Focused Technology Research and Development (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is sponsored by NIH NIGMS. Supports projects focused on developing technologies to advance biomedical research, emphasizing technical innovation and utility.

PAR-25-203: Focused Technology Research and Development (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations National Institute of General Medical Sciences ( NIGMS ) Funding Opportunity Title Focused Technology Research and Development (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) R01 Research Project Grant Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity January 28, 2026 - NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs.

See Notice NOT-OD-26-029 . March 31, 2025 - This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.

April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 . August 31, 2022 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023.

See Notice NOT-OD-22-198 . August 5, 2022 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. See Notice NOT-OD-22-189 .

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Funding Opportunity Exploratory/Developmental Grants See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports projects relevant to the NIGMS mission that focus solely on the development of technologies with potential to enable acquisition of biomedical knowledge. Projects should be justified in terms of technical innovation and utility of such technical innovation for impacting future biomedical research.

Outcomes or products of the proposed project should significantly advance the current state of the art and be sufficiently characterized for application in addressing a broad range of biomedical research questions.

These outcomes may include, but are not limited to: laboratory instruments and other devices, chemical reagents and processes, biological molecules or systems that have been modified by human intervention for use as research tools.

The goal of this NOFO is to support the development of technologies that have demonstrated proof-of-concept but must overcome significant technical hurdles to prototype development and tests of potential broad utility. As such, applications should not propose to test specific biological questions.

Applications that do propose tests of specific biological questions are not responsive to this NOFO and will be administratively withdrawn without review. Applications with a focus on optimization, hardening, or obvious extrapolations of established technology will be a lower priority for funding.

Funding Opportunity Goal(s) The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

NIGMS also supports research in specific clinical areas that affect multiple organ systems: anesthesiology and peri-operative pain; clinical pharmacology ​common to multiple drugs and treatments; and injury, critical illness, sepsis, and wound healing. ​ NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels—from molecules and cells to tissues and organs—in research organisms, humans, and populations.

Additionally, to ensure the vitality and continued productivity of the research enterprise, NIGMS provides leadership in supporting the training of future scientists and developing research capacity throughout the country. Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) The following table includes NIH standard due dates marked with an asterisk.

Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced.

Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants. gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants. gov and eRA Commons to track your application.

Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application. Part 1.

Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description Section II.

Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V.

Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII.

Other Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description Support for Early-Stage Technology Development is Critical to Advance Biomedical Research Technological advances are crucial for accelerating biomedical research.

Technology enables science by providing novel ways to address questions, and more importantly, by allowing researchers to pose new questions that could not be anticipated in the absence of the enabling technology. New knowledge drives the imperative for new tools, and those tools reveal new questions, in a mutually reinforcing feedback loop that drives science forward.

This NOFO invites research applications with a focus on early stage technology development and validation before the technologies are ready for application to untested biological questions and wide dissemination.

Early technology development can be described in two stages: (I) exploratory proof-of-concept research to determine feasibility and best approach(es) for a technology development project, and (II) subsequent research and development that focuses exclusively on creating and validating a working prototype technology before its application to untested biomedical questions is possible.

This NOFO invites projects in Stage II (research and development of a working prototype). A companion NOFO, PAR-25-202 "Technology Development Research for Establishing Feasibility and Proof of Concept (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" supports projects in Stage I (evaluation of an untested concept).

Applications that include technology development projects designed to address specific biological questions are not responsive to the goals of this NOFO but may be submitted through the Parent R01 funding announcement or other NOFOs (e.g., NIGMS Maximizing Investigators' Research Awards). Applications to this NOFO should propose development of technologies that are already supported by proof-of-concept and preliminary data.

The project focus should be on advancing the technology to a stage that demonstrates its potential for broad utility in biomedical research. Projects that develop new technologies that are not yet supported by proof of concept or feasibility data may be appropriate for PAR-25-202 (R21).

For this NOFO, technology refers to tools, methods, and techniques that enable a broad spectrum of biomedical research that falls within the NIGMS mission, including but not limited to: laboratory instruments and other devices, chemical reagents and processes, biological molecules or systems that have been modified by human intervention for use as research tools.

Further, this NOFO calls for innovative, focused technology development predicated on a broad need or challenge in biomedical research that is beyond current technological capabilities. The state-of-the-art technological performance defines a measurable starting point. Comparison of the proposed improvement in technical performance to the state of the art provides the rationale for developing a fundamentally different technology.

