Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 326
Apply for PAR 14 326
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Serious STEM Games for Pre College and Informal Science Education Audiences (STTR) (R41/R42)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351 Research Infrastructure Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 28, 2014 and posted on Aug 28, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 12, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Only United States small business concerns (SBCs) are eligible to submit applications for this opportunity. A small business concern is one that, at the time of award of Phase I and Phase II, meets all of the following criteria 1. Is organized for profit, with a place of business located in the United States, which operates primarily within the United States or which makes a significant contribution to the United States economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor 2. Is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, joint venture, association, trust or cooperative, except that where the form is a joint venture, there must be less than 50 percent participation by foreign business entities in the joint venture 3. (i) SBIR and STTR. Be a concern which is more than 50 directly owned and controlled by one or more individuals (who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), other business concerns (each of which is more than 50 directly owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), or any combination of these OR (ii) SBIR only. Be a concern which is more than 50 owned by multiple venture capital operating companies, hedge funds, private equity firms, or any combination of these. No single venture capital operating company, hedge fund, or private equity firm may own more than 50 of the concern OR (iii) SBIR and STTR. Be a joint venture in which each entity to the joint venture must meet the requirements set forth in paragraph 3 (i) or 3 (ii) of this section. A joint venture that includes one or more concerns that meet the requirements of paragraph (ii) of this section must comply with 121.705(b) concerning registration and proposal requirements. 4. Has, including its affiliates, not more than 500 employees.
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Opportunity Summary:
This funding opportunity (PAR-14-326) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant program that supports U.S. small businesses in creating "serious" STEM games centered on biology topics that connect directly to health and medicine. The core goal is to fund the development of interactive educational games that do more than entertain: they are meant to teach, train, and potentially influence behaviors through a virtual, game-based environment that emphasizes progressive learning, timely feedback on performance, and meaningful user control. The program is designed to turn science learning into a hands-on, inquiry-driven "learning by doing" experience rather than a passive one.
The target audiences are clearly defined and fall into two main categories. The first is pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12) students as well as pre-service and in-service teachers. The second is Informal Science Education (ISE) audiences, which generally refers to learning that happens outside traditional classrooms, such as museums, science centers, community programs, and similar public-facing education settings. In practice, NIH is signaling that they want game-based tools that can work either in schools (supporting instruction and teacher professional needs) or in community and museum contexts (supporting informal learning for families, youth, and the broader public).
A key emphasis of the announcement is translation: it anticipates that projects will adapt or convert existing health- and medicine-based P-12 STEM curricula and/or museum exhibits into educational games. In other words, applicants are not limited to inventing entirely new content from scratch; they can take proven instructional materials or exhibit concepts and rebuild them as engaging digital experiences. The games should be grounded in biology and should address authentic health and medicine questions, aligning gameplay with real scientific ideas and practices rather than superficial science themes.
From an eligibility standpoint, this FOA is limited to United States small business concerns (SBCs), consistent with STTR rules. To qualify, a business must be for-profit, have a place of business in the U.S., and operate primarily in the U.S. (or make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through taxes or use of American products, materials, or labor). The company must fit one of the allowable legal structures (such as an LLC or corporation), and it must have no more than 500 employees including affiliates. Ownership and control requirements follow standard SBIR/STTR rules described in the notice, including conditions for joint ventures and allowable ownership structures. Unlike some other federal programs, there is no cost sharing or matching requirement indicated for this opportunity.
Mechanically, the funding instrument is a discretionary grant under the NIH umbrella, and it uses the STTR phased approach (R41/R42), which typically corresponds to Phase I for early feasibility and prototype development and Phase II for further development, refinement, and evaluation toward a more complete product. The activity category is health, reflecting NIHs interest in improving understanding of health and medicine through biology-focused STEM learning tools. The CFDA listing included is 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs), and the opportunity was posted on August 28, 2014, with an original and final listed closing date of May 12, 2016, and an archive date of June 12, 2016 (meaning it is no longer accepting applications, but the summary still describes what NIH sought to fund).
Overall, the program is aimed at small businesses that can partner through the STTR framework to build high-quality, research-informed educational games that make biology and health/medicine concepts tangible, interactive, and measurable in terms of learner progress. The strongest fit would be projects that clearly map game mechanics to learning objectives, incorporate feedback loops that help users improve, and are designed for real-world use in classrooms or informal education environments, potentially leveraging existing curricula or museum exhibit content as the scientific foundation.
