Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 242
Apply for PAR 16 242
- The HHS-NIH11 in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.279, 93.286, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, 93.867,.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 10, 2016 and posted on May 10, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 07, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01) (PAR 16-242) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity from HHS (listed here as HHS-NIH11) that supports R01-style research projects built around true collaboration between the life sciences and the physical sciences/engineering. The core idea is to fund small, integrated teams that use multidisciplinary bioengineering approaches to solve clearly defined biomedical problems. Rather than supporting work that stays within one discipline, this program is meant for projects where engineering, quantitative sciences, and biology/medicine are tightly coupled so that the collaboration itself is essential to the research plan and to achieving outcomes that would be difficult within a single-field approach.
The announcement emphasizes two main goals. First, proposed projects should apply bioengineering in a genuinely multidisciplinary way to address a biomedical challenge. Second, projects should aim to integrate, optimize, validate, translate, or otherwise speed up the real-world uptake of promising tools, methods, or techniques for a specific research or clinical need. In practice, this means the program is interested not only in inventing something new, but also in doing the work needed to make a promising approach usable, trustworthy, and adoptable in a target setting, whether that setting is basic science, translational research, or clinical practice. The scope explicitly includes efforts that accelerate adoption by improving performance, demonstrating robustness, performing validation studies, refining usability, enabling integration into workflows, or moving a tool closer to a practical application where it can make an impact.
A wide range of scientific styles is acceptable. Applications may be design-directed (engineering a solution to meet defined performance goals), developmental (iterating and improving a technology or method), discovery-driven (using engineered systems or tools to uncover new biology), or hypothesis-driven (testing mechanistic or clinical hypotheses using bioengineering-enabled approaches). The announcement frames this flexibility as intentional: the critical requirement is an integrative bioengineering strategy aimed at increasing understanding of, and solving, problems in biological, clinical, or translational science. The program is therefore suitable for teams proposing projects such as new or improved biomedical devices, imaging or sensing technologies, biomaterials, microphysiological systems, computational or modeling platforms tied to experimental validation, advanced diagnostics, or other engineered methods that directly address a defined biomedical bottleneck and include a credible plan for optimization and validation.
Eligibility is broad and reflects NIH norms for research grants. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and other entities as described in the opportunity’s additional eligibility language. The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.279, 93.286, 93.393 through 93.399, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, and 93.867), which reflects that NIH uses this mechanism across different institutes and program areas that may participate in or align with the BRG goals.
Key administrative details in the provided record are that the opportunity was posted and created on May 10, 2016, with a listed closing date of May 7, 2019 (both original and current in this snapshot). The award ceiling, expected number of awards, and similar fields are not specified in the excerpt provided, but the mechanism is an R01, which generally indicates a substantial research project grant with expectations for a strong scientific premise, a well-developed plan, and meaningful impact. Overall, the BRG (R01) program is aimed at funding bioengineering work that is not merely exploratory engineering or isolated biology, but rather collaborative, solution-oriented research that moves a promising method or technology toward credible, validated use in addressing an important biomedical problem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01) (PAR 16-242)
What is the Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01) (PAR 16-242) opportunity?
Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01) (PAR 16-242) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity from HHS that supports R01-style research projects built around true collaboration between life sciences and physical sciences/engineering. It is designed to fund small, integrated teams that use multidisciplinary bioengineering approaches to solve clearly defined biomedical problems.
Which agency is offering this grant?
The opportunity is offered by HHS through NIH (listed in the record as HHS-NIH11).
What is the funding mechanism for this program?
The mechanism is an R01, which generally signals a substantial research project grant with expectations for a strong scientific premise, a well-developed research plan, and meaningful impact.
What is the core purpose of the BRG program?
The core purpose is to support projects where engineering, quantitative sciences, and biology/medicine are tightly coupled, such that the collaboration itself is essential to the research plan and to achieving outcomes that would be difficult within a single-discipline approach.
What does NIH mean by "true collaboration" in this announcement?
Based on the announcement description, "true collaboration" means the work cannot simply be parallel efforts from different fields. Instead, the life sciences and the physical sciences/engineering components must be integrated and interdependent, with the multidisciplinary coupling being essential to achieving the project goals.
What are the main goals emphasized by the announcement?
The announcement emphasizes two main goals: (1) applying bioengineering in a genuinely multidisciplinary way to address a biomedical challenge, and (2) integrating, optimizing, validating, translating, or otherwise accelerating the real-world uptake of promising tools, methods, or techniques for a specific research or clinical need.
Is this program only for inventing brand-new technologies?
No. The scope explicitly includes work needed to make promising approaches usable and adoptable. The program is interested in efforts that move a tool or method closer to credible, validated use, including optimization, validation studies, robustness demonstrations, usability refinements, workflow integration, or other steps that speed adoption.
What kinds of activities are explicitly encouraged to accelerate adoption?
The announcement explicitly includes efforts such as improving performance, demonstrating robustness, performing validation studies, refining usability, enabling integration into workflows, and translating or moving a tool closer to a practical application in basic science, translational research, or clinical practice.
What types of scientific approaches are acceptable under this program?
A wide range of scientific styles is acceptable, including design-directed projects (engineering to defined performance goals), developmental work (iterating and improving a technology or method), discovery-driven research (using engineered systems or tools to uncover new biology), and hypothesis-driven studies (testing mechanistic or clinical hypotheses using bioengineering-enabled approaches).
What is the key requirement across different project styles?
