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.Apply for PAR 19 150
- 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.
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Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (PAR 19-150) - FAQs
What is the Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) program?
The EBRG program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 19-150) designed to support early-stage bioengineering research that is exploratory or developmental in nature and focused on demonstrating feasibility and clear potential utility.
What grant mechanism does this opportunity use?
This funding opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is intended to support high-impact, higher-risk projects that need targeted support to generate feasibility data, validate an approach, or show that a new engineering concept can work in a biomedical or clinical context.
Are clinical trials allowed under this FOA?
Yes. Clinical trials are allowed under this funding opportunity, but they are not required.
What is the main emphasis of projects funded by this program?
The program is explicitly engineering-oriented and emphasizes solution-building through innovative bioengineering advances. Competitive projects typically focus on creating or significantly improving a tool, device, platform, method, or system-level engineering approach, with a strong focus on proof-of-concept and practical value.
What types of improvements is NIH looking for in proposed technologies or methods?
The opportunity highlights innovations that introduce new technological capabilities or meaningfully improve existing approaches in ways that matter to real biomedical or healthcare problems. Examples of valued improvements include 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.
What stages of the biomedical pipeline can projects address?
Projects may address challenges across the biomedical pipeline, including basic biomedical research, pre-clinical research, clinical research, clinical care delivery, and broader healthcare accessibility.
Is this funding intended for fully mature product development?
No. The program emphasizes proof-of-concept and practical value rather than completing a fully mature product development program. It is best aligned with early-stage engineering innovations that can demonstrate feasibility and plausible utility.
How is this FOA best characterized in terms of risk and impact?
As an R21 opportunity, it is designed to enable high-impact, higher-risk ideas, particularly those where targeted support can produce critical feasibility evidence or validate an engineering approach in a biomedical or clinical setting.
What is the award ceiling for this funding opportunity?
The provided information specifies an award ceiling of $200,000, indicating awards are intended to be relatively small, targeted investments consistent with exploratory/developmental R21 projects.
Does the announcement specify an expected number of awards?
No. The announcement text provided does not list a specific expected number of awards.
Which agency sponsors this opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the funding instrument type?
The funding instrument type is a grant.
Which funding activity areas is this opportunity associated with?
This opportunity is categorized under Education and Health funding activity areas.
Which Assistance Listing (CFDA) numbers are associated with this FOA?
The opportunity is associated with multiple Assistance Listing numbers: 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, and 93.399. This reflects that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers may participate or align with the supported research areas.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types commonly eligible for NIH grants. 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
- 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
- Small businesses
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA 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); and faith-based or community-based organizations.
Can federal agencies apply?
Yes. Eligible federal agencies are listed among the additional eligible applicant categories.
Are regional organizations and U.S. territories eligible?
Yes. Regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions are included among the highlighted eligible categories.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA includes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities as eligible applicants, meaning foreign organizations may apply when permitted under NIH policies.
When was this funding opportunity created?
The administrative details provided indicate the opportunity was created on 2019-01-08.
What was the original closing date listed for this opportunity?
The administrative details provided indicate an original closing date of 2022-01-07.
What makes a project competitive under this FOA?
Based on the information provided, competitive projects generally (1) are engineering-driven, (2) aim to solve real biomedical or healthcare challenges, (3) introduce a new capability or a meaningful improvement over existing approaches, and (4) generate convincing proof-of-concept or feasibility evidence showing practical value.
What kinds of project outputs fit the "proof-of-concept" emphasis?
The FOA description emphasizes demonstrating feasibility and practical utility through experimental or prototypical evidence, rather than delivering a fully mature product. In other words, projects should be positioned to show that an engineering concept can work and matter in a biomedical or clinical context.
What is the overall goal of this FOA in plain terms?
In practical terms, the goal is to fund early, engineering-driven innovations that can plausibly shift what is possible in biomedical research or healthcare practice by improving performance, usability, cost, and/or access, with enough evidence to justify further development through later-stage funding.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 149 Funding Number: PAR 19 149 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R01-Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 162 Funding Number: PAR 19 162 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Mobile Technologies Extending Reach of Primary Care for Substance-Use-Disorders (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 19 022 Funding Number: RFA DA 19 022 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Mobile Technologies Extending Reach of Primary Care for Substance-Use-Disorders (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 19 021 Funding Number: RFA DA 19 021 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| The Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (UM1 Clinical Trials Required) Apply for RFA CA 19 007 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $1,250,000 |
| Virtual Reality Tools to Enhance Evidence Based Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 19 033 Funding Number: RFA DA 19 033 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| The Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN) Pharmacokinetic Resource Laboratories (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 19 008 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $320,000 |
| Improving Outcomes for Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors (U01 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for RFA CA 19 033 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 033 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Virtual Reality Tools to Enhance Evidence Based Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (R41/R42 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA DA 19 032 Funding Number: RFA DA 19 032 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Provocative Questions (PQs) in Cancer with an Underlying HIV Infection (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA CA 19 032 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 032 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HIV/AIDS Adult Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network Leadership and Operations Center (UM1 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for RFA AI 19 003 Funding Number: RFA AI 19 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Biology of Bladder Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 19 169 Funding Number: PAR 19 169 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Biology of Bladder Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 19 168 Funding Number: PAR 19 168 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Administrative Supplements to NCI Grant and Cooperative Agreement Awards to Support Collaborations with the PDX Development and Trial Centers Research Network (PDXNet) (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 19 174 Funding Number: PA 19 174 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium: Research Education Short Courses (UE5 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 19 010 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 010 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium: Program Logistics and Evaluation Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 19 011 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Biology of Bladder Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 19 184 Funding Number: PAR 19 184 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Biology of Bladder Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 19 183 Funding Number: PAR 19 183 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Microbial-based Cancer Therapy -Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 19 194 Funding Number: PAR 19 194 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31) Apply for PA 19 196 Funding Number: PA 19 196 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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