exploratory/developmental R21 projects.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types commonly able to apply for NIH grants. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and 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 and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in that classification); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American 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; tribal governments other than federally recognized entities; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations may apply when permitted under NIH policies.

Administrative details in the provided source indicate the opportunity was created on 2019-01-08, with an original closing date of 2022-01-07. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the funding instrument type is a grant. Overall, this FOA is best understood as NIH support for early, engineering-driven innovations that can plausibly shift what is possible in biomedical research or healthcare practice by improving performance, usability, cost, or access, with enough experimental or prototypical evidence to justify further development in later-stage funding mechanisms.

• 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 Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• 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 19 150

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