Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 255
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting applications under the funding opportunity announcement titled Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), FOA number PAR-21-255. This is a discretionary grant opportunity in the health area (CFDA 93.172) using the R21 mechanism, which is typically meant to support exploratory, early-stage projects that can open up new lines of research or demonstrate feasibility of innovative ideas. As the title indicates, clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, so proposed work should focus on computational and methodological advances rather than interventional clinical studies.
The main goal of the program is to support a broad range of investigator-initiated research in computational genomics, data science, statistics, and bioinformatics that is relevant to basic and/or clinical genomic science and that can be applied broadly to human health and disease. NIH is looking for projects that advance fundamental genomics research by creating new analytical methods and approaches, developing tools and software at an early stage, and also improving, refining, or "hardening" existing software and tools that are considered high value to the broader biomedical genomics community. In other words, this is not limited to brand-new algorithms; it can also support making important tools more robust, usable, scalable, and reliable so they can be broadly adopted.
A central theme of the FOA is that the work should be enabling for genomics and generalizable across diseases and biological systems, rather than narrowly tailored to a single disorder, cohort, or niche use case. Applicants are expected to propose approaches that can transfer across multiple contexts in genomics and biomedical research. Another explicit expectation is that applications explain how proposed methods will scale as genomic datasets continue to grow. That typically means addressing computational efficiency, memory and storage considerations, parallelization or cloud/HPC readiness, and practical performance on increasingly large and complex datasets, not just proof-of-concept results on small sample sizes.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations such as state, county, city, and 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 governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status) other than institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional categories listed by NIH. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility is meant to encourage participation from diverse institutions and communities, including organizations outside the continental United States and internationally.
Key administrative details from the source listing include an original closing date of 2025-01-07 and a creation date of 2021-07-29. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would typically need to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for the R21 mechanism to understand allowable budgets, project period expectations, and any institute- or program-specific preferences. Overall, this opportunity is aimed at pushing forward scalable, broadly useful computational genomics methods and software that can serve as infrastructure for the wider genomics field and ultimately accelerate biomedical discovery across many diseases and biological systems.Apply for PAR 21 255
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 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): 93.172.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-29.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-07. (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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), FOA number PAR-21-255. It supports investigator-initiated projects in computational genomics and related data science areas.
What type of grant mechanism is used?
The opportunity uses the R21 mechanism. Based on the provided description, R21 awards are typically intended to support exploratory, early-stage research that can open new lines of investigation or demonstrate feasibility of innovative ideas.
Are clinical trials allowed under this FOA?
No. The FOA title explicitly states Clinical Trial Not Allowed. Proposed work should focus on computational, statistical, bioinformatics, and methodological advances rather than interventional clinical studies.
What is the overall goal of the program?
The program aims to support a broad range of investigator-initiated research in computational genomics, data science, statistics, and bioinformatics that is relevant to basic and/or clinical genomic science and can be applied broadly to human health and disease.
What kinds of projects does NIH want to fund?
NIH is seeking projects that advance fundamental genomics research by:
- Creating new analytical methods and approaches
- Developing tools and software at an early stage
- Improving, refining, or "hardening" existing high-value software and tools so they are more robust, usable, scalable, and reliable for broad adoption
Does the FOA only support brand-new algorithms and tools?
No. The FOA explicitly notes that projects may include not only novel algorithms, but also efforts to improve and harden existing software and tools that are considered high value to the broader biomedical genomics community.
What does it mean that the work should be "enabling" and "generalizable"?
A central theme is that the proposed work should function as broadly useful infrastructure for genomics. Projects are expected to be generalizable across diseases and biological systems, rather than narrowly tailored to a single disorder, cohort, or niche use case.
Can a project focus on a single disease or cohort?
The provided description emphasizes that applications should not be narrowly tailored to a single disorder, cohort, or niche use case. The expectation is that approaches should be transferable across multiple contexts in genomics and biomedical research.
What expectations are there around scaling to large genomic datasets?
Applications are expected to explain how proposed methods will scale as genomic datasets continue to grow. The description indicates this typically involves addressing factors such as:
- Computational efficiency
- Memory and storage considerations
- Parallelization and/or cloud/HPC readiness
- Practical performance on increasingly large and complex datasets (not only small proof-of-concept studies)
What scientific areas are considered relevant to this FOA?
The FOA supports research in computational genomics and related disciplines, including data science, statistics, and bioinformatics, as long as the work is relevant to basic and/or clinical genomic science and broadly applicable to human health and disease.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations, including (as listed in the provided information):
- State, county, city, and 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 governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status) other than institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Additional categories listed by NIH
Are minority-serving institutions specifically included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out eligibility for institutions and organizations such as:
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
- Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
- Hispanic-serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. The provided information lists eligible federal agencies among the additional eligible applicants explicitly called out in the FOA.
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes faith-based or community-based organizations among additional eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. The provided information states that U.S. territories or possessions are included among eligible applicants.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The provided information explicitly includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) as eligible applicants.
What is the CFDA number and what area does it fall under?
The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant opportunity in the health area with CFDA number 93.172.
What is the FOA number applicants should reference?
Applicants should reference FOA number PAR-21-255.
What is the original closing date listed for this opportunity?
The source listing provides an original closing date of 2025-01-07.
When was this opportunity created?
The listing provides a creation date of 2021-07-29.
Is the award ceiling stated in the provided information?
No. The source listing information provided does not specify an award ceiling.
Does the provided information state the expected number of awards?
No. The provided details do not include the expected number of awards.
Where should applicants look for budget and project period details?
Based on the provided description, applicants would typically need to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for the R21 mechanism to understand allowable budgets, project period expectations, and any institute- or program-specific preferences.
Is the emphasis more on computational/method development than on clinical interventions?
Yes. Since clinical trials are not allowed, the emphasis described is on computational and methodological advances (methods, analytical approaches, and software/tools) rather than interventional clinical studies.
What is NIH ultimately trying to enable through this program?
The opportunity is described as aiming to push forward scalable, broadly useful computational genomics methods and software that can serve as infrastructure for the wider genomics field and accelerate biomedical discovery across many diseases and biological systems.
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