NIH PAR · NCI · 444
PAR-25-324: Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award Extension Request (Type 4 eSubmission Clinical Trial Optional)
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) (R37) Award provides extended grant support to Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). By providing such an opportunity for longer term support to ESIs, the NCI intends to offer flexibility and opportunity for creativity and innovation and additional time to successfully launch their careers and to become more established before having to submit renewal applications (NOT-CA-18-037). The objective of the NCI's ESI MERIT Award is to allow eligible investigators the opportunity to obtain up to 7 years of support in two segments:
- NOFO number
- PAR-25-324
- Type
- PAR
- Activity code
- 444
- Primary institute
- NCI · National Cancer Institute
- Clinical trials
- Optional
- Posted
- Jan 6, 2025
- Opens
- Feb 3, 2025
- Expires
- Sep 8, 2028
PAR-25-324 due dates
No application due dates remain in the listed cycles. Dates marked * are NIH standard due dates. Check the related notices below for changes NIH made after posting.
| Application Due Date(s) |
|---|
| March 3, 2025 |
Projects funded under PAR-25-324
NIH RePORTER lists 21 projects funded under PAR-25-324 in FY2022–FY2026, with $9.6M in award dollars. Counts include each project's later non-competing years, which keep the original NOFO number.
Projects funded
21
Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026
New awards
0
Type 1 (new project) award records
NIH funding
$9.6M
Award dollars under PAR-25-324, FY2022–FY2026
Funding by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Award records | New awards | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2023 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2024 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2025 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2026 | 21 | 0 | $9.6M |
Institutions with the most funding
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh$1.1M · 2 projects
- Medical University of South Carolina$768K · 2 projects
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor$645K · 1 project
- Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis$619K · 1 project
- State University of Ny,binghamton$580K · 1 project
- New York University School of Medicine$567K · 1 project
- Oregon Health & Science University$550K · 1 project
- University of Wisconsin-Madison$534K · 1 project
Funding institutes
- NCI$9.6M · 21
Activity codes funded
- R3721 records
What its predecessor PAR-21-138 funded
PAR-25-324 reissues PAR-21-138. Its funding history is the best guide to who wins under this program: 168 projects and $87.8M in FY2022–FY2026.
Projects funded
168
Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026
New awards
0
Type 1 (new project) award records
NIH funding
$87.8M
Award dollars under PAR-21-138, FY2022–FY2026
Funding by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Award records | New awards | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 2 | 0 | $840K |
| FY2023 | 39 | 0 | $16.2M |
| FY2024 | 35 | 0 | $15.3M |
| FY2025 | 56 | 0 | $36.4M |
| FY2026 | 38 | 0 | $19.1M |
Institutions with the most funding
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research$4.8M · 8 projects
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center$4.4M · 7 projects
- University of California, San Francisco$3.6M · 6 projects
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill$3.2M · 5 projects
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor$3.0M · 6 projects
- University of Tx MD Anderson Can Ctr$3.0M · 4 projects
- Dana-Farber Cancer Inst$2.9M · 5 projects
- UT Southwestern Medical Center$2.4M · 4 projects
Funding institutes
- NCI$87.2M · 169
- NIDCR$597K · 1
Activity codes funded
- R37170 records
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-25-324. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your research before applying.
- NCI · National Cancer Institute
- none
Related notices
Mar 31, 2025
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.
Award terms
- Application types allowed
- Non-competing Administrative Supplements.
- Award budget
- Budget modular or categorical as appropriate) is limited to the committed Direct Costs on the final year of the initial project period.
- Project period
- Project period is limited to 2 years. nbsp; NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this Notice of Funding Opportunity 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-21-138.
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.