NIH PA · NIH · R21

PA-25-304: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards

Open for applicationsNext due date: Oct 16, 2026Expires Jan 8, 2028

The NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant supports exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of these projects. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.

Full NOFO in the NIH Guide Apply on Grants.gov

NOFO number
PA-25-304
Type
PA
Activity code
R21
Primary institute
NIH
Clinical trials
Not Allowed
Posted
Dec 18, 2024
Opens
Jan 16, 2025
Expires
Jan 8, 2028

PA-25-304 due dates

4 application due dates remain before the NOFO expires. Dates marked * are NIH standard due dates. Check the related notices below for changes NIH made after posting.

Application due dates and review cycles for PA-25-304
Application Due Date(s)Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowedScientific Merit ReviewAdvisory Council ReviewEarliest Start Date
February 16, 2025March 16, 2025 *May 07, 2025 *July 2025October 2025December 2025
June 16, 2025July 16, 2025 *September 07, 2025 *November 2025January 2026April 2026
October 16, 2025November 16, 2025 *January 07, 2026 *March 2026May 2026July 2026
February 16, 2026March 16, 2026 *May 07, 2026 *July 2026October 2026December 2026
June 16, 2026July 16, 2026 *Not ApplicableNovember 2026January 2027April 2027
October 16, 2026November 16, 2026 *Not ApplicableMarch 2027May 2027July 2027
February 16, 2027March 16, 2027 *Not ApplicableJuly 2027October 2027December 2027
June 16, 2027July 16, 2027 *Not ApplicableNovember 2027January 2028April 2028
October 16, 2027November 16, 2027 *Not ApplicableMarch 2028May 2028July 2028

Projects funded under PA-25-304

NIH RePORTER lists 1,216 projects funded under PA-25-304 in FY2022–FY2026, with $435.2M in award dollars. Counts include each project's later non-competing years, which keep the original NOFO number.

Projects funded

1,216

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

1,214

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$435.2M

Award dollars under PA-25-304, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under PA-25-304
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202300$0
FY202400$0
FY202599$3.7M
FY20261,2111,205$431.5M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh$11.8M · 31 projects
  2. Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill$11.1M · 32 projects
  3. University of California, San Diego$8.6M · 22 projects
  4. Washington University$8.5M · 23 projects
  5. University of Colorado Denver$8.2M · 22 projects
  6. University of Michigan at Ann Arbor$8.1M · 23 projects
  7. Johns Hopkins University$7.9M · 24 projects
  8. University of Florida$7.2M · 19 projects

Funding institutes

  • NIAID$182.7M · 589
  • NICHD$52.6M · 122
  • NIA$49.5M · 117
  • NCI$21.4M · 52
  • NIAMS$17.7M · 51
  • NIDCR$16.7M · 39
  • NEI$16.2M · 37
  • NIMH$15.2M · 35

Activity codes funded

  • R211,218 records
  • UH22 records

Most recent new awards

What its predecessor PA-20-195 funded

PA-25-304 reissues PA-20-195. Its funding history is the best guide to who wins under this program: 4,428 projects and $1.73B in FY2022–FY2026.

Projects funded

4,428

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

3,771

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$1.73B

Award dollars under PA-20-195, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under PA-20-195
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY20221,564906$348.4M
FY20231,9431,112$461.3M
FY20241,812935$424.4M
FY20251,565796$427.3M
FY202634322$71.4M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. Washington University$37.5M · 98 projects
  2. Johns Hopkins University$33.7M · 84 projects
  3. Massachusetts General Hospital$32.4M · 78 projects
  4. Yale University$30.6M · 76 projects
  5. University of Washington$29.2M · 75 projects
  6. University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh$27.2M · 72 projects
  7. Duke University$27.1M · 66 projects
  8. Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill$26.3M · 68 projects

Funding institutes

  • NIAID$791.2M · 3,491
  • NIA$202.2M · 694
  • NICHD$159.8M · 623
  • NEI$93.6M · 388
  • NIAMS$82.0M · 378
  • NIDA$70.9M · 311
  • NIEHS$59.3M · 232
  • NIAAA$58.4M · 256

Activity codes funded

  • R217,212 records
  • UH213 records
  • UG32 records

Most recent new awards

FY2026 closed on September 30, 2026, but NIH keeps posting that year's awards to RePORTER for several weeks. FY2026 figures reflect records available on October 16, 2026 and may rise slightly at the next refresh.

Participating institutes

23 NIH institutes and offices take applications under PA-25-304. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your research before applying.

  • NIH
  • NEI · National Eye Institute
  • NHGRI · National Human Genome Research Institute
  • NIA · National Institute on Aging
  • NIAAA · National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • NIBIB · National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
  • NICHD · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • NIDCD · National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
  • NIDCR · National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  • NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • NIEHS · National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • NIMH · National Institute of Mental Health
  • NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • NINR · National Institute of Nursing Research
  • NLM · National Library of Medicine
  • NCCIH · National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
  • NIMHD · National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
  • NIAMS · National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  • NCI · National Cancer Institute
  • NCATS · National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • ODSS
  • NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Related notices

  1. Jul 16, 2026 · NOT-TR-26-010

    Notice of NCATS Participation in Notice of Funding Opportunity NOFO) PA-25-304 NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

  2. Jan 28, 2026 · NOT-OD-26-029

    NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs. See Notice NOT-OD-26-029.

  3. Apr 9, 2026 · NOT-NS-26-009

    Notice of NINDS's Participation in PA-25-304: NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

  4. Mar 26, 2026 · NOT-HL-26-003

    Notice of NHLBI Participation in PA-25-304 NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)".

  5. Sep 2, 2025 · NOT-CA-25-118

    Notice of National Cancer Institute’s Participation in PA-25-304, NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Required) and in PA-25-306 Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required).

  6. Aug 12, 2025 · NOT-AR-25-019

    Notice of Participation in PA-25-304, NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

  7. Jun 26, 2025 · NOT-MD-25-010

    Notice of NIMHD Participation in PA-25-304, NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

  8. Mar 31, 2025 · NOT-OD-24-084

    This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25,…

  9. Aug 31, 2022 · NOT-OD-22-198

    Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198.

  10. Aug 5, 2022 · NOT-OD-22-189

    Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. See Notice NOT-OD-22-189.

Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs)

NIH has attached 134 NOSIs to PA-25-304; none are active now. A NOSI flags a topic an institute wants to fund through this NOFO.

Award terms

Application types allowed
NewResubmissionRevision The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.
Award budget
The combined budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed 275,000. No more than 200,000 may be requested in any single year.
Project period
The total project period may not exceed 2 years. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.
Funds available and number of awards
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Summarized from the NOFO text; the full NOFO governs eligibility, budget, and review.

Related NOFOs

  • Reissue of PA-20-195.
  • Companion NOFOs: PA-25-306, PA-25-307.

Other open NOFOs for R21

Browse all open NIH NOFOs

About this page

GotGrant gathers the NOFO, its participation and change notices, and its NOSIs from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, and counts funded projects from NIH RePORTER by the opportunity number each award was made under. Data refreshed October 16, 2026; the NIH Guide is the authoritative source. See our data methodology.

Find who wins under this NOFO

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