NIH PAR · NIDCD · R21

PAR-25-120: NIDCD Early Career Research(ECR) Award (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

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

Open for applicationsNext due date: Oct 19, 2026Expires Oct 16, 2027

The NIDCD Early Career Research (ECR) Award (R21) is intended to support both basic and clinical research from scientists who are beginning to establish an independent research career. It cannot be used for thesis or dissertation research. The research must be focused on one or more of the areas within the biomedical and behavioral scientific mission of the NIDCD: hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, or language. The NIDCD ECR Award R21 grant mechanism supports different types of projects including secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; translational research; outcomes research; and development of new…

Full NOFO in the NIH Guide Apply on Grants.gov

NOFO number
PAR-25-120
Type
PAR
Activity code
R21
Primary institute
NIDCD · National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Clinical trials
Optional
Posted
Oct 18, 2024
Opens
Jan 19, 2025
Expires
Oct 16, 2027

PAR-25-120 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 PAR-25-120
Application Due Date(s)Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowedScientific Merit ReviewAdvisory Council ReviewEarliest Start Date
February 19, 2025February 19, 2025Not ApplicableJuly 2025October 2025December 2025
June 17, 2025June 17, 2025Not ApplicableNovember 2025January 2026April 2026
October 17, 2025October 17, 2025Not ApplicableMarch 2026May 2026July 2026
February 18, 2026February 18, 2026Not ApplicableJuly 2026October 2026December 2026
June 17, 2026June 17, 2026Not ApplicableNovember 2026January 2027April 2027
October 19, 2026October 19, 2026Not ApplicableMarch 2027May 2027July 2027
February 17, 2027February 17, 2027Not ApplicableJuly 2027October 2027December 2027
June 17, 2027June 17, 2027Not ApplicableNovember 2027January 2028April 2028
October 15, 2027October 15, 2027Not ApplicableMarch 2028May 2028July 2028

Projects funded under PAR-25-120

NIH RePORTER lists 22 projects funded under PAR-25-120 in FY2022–FY2026, with $7.1M in award dollars. Counts include each project's later non-competing years, which keep the original NOFO number.

Projects funded

22

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

22

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$7.1M

Award dollars under PAR-25-120, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under PAR-25-120
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202300$0
FY202400$0
FY202588$4.5M
FY20261414$2.7M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison$973K · 3 projects
  2. Northwestern University$600K · 1 project
  3. University of Texas Dallas$590K · 1 project
  4. Univ of Maryland, College Park$585K · 1 project
  5. University of Missouri-Columbia$577K · 1 project
  6. University of Illinois at Chicago$568K · 1 project
  7. Rochester Institute of Technology$499K · 1 project
  8. Emory University$468K · 1 project

Funding institutes

  • NIDCD$7.1M · 22

Activity codes funded

Most recent new awards

What its predecessor PAR-24-119 funded

PAR-25-120 reissues PAR-24-119. Its funding history is the best guide to who wins under this program: 12 projects and $5.7M in FY2022–FY2026.

Projects funded

12

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

12

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$5.7M

Award dollars under PAR-24-119, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under PAR-24-119
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202300$0
FY202400$0
FY20251111$3.8M
FY202681$1.9M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. Johns Hopkins University$971K · 2 projects
  2. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary$638K · 1 project
  3. Father Flanagan's Boys' Home$612K · 1 project
  4. University of California at Davis$604K · 1 project
  5. Northwestern University$600K · 1 project
  6. Massachusetts General Hospital$418K · 1 project
  7. Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis$392K · 1 project
  8. University of Washington$389K · 1 project

Funding institutes

  • NIDCD$5.7M · 19

Activity codes funded

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

2 NIH institutes and offices take applications under PAR-25-120. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your research before applying.

  • NIDCD · National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
  • none

Related notices

  1. 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,…

  2. 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.

  3. 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 4 NOSIs to PAR-25-120; none are active now. A NOSI flags a topic an institute wants to fund through this NOFO.

Award terms

Application types allowed
NewResubmission 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 entire project period may not exceed 375,000. No more than 125,000 in direct costs may be requested in any single year.
Project period
The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum period of support is 3 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 PAR-24-119.

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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