Specific well-characterized test systems may be used for validation, but applications should highlight the utility of the technology for biomedical research. Working Prototypes : The proposed project objective should be development of a working prototype for a technology that, while supported by preliminary data demonstrating proof of principle, still has significant fundamental technical challenges.

These challenges should be substantial enough to require focused effort over a three-to-nine-year period. Since this NOFO is designed for highly innovative concepts, the prototype should represent a significant advance over the state of the art. Projects supported by this program should not be incremental improvements to established technologies.

Validation: Applications of the technology in the project period must be limited to test systems chosen to facilitate development. The aims of the project must be focused entirely on the development of the technology.

The products of this research will be functioning prototype instruments, methods, synthetic approaches, etc., adequately characterized to be ready for first application to the type(s) of biomedical research questions that provided the rationale for its development.

Non-Responsiveness Criteria Biological Questions: Applications that include aims that address specific biological questions are not responsive to the goals of this NOFO and will be administratively withdrawn without review. However, validation of a technology against known standards is encouraged.

Although biomedical relevance is an essential element of NIH research, this stage of technology development may not include immediate short-term application of nascent technologies to biomedical research questions. Relevance of Research Topics for this NOFO Prospective applicants are strongly advised to consult with the Scientific/Research Contact(s) listed in Part 2. Section VII.

Agency Contacts for guidance on assessing the project's fit for this NOFO. Final determination of application responsiveness to this NOFO will be based on NIH Staff assessment of the full application after submission. Applications that are determined to be non-responsive to this NOFO, or that propose research topics that are not appropriate for NIGMS, will be administratively withdrawn.

The NIGMS mission is to support basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for future advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels - from molecules and cells to tissues and organs - in research organisms, humans, and populations.

The institute’s research mission is aimed at understanding the principles, mechanisms, and processes that underlie living organisms, often using research models. NIGMS also supports the development of fundamental methods and new technologies to achieve its mission. Supported research may utilize specific cells or organ systems if they serve as models for understanding general principles.

research and technology development that is aimed at understanding general principles, mechanisms, and processes through Scientific Divisions with varied interests, research in specific clinical areas that affect multiple organ systems such as anesthesiology and peri-operative pain, sepsis, clinical pharmacology that is common to multiple drugs and treatments, trauma, burn injury, and wound healing.

research focused on single classes of cells, tissues, organs, or diseases unless they are used as models for elucidating basic principles, technology development for a specific disease and/or organ system beyond those listed above, HIV/AIDS-related applications. Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit NIGMS Technology Development Programs (R21 and R01) for more details.

Note: Applications that propose technology development with the following characteristics will be of low funding priority: incremental advance of technology, obvious substitution of one known element for another, technology that will only lead to an incremental advance in biomedical research, combinations of prior elements with additive utility. See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types.

Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO. Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials. Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications received. Application budgets are not limited but must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Applications proposing projects that have early feasibility data but significant risk due to their early stage of development may request reduced budgets or a reduced duration in their applications. Applications proposing projects that are well supported by feasibility studies and are ready to develop into fully functional prototypes might require higher budgets for up to a four-year duration (five years for Early-Stage Investigators ).

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 5 years, although investigators supported by NIGMS who are not ESIs will generally receive no more than four years of support in a project period. The grant may be renewed only one time.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO. Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized).

Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Independent School Districts Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Faith-based or Community-based Organizations Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement , are allowed. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 9. 2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually . The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.

NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM. gov registration process.

The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application. eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants. gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission.

eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. Grants. gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.

gov registration. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.

If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator) Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply-Application Guide. This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1. 2 Definition of Terms .

3. Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct. The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 7. 4 Submission of Resubmission Application .

This means that the NIH will not accept: A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application. A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.

An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NIH Grants Policy Statement 2. 3. 9.

4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ). Section IV. Application and Submission Information 1.

Requesting an Application Package The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants. gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.

gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution. 2.

Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced.

Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review. All page limitations described in the How to Apply- Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed. Instructions for Application Submission The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply- Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. SF424(R&R) Other Project Information All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. All instructions in the How to Apply-Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: Specific Aims: Applications should propose to advance the technical knowledge required to investigate or manipulate biological systems in the service of advancing biomedical research.

