Research Project Grant (R21)

Research Project Grant (R21) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). Supports exploratory and developmental research projects, including those focused on AI systems for medical applications.

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.

AIDS and AIDS-Related Applications Beginning with applications for Advisory Council Review in January 2027 (i.e., application due dates on or after May 25, 2026), NIH will no longer accept applications submitted on dedicated AIDS application due dates. ( NOT-OD-26-029 ) 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 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