Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 166

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 166

The NIH funding opportunity PAR 21-166, titled "Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," supports research projects that move promising scientific and engineering advances closer to real-world use. The core idea is to help academic and industry partners work together to translate discoveries into practical methods, tools, and technologies that can strengthen how diseases are studied and how health problems are addressed. Projects can be aimed at basic research needs (for example, creating technologies that make it easier to understand disease mechanisms) as well as applied research needs, such as improving how risk is assessed, how disease is detected, prevented, diagnosed, treated, or managed. The emphasis is on delivering new and improved capabilities that match evolving research and care requirements across pre-clinical, clinical, and non-clinical environments, and this can include work relevant to domestic or international settings as long as it aligns with the missions of the participating NIH institutes.

This is an R01 mechanism, meaning it is intended for well-developed, hypothesis-driven or milestone-driven research programs that can produce clear, fundable progress toward translation. While the technologies supported may ultimately be used in clinical care, the FOA is explicitly "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which means applicants should not propose clinical trials where an intervention is tested in human participants to evaluate health outcomes. In practice, that usually pushes projects toward technology development, refinement, validation work that does not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial, preclinical testing, and other translational steps that build readiness for later-stage studies. Applicants generally need to frame aims around development and rigorous evaluation of tools or methods without crossing into clinical trial territory.

The opportunity falls under the NIH and is listed under CFDA numbers 93.121, 93.394, and 93.395, reflecting its placement within NIH research support areas. The overall purpose statement makes clear that NIH is looking for technologies and approaches that address real bottlenecks in research or care delivery, including diagnostic and therapeutic translation. The "academic-industrial partnerships" theme signals that proposals are expected to meaningfully integrate expertise and capabilities across sectors, such as an academic lab providing foundational discovery and mechanistic insight while an industry partner contributes engineering, manufacturing know-how, regulatory experience, product development infrastructure, or pathways to deployment. Competitive applications typically make the partnership feel essential rather than optional, with clear roles, responsibilities, and value from each side.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth is consistent with NIH's interest in drawing strong translational ideas from many settings, including institutions serving underserved communities and organizations operating outside the continental U.S.

Key administrative details in the provided source data include an original closing date of 2025-01-08, a listed award ceiling of $499,000, and the opportunity category identified as discretionary with a grant funding instrument. The FOA was created on 2021-03-25. The "ExpectedAwards" field is not populated in the provided extract, so the number of awards is not specified here. Applicants would typically verify current due dates, budgets, and any updated notices on the active NIH posting because NIH opportunities sometimes have multiple receipt dates or updated guidance over time.

Overall, this FOA is designed for teams that can show a credible path from an enabling discovery or engineering development to a usable diagnostic or treatment-related technology, with the translation work strengthened by an academic-industry collaboration. The sweet spot is work that is more mature than early discovery but not yet a human clinical trial, focused on building tools, demonstrating performance, and closing the gaps that commonly prevent promising technologies from being adopted in research or care settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.394, 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,000.00 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.

Apply for PAR 21 166

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: