Health Research Grants

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program (JWMRP) Military Medical Research and Development Award (MMRDA) mechanism is intended to fund the logical continuation of previous Department of War (DOW)-funded research and development efforts relevant to the FY26 JWMRP that augment and accelerate high-priority medical requirements to meet the needs of Service Members and other Military Health System beneficiaries. The MMRDA supports a wide range of research projects spanning late-stage preclinical studies, late-state technology development efforts, technology demonstration, translational, and clinical research. Projects must be relevant to at least one of the FY26 JWMRP focus areas.Distinctive Features:To be eligible for JWMRP funding, applicants/offerors must have already received DOD/DOW core or DOD/DOW Congressional Special Interest funding.An MMRDA Clinical Research or Clinical Trial Option (MMRDA-CRCTO) is available to specifically support clinical research/observational studies, all phases of clinical trials/interventional studies, and/or correlative studies in support of the development of promising pharmaceutical or biologic candidates, medical devices and technologies. Applicants/offerors should select MMRDA-CRCTO when the application/proposal involves research that includes any human subjects, human biological samples (prospective or retrospective) or human data sets. Note: If selecting this option, applicants must submit additional relevant application/proposal materials. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526JWMRPMMRDA. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: CA,G,O,PC. Category: ST. Award Amount: $8.8M total program funding.

Combat Readiness – Medical Research Program Translational Research Award (FY26 CRRP TRA) is sponsored by Department of Defense (DoD) - Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). This award supports hypothesis-driven innovative, high-impact translational research that will accelerate the movement of promising ideas and/or technologies in trauma care into solutions to maximize casualty survivability, improve patient care closer to the point of injury and/or trauma care guidelines. Preliminary data are required, and research using well-validated animal models is allowed. The research must represent a mature, translational research effort with a minimum biomedical technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 or knowledge readiness level (KRL) of 4.

Transition to Independence Grants is sponsored by KidneyCure, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Foundation. These grants are awarded to advance the independent careers of young investigators in biomedical research, specifically within seven years of their initial faculty appointment. The program aims to equip recipients to be competitive for an NIH R01 grant or equivalent.

Bridge2AI Stage 2 advances NIH's flagship biomedical AI initiative from creating ethically sourced, machine-learning-ready datasets to delivering deployable AI tools for specific health challenges. Stage 2 funds Innovation Funnels that use the Stage 1 AI-ready datasets (voice biomarkers, clinical cardiology, salutogenesis, AI/ML for precision public health) to build diagnostic algorithms, drug discovery platforms, and clinical decision support systems. It also establishes a Network for AI Health Science to develop safety protocols, responsible AI implementation guidance, and ethics frameworks for biomedical AI. Strong emphasis on FAIR data principles, transparent model documentation, equity, and public trust.

Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Invites eligible United States small business concerns (SBCs) to submit Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications to develop products, processes, or services for commercialization that improve minority health and/or reduce and eliminate health disparities.

NIH Small Business Transition Grant for New Entrepreneurs (PAR-27-039 SBIR) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This SBIR program funds small businesses led on a project by a first-time Principal Investigator, combining research and development funding with mentorship and entrepreneurial training for that PI. It is returning for fiscal year 2027 and will allow clinical trials. This would be relevant for a small business startup in medical devices for wound healing where the PI is a new entrepreneur.

Unveiling Health and Healthcare Disparities in Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Setting the Stage for Better Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed) is sponsored by NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Supports research addressing health disparities in non-communicable and chronic diseases in Latin America.

NLM Institutional Grants for Research Training in Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, and AI is sponsored by National Library of Medicine (NLM) / National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant funds institutions to create or renew training programs that prepare researchers in biomedical informatics, data science, and AI/ML to tackle complex health and biomedical challenges.

Digital Health Technology and Reciprocal Innovation to Improve Clinical and Public Health Outcomes is sponsored by Fogarty International Center (FIC) - National Institutes of Health (NIH). This initiative supports research on the development, validation, feasibility, and effectiveness of innovative digital health interventions or tools (including mobile health) specifically suited for underserved settings in the U.S. and globally. It emphasizes reciprocal innovation methodologies.

