Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Cancer Institute, has released a forecasted opportunity titled Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) under announcement number PAR-25-458. This program reflects NIH’s ongoing commitment to advancing health research through the integration of engineering and life sciences. With a focus on developing and applying bioengineering solutions, this opportunity encourages proposals that take a multidisciplinary approach to addressing biomedical challenges. The announcement was last updated on 2025-09-09 and is currently at the forecast stage, with an estimated posting date of 2025-09-30. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to stimulate collaborations between the life sciences and the physical sciences, particularly in cases where new tools, technologies, and approaches can significantly advance biomedical research and clinical practice. Proposals may take the form of design-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven research. The ultimate aim is to integrate, optimize, validate, translate, or accelerate the adoption of promising bioengineering tools and methods that solve research or clinical problems in basic, translational, or clinical science. Funding is expected to support small teams applying integrative strategies to increase scientific understanding and address key challenges in biology, medicine, and translational research. The grant is particularly focused on cancer-related fields, as indicated by its association with multiple Assistance Listing numbers under cancer research, including cancer cause and prevention, detection and diagnosis, treatment, biology, and control. While the total program funding, award ceiling, and award floor are not yet specified, NIH anticipates awarding approximately 50 grants through this program. Cost sharing or matching is not required. Eligibility for this grant is broad and includes a wide range of applicants. Eligible applicants are state governments, county governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, special district governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized and non-federally recognized), and Native American tribal organizations. Additional eligible applicants include U.S. territories or possessions, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, non-domestic (foreign) institutions, and agencies of the federal government. This wide eligibility scope ensures that organizations with diverse expertise and backgrounds can contribute to the development of bioengineering solutions. The estimated application due date for this opportunity is 2026-02-05, with award notifications anticipated by 2026-12-01. The estimated project start date is also 2026-12-01. No pre-application deadlines such as letters of intent or concept papers are specified in the current forecast. The grant is expected to recur, as NIH regularly reissues BRG opportunities, making it important for applicants to monitor updates after the official posting date. Based on NIH’s forecast cycle, the next internal check for updates would be recommended shortly after the close of this application window. Applications will be submitted through Grants.gov once the notice of funding opportunity is officially posted. Applicants will need to ensure timely registration in the required systems and compliance with NIH’s detailed application instructions. Review criteria are not explicitly detailed in the forecast but are expected to follow standard NIH peer-review procedures, including significance, innovation, approach, investigator qualifications, and environment. Interested applicants are advised to prepare multidisciplinary proposals that clearly demonstrate the integration of bioengineering and biomedical objectives. The primary point of contact for this funding opportunity is Miguel R. Ossandon, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute, who can be reached by phone at 240-276-5714. No email address has been provided in the forecast. More detailed instructions, submission materials, and program information will be available once the full announcement is posted, anticipated on 2025-09-30.