The critical requirement is an integrative bioengineering strategy aimed at increasing understanding of, and solving, problems in biological, clinical, or translational science, with multidisciplinary coupling that is essential to the plan.
What kinds of projects are a good fit for BRG (R01) based on the description provided?
Examples described as suitable include new or improved biomedical devices, imaging or sensing technologies, biomaterials, microphysiological systems, computational or modeling platforms tied to experimental validation, advanced diagnostics, and other engineered methods that address a defined biomedical bottleneck and include a credible plan for optimization and validation.
Does the program require a clearly defined biomedical problem?
Yes. The program is described as supporting teams that use multidisciplinary bioengineering approaches to solve clearly defined biomedical problems and address a defined biomedical bottleneck.
Is the program intended for single-discipline projects?
No. The announcement states it is not meant for work that stays within one discipline. Projects should be structured so that engineering/quantitative sciences and biology/medicine are tightly coupled, and the collaboration is essential to the research plan.
What is meant by "small, integrated teams" in this context?
The announcement emphasizes teams that are integrated (not siloed by discipline) and collaborative across life sciences and physical sciences/engineering. While the exact team size is not specified in the provided excerpt, the intent is that the team functions as a cohesive, multidisciplinary unit.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and consistent with NIH norms for research grants. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the opportunity's additional eligibility language.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.
Are nonprofits eligible even if they do not have 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (with an exclusion note in the provided text: excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories).
Are tribal governments or tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations.
Are institutions of higher education eligible?
Yes. Both public and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.
Are government entities eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligible applicant types include state, county, city/township, and special district governments, as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA numbers, including 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.279, 93.286, 93.393 through 93.399, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, and 93.867.
Why are there multiple CFDA numbers tied to this BRG announcement?
The provided description indicates this reflects that NIH uses this mechanism across different institutes and program areas that may participate in or align with the BRG goals.
When was this opportunity posted and created?
The record states the opportunity was posted and created on May 10, 2016.
What is the closing date shown in the provided record?
The provided record lists a closing date of May 7, 2019 (shown as both the original and current closing date in the snapshot).
Does the excerpt specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards?
No. The excerpt explicitly notes that the award ceiling, expected number of awards, and similar fields are not specified in the information provided.
What kind of outcomes is the BRG program trying to achieve?
The program aims to support collaborative, solution-oriented research that moves promising methods or technologies toward credible, validated use in addressing important biomedical problems, including steps that make approaches more usable, trustworthy, robust, and adoptable.
Does the program support projects aimed at clinical practice as well as basic research?
Yes. The scope includes efforts that speed uptake in basic science, translational research, or clinical practice, as long as they are grounded in an integrative bioengineering approach addressing a defined need.
What is the program's position on computational or modeling work?
The description includes computational or modeling platforms as an example of suitable projects, specifically noting they should be tied to experimental validation.
What is the overall "fit" test implied by the announcement?
Based on the description provided, a strong fit is a project where (1) a biomedical problem is clearly defined, (2) the plan depends on tight integration between engineering/quantitative sciences and biology/medicine, and (3) the work includes credible steps to optimize and validate a tool, method, or technology to accelerate real-world adoption or use.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PAR 16 242) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R03) Apply for PAR 16 237 Funding Number: PAR 16 237 Agency: HHS-NIH11 Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Small Research Grants for Establishing Basic Science-Clinical Collaborations to Understand Structural Birth Defects (R03) Apply for PAR 16 323 Funding Number: PAR 16 323 Agency: HHS-NIH11 Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Innovation Corps (I-Corps) at NIH Program for NIH and CDC Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grantees (Admin Supp ) Apply for PA 16 414 Funding Number: PA 16 414 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| NIH Blue Print: Development and Validation of Technologies for Rapid Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles of Central Nervous System Origin (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 18 600 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 600 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00) Apply for RFA NS 18 007 Funding Number: RFA NS 18 007 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Household Air Pollution (HAP) Health Outcomes Trial (UM1) Apply for RFA HL 16 012 Funding Number: RFA HL 16 012 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $5,075,000 |
| NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00) Apply for RFA NS 17 009 Funding Number: RFA NS 17 009 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genomics Small Research Grant Program (R03) Apply for PA 17 445 Funding Number: PA 17 445 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genomics Research Project Grant Program (R01) Apply for PA 17 444 Funding Number: PA 17 444 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genomics Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (R21) Apply for PA 17 446 Funding Number: PA 17 446 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Dynamic Neuroimmune Interactions in the Transition from Normal CNS Function to Disorders (R01) Apply for RFA AA 18 007 Funding Number: RFA AA 18 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Research on Transgender Health (R01) Apply for PA 17 478 Funding Number: PA 17 478 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research on Transgender Health (R21) Apply for PA 17 477 Funding Number: PA 17 477 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Innovative Approaches or Technologies to Investigate Regional, Structural and Functional Heterogeneity of CNS Small Blood and Lymphatic Vessels (R01) Apply for RFA NS 18 003 Funding Number: RFA NS 18 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Human Studies of Target Identification, Biomarkers and Disease Mechanisms Specific to CNS Small Blood and Lymphatic Vessels (R01) Apply for RFA NS 18 004 Funding Number: RFA NS 18 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $499,000 |
| Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 007 Funding Number: PAR 18 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 017 Funding Number: PAR 18 017 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 206 Funding Number: PAR 18 206 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Bioengineering Research Partnerships (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 208 Funding Number: PAR 18 208 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 488 Funding Number: PA 18 488 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Environment, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $50,000 |
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