Accelerating Research and Development of Next Generation Vaccines against Malaria - a Model for Mosquito-Borne Diseases (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Supports research and/or preclinical development of highly efficacious vaccines against malaria by capitalizing on recent technological innovations, particularly in structure-based immunogen design, improved formulations, and combination vaccines.

Digital Health Technology and Reciprocal Innovation to Improve Clinical and Public Health Outcomes (PAR-28-039) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). This initiative will support research on the development, validation, feasibility, and effectiveness of innovative digital health interventions or tools (including mobile health) specifically suited for underserved settings in the U.

Expanding the Target Landscape by Drugging the Undruggable (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is sponsored by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS/NIH). This R21 grant opportunity focuses on expanding the understanding of therapeutic targets and developing strategies to 'drug the undruggable' in various disease areas. Clinical trials are not allowed.

Corporate Giving Program (Community Benefit Grants) is sponsored by MyMichigan Health. This program awards community benefit grants and sponsorships to eligible organizations for programs and projects that have a positive impact on health outcomes. Funding priorities align with their Community Health Needs Assessment and include Behavioral Health, Chronic Disease Prevention, and Access to Care & Social Services, which explicitly mentions Social Determinants of Health.

PAR-25-131 funds development of computational and AI-driven approaches to scale up curation of biomedical research assets including datasets, models, software, ontologies, and literature. Funded scope includes large language model-based extraction and normalization of biomedical entities and relations, AI-enabled metadata generation and FAIR-ification, generative AI for ontology mapping and harmonization, automated dataset quality assessment and provenance tracking, model card and data sheet generation, knowledge graph construction at scale, and human-in-the-loop AI curation systems. Strong fit for NLP, knowledge representation, and AI-for-science teams.

BBSRC Standard Research Grant: applicant-led mode is sponsored by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) / UK Research and Innovation. This scheme supports excellent investigator-led research across the breadth of the BBSRC scientific remit. While not specifically maternal health, it could encompass biological and biotechnological aspects relevant to maternal health research.

Trauma Resuscitation with Group O Whole Blood Or Products (TROOP) Trial is sponsored by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). A multi-center, phase 3 clinical trial comparing whole blood transfusions to blood component therapy in trauma patients with major bleeding and activation of massive transfusion protocol. The study aims to determine if whole blood improves survival outcomes.

Partnerships for Indigenous-led ELSI Research (PIER) is sponsored by National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH). This grant supports tribally-led genomic research aimed at addressing American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health disparities. The initiative focuses on strengthening meaningful collaboration with AI/AN communities and AI/AN-serving health systems in Alaska and Oklahoma to promote Indigenous-driven approaches to genomic research. It also includes a Community Scholars program to support researchers interested in Tribal health research.

LIVERWISE: Healthy Liver, Healthy Life! is sponsored by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program aims to expand and advance CDC's education, outreach, and public awareness activities to strengthen the science base for prevention, education, and public health awareness leading to meaningful patient outcomes for liver disease, with a focus on non-alcoholic fatty …

Illinois WISEWOMAN Program is sponsored by Illinois Department of Public Health. Provides funds to Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program providers to offer cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening to women ages 35-64, whose income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, along with lifestyle programs to reduce CVD risk factors.

The USAMRDC’s mission is to provide solutions to medical problems of importance to the American Service Member at home and abroad, as well as to the general public at large. The scope of this effort and the priorities attached to specific projects are influenced by changes in military and civilian medical science and technology (S&T), operational requirements, military threat assessments, and national defense strategies. Extramural research and development programs play a vital role in the fulfillment of the objectives established by the USAMRDC. General information on the USAMRDC can be obtained at https://mrdc.health.mil/.This BAA is intended to solicit extramural research and development ideas using the authority provided by 10 USC 4001. The BAA is issued under the provisions of the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-369), as implemented in FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016 and in Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARs) 22.315. In accordance with FAR 35.016, projects funded under this BAA must be for basic and applied research to support scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on development of a specific system or hardware solution. Research and development funded through this BAA are intended and expected to benefit and inform both military and civilian medical practice and knowledge. This BAA utilizes competitive procedures in accordance with 10 USC 3012 for the selection for award of S&T proposals/applications. For the purposes of this BAA, S&T includes activities involving basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, and, under certain conditions, may include activities involving advanced component development and prototypes.The selection process is highly competitive, and the quantity of meaningful submissions (both pre-proposals/pre-applications and full proposals/applications) received typically exceeds the number of awards that available funding can support.This BAA provides a general description of USAMRDC’s research and development programs, including Research Areas of Interest, evaluation and selection criteria, pre-proposal/ pre-application and full proposal/application preparation instructions, and general administrative information. Specific submission information and additional administrative requirements can be found in the document titled, “General Submission Instructions,” which is available on Grants.gov along with this BAA.The FY23-FY27 USAMRDC BAA is continuously open for a 5-year period, from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Submission of a pre-proposal/pre-application is required and must be submitted through the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org/). Pre-proposals/pre-applications may be submitted at any time throughout the 5-year period. If the USAMRDC is interested in receiving a full proposal/application, the Principal Investigator will be sent an invitation to submit via eBRAP. A full proposal/application must be submitted through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/). Invited full proposals/applications can be submitted under this FY23-FY27 BAA through September 30, 2027. Funding Opportunity Number: HT942523SBAA1. Assistance Listing: 12.420. Funding Instrument: CA,G,O,PC. Category: ST.

