Focused Technology Research and Development (R01) | PAR 17 045

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 045

The Focused Technology Research and Development (R01) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 17-045) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program that funds health-related technology development projects under CFDA 93.859. The central purpose is to support research and development that is strictly focused on creating or substantially advancing technologies that could broadly enable or accelerate biomedical research. A key point is that applicants must justify the work based on clear potential biomedical impact, but the project should not be framed around answering a specific biomedical or disease-focused research question. In other words, the technology itself is the deliverable, and the proposal should avoid drifting into hypothesis-driven biological studies or targeted applications to a particular condition, pathway, or patient population as the main aim.

This funding mechanism uses the NIH R01 grant format, which generally supports well-scoped, investigator-initiated research programs with defined aims, milestones, and a strong rationale for why the resulting tool, method, platform, or capability would matter to the broader biomedical research community. The program is designed for projects where the primary contribution is technological innovation, engineering development, or methodological advancement that other researchers could later apply to many biomedical problems. While the opportunity description provided does not list an award ceiling or an expected number of awards, it emphasizes the programmatic priority: technology development that enables research rather than technology development as a side component of a biological study.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also eligible, along with other unspecified entities that meet NIH requirements. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories 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); faith-based or community-based organizations; regional organizations; eligible federal agencies; and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is limited in an important way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the opportunity allows foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or performance sites when they meet NIH policy requirements and are appropriately justified. This structure keeps the applicant organization U.S.-based while still permitting specific, policy-compliant international elements when they add unique value.

Key administrative details in the provided source data include an original closing date of April 12, 2019, and a creation date of November 1, 2016. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is health. Overall, this opportunity is best suited for teams proposing to build or significantly improve research-enabling technologies (for example, platforms, tools, methods, instrumentation, or computational approaches) where success is measured by technological performance, validation, and readiness for broad research use, rather than by discoveries tied to one specific biomedical question.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Focused Technology Research and Development (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-12. (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.

Apply for PAR 17 045

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