FAQs: NIH STTR Serious STEM Games (PAR-14-326)
What is PAR-14-326?
PAR-14-326 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunity that supports U.S. small businesses developing "serious" STEM educational games focused on biology topics that connect directly to health and medicine.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The main goal is to fund the development of interactive, educational biology games that teach, train, and potentially influence behaviors through a virtual, game-based environment. The emphasis is on learning by doing, progressive learning experiences, timely feedback on performance, and meaningful user control rather than passive content delivery.
What does NIH mean by a "serious" STEM game in this program?
In this program, a "serious" game is a game designed to produce educational outcomes, not just entertainment. The game should be built around authentic biology concepts tied to health and medicine and should support measurable learning through structured progression and feedback.
What subject matter should the games focus on?
The games should be centered on biology topics that connect directly to health and medicine. NIH is looking for gameplay aligned with real scientific ideas and practices, not superficial science theming.
Who are the intended audiences for the games?
The opportunity identifies two main audience categories: (1) pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12) students plus pre-service and in-service teachers, and (2) Informal Science Education (ISE) audiences, such as learners engaging through museums, science centers, and community-based public learning settings.
What is Informal Science Education (ISE) in the context of this FOA?
ISE refers to science learning that happens outside traditional classrooms, including museums, science centers, community programs, and similar public-facing education environments. NIH is signaling interest in games that can function well in these settings for families, youth, and the general public.
Do projects have to create brand-new scientific content from scratch?
No. A key emphasis is translation, meaning projects may adapt or convert existing health- and medicine-based P-12 STEM curricula and/or museum exhibits into educational games. The FOA anticipates applicants will rebuild proven instructional materials or exhibit concepts into engaging digital experiences.
How should learning be implemented in the game design?
The FOA emphasizes progressive learning, timely feedback on performance, and meaningful user control. Projects are expected to support inquiry-driven learning and hands-on interaction where users learn by doing rather than by passively receiving information.
What types of settings should the games be designed for?
The games should be appropriate for real-world use in either classroom contexts (supporting instruction and teacher needs) or informal learning contexts (such as museums and community programs). The FOA indicates interest in tools that work well where P-12 students, educators, families, and public audiences actually engage with STEM learning.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to United States small business concerns (SBCs) under STTR rules. The business must be for-profit, have a place of business in the U.S., and operate primarily in the U.S. (or make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through taxes or use of American products, materials, or labor). The business must have no more than 500 employees (including affiliates) and must meet allowable legal structure and ownership/control requirements described under SBIR/STTR rules.
Does the applicant need to be a nonprofit or university?
No. The applicant organization is a for-profit U.S. small business concern, consistent with STTR eligibility. (The FOA describes this as an STTR program, which is designed for small businesses operating within the STTR framework.)
Are there employee size limits for the small business?
Yes. The small business must have 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates.
What kinds of legal structures are allowed for eligible businesses?
The FOA indicates the company must fit an allowable legal structure such as an LLC or corporation, consistent with standard STTR small business eligibility requirements.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The summary indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity.
What funding mechanism does NIH use for this opportunity?
The opportunity uses a discretionary grant mechanism under NIH and follows the STTR phased approach using the R41/R42 activity codes.
What are R41 and R42 in this STTR program?
R41/R42 refers to the STTR phased structure. Phase I (typically R41) supports early feasibility and prototype development. Phase II (typically R42) supports further development, refinement, and evaluation toward a more complete product.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is health, reflecting NIH's interest in improving understanding of health and medicine through biology-focused STEM learning tools.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA listing included in the summary is 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs).
When was PAR-14-326 posted, and is it still open?
The opportunity was posted on August 28, 2014. The original and final listed closing date was May 12, 2016, and the archive date was June 12, 2016. This indicates it is no longer accepting applications.
What kinds of projects are the best fit for what NIH described?
Based on the summary, strong-fit projects are those that clearly map game mechanics to learning objectives, incorporate feedback loops that help users improve, and produce interactive experiences that make biology and health/medicine concepts tangible. The FOA also suggests alignment with real classroom or informal education use and potential leverage of existing curricula or museum exhibit content.
Does NIH expect the games to be measurable in terms of learning?
The summary emphasizes progressive learning and timely feedback on performance and notes that the games should make learning measurable in terms of learner progress, implying a strong interest in designs that can show or track improvement through gameplay.
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