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Find similar grantsExploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (R21) is sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / NIH. This R21 award encourages new exploratory and developmental research projects, providing up to 2 years of funding to test a hypothesis that could yield a significant breakthrough. Novel and creative approaches are essential.
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Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21) | Grants & Funding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21) To encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.) Application and Submission Information R21 Parent Announcements are available.
Not all NIH institutes and centers participate on all parent announcements. Check the participating organization in the funding opportunity before applying.
Application Characteristics Except when stated otherwise in the funding opportunity: Project period of up to two years Budget for up to $275,000 total in direct costs for the two years, with no more than $200,000 in any year No preliminary data are required, but most opportunities allow it if available Research Strategy may not exceed 6 pages.
The page limit may be different when combined with other activity codes, such as R21/R33 Investigators are strongly encouraged to consult with NIH Scientific/Research staff (see Section VII. Agency Contacts of the funding opportunity) during the concept development stage of the application to determine if an R21 application is appropriate.
After identifying a funding opportunity, follow guidance in the How to Apply – Application Guide instruction call-outs, except where instructed to do otherwise in the funding opportunity or related notices. Standard Due Dates apply. Standard Application Due Dates (when applicable) Participating Funding Organizations Each funding opportunity specifies the participating organizations.
Applications must fit within the mission of at least one participating funding organization and meet all opportunity-specific requirements. The following funding organizations participate on at least one active funding opportunity.
Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Disease Prevention Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Fogarty International Center National Cancer Institute National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Human Genome Research Institute National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institute of Mental Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institute of Nursing Research National Institute on Aging National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities National Library of Medicine Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Office of Research on Women's Health Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health Tribal Health Research Office Your organization's sponsored programs office or grants administrators can answer many internal and agency policy and process questions.
Understand NIH Staff Roles details how and when to find the right NIH contacts: Before you apply, check your chosen funding opportunity for application submission, scientific/research, peer review, and financial/grants management contacts. After you apply, find NIH staff assignments in the Status module of eRA Commons . For technical issues E-mail OER Webmaster
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Universities, colleges, hospitals, and other public or private entities. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $275,000 (direct costs, both years combined). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (R21) is funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / NIH. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Development of Medications to Prevent and Treat Substance Use Disorders and Overdose (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / NIH. This funding opportunity invites applications for innovative research aimed at developing and implementing interventions to prevent and treat substance use disorders (SUDs) and overdose. It encourages studies that can rapidly advance candidate solutions towards regulatory approval or clinical use, while also addressing co-morbid SUDs.
Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) / NIH. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding opportunity supports small business concerns (SBC) to develop technologies for commercialization that address health-related social needs impacting Substance Use Disorders (SUD), excluding alcohol use disorder.
The HEAL Initiative's Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery award (RFA-NS-25-023) puts federal money exactly where private capital won't go — the assay-building, screening, and hit-characterization stage of non-opioid pain therapeutics. It's a phased R61/R33, up to $350,000 in direct costs per year, with the next application deadline September 17, 2026. Here is how the two-phase structure works, who's eligible, and how to build a proposal that survives the R61-to-R33 milestone gate.
Read articlePA-27-037 consolidates the Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award into a single parent announcement across 20 NIH components, with the next deadline December 8, 2026. The eligibility gate is not the science — it is a mandatory change of institution and mentor between the F99 and K00 phases.
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