Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 324
Apply for PAR 16 324
- The HHS-NIH11 in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biophysical and Biomechanical Aspects of Embryonic Development (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 10, 2016 and posted on Jun 10, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 19, 2018. (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 $200,000.00 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Biophysical and Biomechanical Aspects of Embryonic Development (R21) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-16-324) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement designed to push early-stage, innovative research on how physical forces and mechanical properties shape embryonic development. The program is specifically framed around high risk, high impact ideas that could open up new directions in developmental biology by treating embryogenesis not only as a genetic and biochemical process, but also as a mechanical and physical one. The emphasis is on work in model organisms, with the broader goal of producing foundational insights that can later be connected to vertebrate development and, ultimately, to the origins of developmental disorders.
This opportunity uses the R21 mechanism, which is typically meant for exploratory and developmental projects where investigators are testing bold concepts, piloting new methods, or generating initial datasets that can support larger follow-on studies. In practice, that means applicants are encouraged to take on questions that are not yet well developed or are difficult to tackle using standard approaches. The FOA highlights several acceptable directions: introducing approaches and concepts that are new to the field of developmental tissue mechanics, creating or significantly improving technologies that enable measurement or manipulation of forces in embryos, and carrying out early proof-of-concept studies that generate the kind of preliminary evidence needed to justify longer-term research programs.
Scientifically, the FOA centers on tissue mechanics relevant to vertebrate development. That includes understanding how cells and tissues generate, sense, and respond to mechanical cues during key embryonic events such as tissue folding, elongation, segmentation, morphogenetic movements, lumen formation, and organ primordia shaping. Projects might investigate material properties of tissues (such as stiffness, viscosity, elasticity, or anisotropy), the dynamics of force generation (for example, actomyosin contractility or traction forces), and how mechanical environments influence cell fate decisions, pattern formation, and structural robustness. A major motivation is that failures in these biomechanical processes can contribute to congenital or developmental abnormalities, so building “new and critical information†in this space is viewed as a pathway toward understanding the physical basis of developmental disorders.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically NIH (listed as HHS-NIH11), and it falls within the Health, Income Security and Social Services activity category. The CFDA numbers associated with the opportunity are 93.865 (as listed in the source data). The announcement was created and posted on June 10, 2016, with an original and current closing date of September 19, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, indicating the maximum award amount allowed under the terms presented in the summarized source information.
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types that NIH commonly allows for research grants. Eligible applicants include 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 and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional eligible entities referenced in the announcement’s eligibility clarification text. This wide eligibility scope is meant to encourage participation from universities, research institutes, companies developing research tools, and other organizations capable of conducting advanced biophysical and biomechanical research.
Overall, the core message of PAR-16-324 is to seed creative, early-stage research that makes embryonic development more measurable and more mechanistically understandable from a physics and mechanics standpoint. The NIH’s intent is to stimulate new tools, new concepts, and new pilot datasets that can reshape how developmental tissue mechanics is studied and that can later support larger efforts aimed at explaining, predicting, and potentially preventing developmental disorders rooted in faulty biomechanical processes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the PAR-16-324 funding opportunity?
PAR-16-324 is an NIH funding opportunity titled "The Biophysical and Biomechanical Aspects of Embryonic Development (R21)." It is designed to support early-stage, innovative research that explores how physical forces and mechanical properties shape embryonic development.
Which agency offers this grant opportunity?
This program is offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), listed as HHS-NIH11.
What is the main scientific focus of this FOA?
The FOA focuses on the biophysical and biomechanical drivers of embryonic development, emphasizing embryogenesis as not only a genetic and biochemical process but also a mechanical and physical one. The goal is to generate foundational insights that can later be connected to vertebrate development and the origins of developmental disorders.
What grant mechanism is used, and what does it imply?
This opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which typically supports exploratory and developmental projects. It is intended for testing bold concepts, piloting new methods, and generating initial datasets that can support larger follow-on studies.
Is this considered a high-risk, high-impact program?
Yes. The announcement explicitly emphasizes high risk, high impact ideas that could open new research directions in developmental biology, particularly by advancing developmental tissue mechanics.
What kinds of projects are encouraged under this opportunity?
The FOA highlights several acceptable directions, including: introducing approaches and concepts new to the field of developmental tissue mechanics; creating or significantly improving technologies that enable measurement or manipulation of forces in embryos; and conducting early proof-of-concept studies that generate preliminary evidence for longer-term research programs.
Does the FOA prioritize particular biological systems or organisms?
Yes. The emphasis is on work in model organisms, with the broader aim of producing foundational insights that can later be linked to vertebrate development.
What embryonic processes or events are within scope?
The FOA centers on tissue mechanics relevant to vertebrate development, including mechanical cues and forces during key events such as tissue folding, elongation, segmentation, morphogenetic movements, lumen formation, and shaping of organ primordia.
What types of mechanical or material properties might be studied?
Projects may investigate material properties of tissues such as stiffness, viscosity, elasticity, and anisotropy, as well as the dynamics of force generation.
What examples of force generation are mentioned?
The FOA provides examples such as actomyosin contractility and traction forces as relevant aspects of force generation dynamics in embryonic tissues.
How does the FOA connect biomechanics to developmental biology outcomes?
The program encourages research on how mechanical environments influence cell fate decisions, pattern formation, and structural robustness during embryogenesis.
Why is NIH interested in embryonic mechanics in relation to disorders?
A major motivation described in the FOA is that failures in biomechanical processes can contribute to congenital or developmental abnormalities. Building new and critical information about these physical processes is framed as a pathway toward understanding the physical basis of developmental disorders.
What is the maximum award amount listed for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000, which is presented as the maximum award amount allowed under the summarized source information.
When was the announcement created and posted?
The announcement was created and posted on June 10, 2016.
What is the closing date for applications?
The original and current closing date listed is September 19, 2018.
What activity category is this program associated with?
It falls within the Health, Income Security and Social Services activity category.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 93.865, as listed in the provided source data.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: state governments; county governments; 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; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional eligible entities referenced in the announcement’s eligibility clarification text.
Are universities and research institutes eligible?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are explicitly listed as eligible, which supports participation from universities and related research organizations.
Are companies eligible to apply?
Yes. Both small businesses and for-profit organizations other than small businesses are listed as eligible applicants in the provided information.
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status are included as eligible, with the note that these nonprofit categories exclude higher education institutions.
Are government entities eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include multiple government entity types, such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts.
Are tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are listed as eligible.
Is technology development an acceptable focus for an R21 under this FOA?
Yes. The FOA explicitly highlights creating or significantly improving technologies that enable measurement or manipulation of forces in embryos as an acceptable direction.
Does this FOA encourage preliminary datasets or proof-of-concept work?
Yes. A core intent described is to support early proof-of-concept studies and initial datasets that can justify longer-term research programs and follow-on studies.
What is the overarching goal of the program?
The core message is to seed creative, early-stage research that makes embryonic development more measurable and more mechanistically understandable from a physics and mechanics standpoint, enabling future larger efforts aimed at explaining and potentially preventing developmental disorders rooted in faulty biomechanical processes.
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