Capital Projects Fund is sponsored by U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Capital Projects Fund (CPF) provides funding to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments for capital projects that enable work, education, and health monitoring in response to public health emergencies. These funds address critical needs, particularly in rural, Tribal, and low- to moderate-income communities, by investing in modern infrastructure, including broadband, to access critical services. Eligible projects must invest in capital assets designed to directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, address a critical need resulting from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency, and address a critical community need.

Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15) is sponsored by NIH. This program supports small-scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students, and enhancing the research environment at applicant institutions.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) intends to support fundamental research that will contribute to basic understanding of skin injuries caused by chemicals that have been identified as public health threats, with an emphasis on investigating the commonalities of such injuries and identifying potential shared signaling pathways and therapeutic targets for medical countermeasure development. Funding Opportunity Number: PA-25-093. Assistance Listing: 93.846,93.855. Funding Instrument: G. Category: HL.

PAR-25-136 funds laboratory-based research developing, optimizing, and rigorously testing AI-enabled digital mental health interventions and technologies. Funded scope includes adaptive intervention design using reinforcement learning, just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI), AI-driven personalization of therapeutic content, large language model-based therapy assistants, computer vision and audio analysis for symptom assessment, predictive models for crisis detection, AI-enabled cognitive behavioral therapy delivery, and digital phenotyping for depression, anxiety, psychosis, and other mental health conditions. Emphasizes mechanistic understanding of intervention components and component selection through SMART, MOST, and factorial trial designs.

The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) (with participation from NIEHS and NICHD). This program supports innovative population-based research on how work or occupation influences health outcomes and health status among health disparity populations, and how work functions as a social determinant of health.

Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) — National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and National Institute on Aging (NIA). This program supports innovative, multi-level healthcare and clinical research targeting older adults from populations experiencing health disparities.

Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH). MIRA provides support for the program of research in an investigator's laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The goal is to increase funding efficiency by providing investigators with greater stability and flexibility over five-year grant periods, enhancing scientific productivity and the potential for important breakthroughs. This program also aims to distribute funding more widely among talented researchers. Early Stage Investigators should apply through PAR-27-032.

Broad Agency Announcement for Extramural Biomedical and Human Performance Research is sponsored by U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). This is a multi-year rolling Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) that supports extramural biomedical and human performance research and development. It is open to any eligible entity, including universities, nonprofits, and businesses, covering a wide range of military medical research topics.

Digital Twins for Biomedical, Biological and Behavioral Research is sponsored by NIH. This NIH highlighted topic encourages innovative research and prototype development of digital twin technologies for biomedical, biological, and behavioral research and human health. It emphasizes fit-for-purpose digital twins that accelerate scientific discovery and support intelligent medical technologies, aligning with physics-informed AI through the need for predictive models of biological systems updated with real-time data.

Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan: Leveraging the Palliative Care Consortium (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA) / National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites R01 applications proposing research on palliative care across the lifespan for persons with serious illnesses and/or their care partners, relevant to the missions of participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. This includes projects focused on palliative care access, use, and quality. Applications may propose non-clinical trial palliative care research, such as health services research, methodologic research, natural experiments, or observational studies.