Technical advances should be novel, inventive entities or methods that have future utility to significantly advance biomedical research. Examples include, but are not limited to, instruments, devices, processes, algorithms, software, chemicals, biomolecules, modified cells or organisms that have potential value for enabling new biomedical research.

In addition to the topics outlined in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, Explain the potential impact and practical utility of the technology for biomedical research. Describe the rationale for the proposed technology development and incorporate discussion of the broad opportunity or need that the new technology will address.

In addition to the topics outlined in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, Outline the unique nature of the technical opportunity that will be developed in the project. Describe how the technology concept to be developed is novel or inventive with potential utility for biomedical research. Describe the amount of technical advance over the state of the art or the potential advance that would be enabled in biomedical research.

In addition to the topics outlined in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, describe those aspects of the experimental approach that are specific to focused technology development. These include the uncertainties underlying the proposed technology research and development, including the risk of failure. Design the Approach to establish a working prototype with substantially improved technical capacities not provided by current tools.

Risk is expected and milestones might not be reached on a predictable timeline. For technologies with insufficient feasibility studies, describe how feasibility will be rapidly evaluated prior to advancing to prototype development. Outline how data will be obtained, analyzed, and interpreted with sufficient rigor to quantitatively assess technology development outcomes.

Identify the project performance that would be required to achieve high reward in the objectives and milestones.

Describe the desired performance characteristics of the proposed technology, specific milestones that will be used to evaluate progress toward achieving those goals, and state whether intermediate or end point project performance would be adequate for a working prototype to have utility for addressing novel biological questions.

While inclusion of untested biological questions will not be funded, validation of the nascent technology with well-characterized models or gold standard biological samples is expected. Explain the rationale for the choice of model or gold standard in terms of the desired technology performance and how the test system will facilitate technology development. Describe risk mitigation strategies.

Describe how experimental results from this project will provide an adequate foundation for the next phase of development efforts. Resource Sharing Plan : Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply- Application Guide.

All instructions in the How to Apply-Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan.

All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide.

No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply- Application Guide, with the following additional instructions: If you answered “Yes” to the question “Are Human Subjects Involved?

” on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record. Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed. PHS Assignment Request Form All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) See Part 2. Section III.

1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants. gov 4. Submission Dates and Times Part I.

contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday , the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants. gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons , NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

NIH and Grants. gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.

gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 9. 2 Electronically Submitted Applications .

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission. Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply-Application Guide. 5.

Intergovernmental Review (E. O. 12372) This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement . Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7. 9.

1 Selected Items of Cost. 7. Other Submission Requirements and Information Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply Application Guide.

Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III.

Eligibility Information contains information about registration. For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide . If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance.

For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII. All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form . Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements. The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors. Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions and responsiveness to the NOFO by the Center for Scientific Review and NIGMS. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant or non-responsive will not be reviewed.

Requests of $500,000 or more for direct costs in any year Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year (excluding consortium F&A) must contact a Scientific/ Research Contact at least 6 weeks before submitting the application and follow the Policy on the Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications that Request $500,000 or More in Direct Costs as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200. 113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.

1. 35 . Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at [email protected] .

Post Submission Materials Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy Section V. Application Review Information Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

For this particular announcement, note the following: The intent of this NOFO is to support high risk projects that are not ready for testing biological hypotheses. As such, the objectives may not address untested biological questions or gain new biological knowledge. Applications should be innovative, include measurable end-point objectives and intermediate milestones, and describe risk management.

Preliminary data, theoretical evaluation, alternative approaches, and well-described criteria for success and failure can mitigate risk. The objectives should include development of a functioning prototype(s) that may not be as efficient, robust, or versatile as the final version, but should demonstrate utility to resolve significant biomedical problems.

The research strategy should include validation of the technology against known standards such as synthetic models and characterized, gold-standard, biological systems. Projects that are at an intermediate stage, with incomplete preliminary data, but with substantial remaining risk, may request reduced budgets or a shorter project duration.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following scored review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed). An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact.

Reviewers will consider Factors 1, 2 and 3 in the determination of scientific merit, and in providing an overall impact score. In addition, Factors 1 and 2 will each receive a separate factor score. Factor 1.

Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation) Evaluate the importance of the proposed research in the context of current scientific challenges and opportunities, either for advancing knowledge within the field, or more broadly. Assess whether the application addresses an important gap in knowledge in the field, would solve a critical problem, or create a valuable conceptual or technical advance. Evaluate