Pre application for a Biomedical Technology Research Center (X02) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

PAR 14 023, titled "Pre-application for a Biomedical Technology Research Center (X02)," is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity that invites organizations to submit a pre-application for establishing a national Biomedical Technology Research Resource (BTRR). The core purpose of a BTRR is to develop new or improved, technology-driven capabilities that are directly motivated by the needs of biomedical researchers working across the spectrum of basic science, translational research, and clinical investigation. In other words, the emphasis is not simply on doing a single research project, but on building a broadly useful technology resource that can serve many external users and accelerate research progress across the community.

The pre-application mechanism (X02) is positioned as a planning and feedback step rather than a direct route to funding. NIH is explicit that no awards will be made under this announcement, meaning the X02 submission is not itself a funded grant. Instead, it is meant to help applicants sharpen the concept for a future full BTRR application, which NIH notes is typically complex because it must cover not just technology development, but also the infrastructure and operations of a national resource. Submitting a pre-application can help a prospective applicant determine whether the BTRR model is the right fit for what they are trying to build, identify missing components early, and refine how the proposed resource would function and deliver value to the broader biomedical research ecosystem. Importantly, this pre-application is optional for new resources, and existing resources seeking a competitive renewal are not required to submit a pre-application before submitting their renewal application.

A major theme in the announcement is the expectation that BTRRs operate as true community resources. Beyond inventing or improving technology, a BTRR is charged with making its technologies available to the wider biomedical research community, training researchers to use those technologies effectively, and disseminating both the technologies themselves and the experimental results that come from the resource. This implies an outward-facing model that prioritizes access, user support, documentation, education, and broad communication, rather than keeping the tools primarily internal to the applicant institution. NIH also points applicants to PAR 14 021 for a detailed description of the required components of a BTRR, signaling that the full application must align with a defined structure and set of expectations that go beyond conventional research grants.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses the grant funding instrument, with the funding activity category listed under health and the CFDA number 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training). The opportunity was originally posted on December 10, 2013, with administrative creation dated April 24, 2015. The original closing date was May 16, 2016, later updated to a current closing date of July 15, 2016, and it was archived on August 15, 2016. While the dates are historical now, they provide context for the lifecycle of the announcement and clarify that it was a time-limited solicitation.

Eligibility is broad and spans many types of U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses, and multiple levels of government such as state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The eligibility section further clarifies that certain mission-driven and federally connected entities may apply, including eligible federal agencies and faith-based or community-based organizations, along with a wide range of minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions. Regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions are also included. At the same time, NIH makes clear that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, although foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. The opportunity also indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, removing a common barrier for applicants that might otherwise need to commit non-federal funds.

Practically speaking, the value of this X02 announcement lies in risk reduction and alignment. Since building a BTRR involves demonstrating a compelling technology vision, a clear user-driven need, a viable plan for technology development and refinement, and credible strategies for access, training, and dissemination, the pre-application offers a structured way to vet whether the proposed concept matches NIH expectations before investing the extensive effort required for a full BTRR submission. The announcement’s recurring focus on community availability and training signals that NIH is looking for resources that will function as national hubs for advanced technology, not simply as lab-specific platforms, and the pre-application step is intended to help applicants shape their plans around that national-resource role.

For applicants or readers seeking the official announcement text and any additional instructions, NIH provided an information link to the funding opportunity page and listed the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for help accessing the announcement or resolving technical issues with the link.

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