Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21) PA-25-169 (Discontinued)

NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21) is sponsored by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). This grant is for early-stage researchers to pursue projects at the intersection of engineering and the physical sciences with life sciences. It is ideal for high-risk, high-impact medical device research where preliminary data is not required.

Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health. Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) is a forecasted funding opportunity on Grants.gov from National Institutes of Health. Fiscal Year: 2026. Assistance Listing Number(s): 93.286. <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, with the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health intend to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the Trailblazer Award.&nbsp;This is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investiga...

Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (PAR-24-022) is sponsored by National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH). This award offers new and early stage investigators an opportunity to pursue research programs at the interface of the life sciences with engineering and the physical sciences, including applications of AI to aging research.

The NIBIB Trailblazer Award is an enhanced R21 mechanism for New and Early Stage Investigators (NIs/ESIs) to pursue research at the interface of life sciences with engineering and physical sciences — explicitly including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning for medical imaging and biomedical data analysis. Trailblazer projects receive up to $400,000 in direct costs over three years, and NIBIB encourages applications in computational imaging, AI-driven diagnostic algorithms, deep learning for medical image segmentation and classification, machine learning approaches to biomedical signal processing, and AI for digital pathology, radiology, and wearable health sensors. Beginning FY2026, NIH funding opportunities are posted exclusively on Grants.gov rather than the NIH Guide. Trailblazer complements NIBIB's standard R21 (capped at $275,000 over two years) and R01 pathway for larger established research programs.

NIBIB Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21) is a grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), NIH that funds high-risk, high-impact research at the intersection of engineering, physical sciences, and biomedical sciences. Eligible applicants are NIH-defined New or Early Stage Investigators who have not previously submitted R01 or R15 applications. Awards provide $400,000 in direct costs over three years. No preliminary data are required — projects should be exploratory, novel, and non-incremental. Applications are due June 16, 2026.

The NIBIB Trailblazer Award (R21) supports new and early-stage investigators pursuing research at the interface of engineering, physical sciences, and biomedical sciences, with a strong emphasis on AI/ML applications in biomedical imaging and data analysis. The award provides up to $400,000 in direct costs over a three-year period. Priority research areas include AI-powered clinical decision support systems, computer-aided diagnosis and screening, natural language processing for medical records, predictive modeling for patient outcomes, radiomics and image segmentation, and early-stage software and tool development. The program is designed to lower barriers for investigators who may lack preliminary data by using an R21 mechanism that supports exploratory and developmental research. NIBIB's AI/ML program supports the design and development of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning to enhance analysis of complex medical images and data.