Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 27 072
Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is an NIH funding opportunity (PAR-27-072) designed to support multidisciplinary bioengineering projects that bring together expertise from the life sciences and the physical sciences to tackle a clearly defined biomedical problem. The main emphasis is on integrative, cross-disciplinary work that does not just invent something new, but also actively moves promising tools, methods, and techniques toward real adoption. That can mean integrating multiple components into a workable system, optimizing and refining performance, validating that a tool works as intended, translating a technology into a relevant research or clinical environment, or otherwise accelerating uptake for a specific basic, translational, or clinical need.
The scientific scope is intentionally broad in terms of research style. Applications can be design-directed (engineering a solution to a stated need), developmental (advancing an emerging technology or platform), discovery-driven (creating enabling approaches that open new avenues of investigation), or hypothesis-driven (testing a mechanistic or biological hypothesis using a bioengineering approach). The program is positioned for small teams that can demonstrate a cohesive, integrated plan rather than loosely connected subprojects. A competitive proposal typically aligns the bioengineering innovation with a concrete biomedical use case and spells out how the approach will be assessed, improved, and shown to be useful in a relevant setting.
Clinical trials are allowed under this NOFO, but only in a limited, purpose-driven way. The clinical trial component is meant to test functionality or validate performance in the intended setting, such as demonstrating that a device, method, assay, platform, or workflow performs as expected in real-world clinical or translational conditions. In other words, the clinical trial should be tightly tied to technology validation or translation as the central motivation. This program is not meant to fund conventional clinical trials where the primary goal is to evaluate clinical efficacy without a strong technology-translation rationale, and it explicitly will not support Phase III clinical trials in any research area.
A key boundary is that the NOFO does not support commercial production. Projects can advance and validate technologies, but the funding is not intended to pay for scaling manufacturing or routine production for commercial distribution. Applicants are expected to remain within the research, development, integration, and validation space, consistent with NIH grant goals.
Eligibility is broad and includes many common U.S. applicant types: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the NOFO. International participation is permitted in specific ways: non-U.S. (foreign) organizations may apply directly, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also eligible. However, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed, so applicants with international arrangements need to structure collaborations carefully to remain compliant with NIH definitions and policy.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant mechanism under the NIH, using the R01 activity format with “Clinical Trial Optional” flexibility. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $500,000 (as provided in the source data) and is associated with multiple CFDA listings (93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.865, 93.867), reflecting that multiple NIH institutes or centers may participate. The posted closing date in the source data is July 5, 2029, indicating a multi-year window in which due dates may occur according to the standard NIH receipt schedule and the specific NOFO instructions. For precise submission rules, budgeting limits as applied in practice, and any institute-specific interests, applicants are expected to consult the NOFO’s Section III (Eligibility) and related sections that spell out requirements and constraints in detail.Apply for PAR 27 072
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.865, 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-05-04.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2029-07-05.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity?
Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is an NIH funding opportunity (PAR-27-072) that supports multidisciplinary bioengineering projects bringing together life sciences and physical sciences to solve a clearly defined biomedical problem.
What is the main emphasis of this program?
The emphasis is on integrative, cross-disciplinary work that not only invents new tools, methods, or techniques, but also actively moves promising approaches toward real adoption. This includes integration into workable systems, optimization, validation, translation into relevant research or clinical environments, and other efforts that accelerate uptake for a specific basic, translational, or clinical need.
What kinds of research approaches are within scope?
The scientific scope is intentionally broad. Applications may be design-directed (engineering a solution to a stated need), developmental (advancing an emerging technology or platform), discovery-driven (creating enabling approaches that open new avenues), or hypothesis-driven (testing a mechanistic or biological hypothesis using a bioengineering approach).
Does the program favor certain team structures or project organization?
The program is positioned for small teams that can demonstrate a cohesive, integrated plan rather than loosely connected subprojects.
What typically makes a proposal competitive for this NOFO?
A competitive proposal typically aligns the bioengineering innovation with a concrete biomedical use case and clearly explains how the approach will be assessed, improved, and demonstrated to be useful in a relevant setting.
Are clinical trials allowed under PAR-27-072?
Yes. Clinical trials are allowed, but only in a limited, purpose-driven way focused on testing functionality or validating performance in the intended setting.
What is the intended purpose of a clinical trial in this program?
The clinical trial component is meant to demonstrate that a device, method, assay, platform, or workflow performs as expected in real-world clinical or translational conditions. The clinical trial should be tightly tied to technology validation or translation as the central motivation.
What types of clinical trials are not a fit for this opportunity?
This program is not intended to fund conventional clinical trials where the primary goal is to evaluate clinical efficacy without a strong technology-translation rationale.
Are Phase III clinical trials allowed?
No. The NOFO explicitly will not support Phase III clinical trials in any research area.
Does this grant fund commercial production or manufacturing scale-up?
No. A key boundary is that the NOFO does not support commercial production. Projects may advance and validate technologies, but the funding is not intended to pay for scaling manufacturing or routine production for commercial distribution.
What kinds of activities are appropriate if commercial production is not allowed?
Applicants are expected to remain within research, development, integration, and validation activities consistent with NIH grant goals (for example, refining performance, validating that a tool works as intended, and translating a technology into a relevant research or clinical environment).
What is the funding mechanism used for this opportunity?
This is an NIH discretionary grant using the R01 activity format with “Clinical Trial Optional” flexibility.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $500,000 (as provided in the source data).
Which organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the NOFO.
Can non-U.S. (foreign) organizations apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations may apply directly, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also eligible, as described in the opportunity summary.
Are foreign components allowed under NIH policy for this opportunity?
No. Foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. Applicants with international arrangements need to structure collaborations carefully to remain compliant with NIH definitions and policy.
What does it mean that the NOFO is associated with multiple CFDA listings?
The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA listings (93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.865, 93.867), reflecting that multiple NIH institutes or centers may participate.
What is the closing date for this opportunity?
The posted closing date in the source data is July 5, 2029, indicating a multi-year window. Specific due dates may occur according to the standard NIH receipt schedule and the NOFO instructions.
Where should applicants look for the most precise submission rules and constraints?
For precise submission rules, budgeting limits as applied in practice, and any institute-specific interests, applicants are expected to consult the NOFO, including Section III (Eligibility) and other related sections that spell out requirements and constraints in detail.
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