The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), invites applications for its R24 Resource-Related Research Projects program. This funding opportunity is designed to support the development, characterization, and improvement of experimental models and related resources essential for studying human health and diseases. Emphasis is placed on models that impact multiple organ systems and are relevant to at least two NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs), in alignment with ORIP’s mission to support NIH-wide research infrastructure.
The initiative seeks projects that will generate broadly applicable models or resources, including biology-based new approach methodologies (NAMs), animal models, transgenic organisms, and data or tools related to disease mechanisms. Priority is given to proposals with significant potential to advance translational value, enhance reproducibility, and expand the utility of health and disease models across biomedical disciplines. Proposals focused on a narrow disease area or relevant primarily to a single IC will not be considered. Applicants are expected to justify the need for the proposed resources, describe their relevance across multiple disciplines, and outline a clear strategy for accessibility, tracking, and sustainability beyond the funding period.
Applicants must ensure that the models and tools developed are validated, replicable, and integrated with community resources. Applications should include plans for depositing developed resources in accessible repositories and for encouraging the use of Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) to facilitate traceability. This program does not support applications involving human subjects, endangered species, or routine maintenance of animal colonies and genetic repositories.
The program provides approximately $5 million annually from FY2026 to FY2029 to fund a minimum of six awards per year. While budgets are not capped, requests over $500,000 in direct costs per year require prior approval. Project periods may span up to four years. The next application cycle opens on December 27, 2025, with the first due date on January 27, 2026. Applications are submitted via NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system platforms, and must follow the NIH Application Guide.
Eligible applicants include a wide range of U.S.-based entities, such as higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profits, tribal, and local governments. Foreign organizations and components are not eligible. A scientific contact at ORIP must be consulted if the applicant anticipates a high budget or has questions about project scope alignment. The program does not require cost sharing. Contact emails for ORIP and INCLUDE Project are available for applicants seeking clarification.
Applicants must ensure cross-IC relevance and avoid single-disease focus; prior contact for budgets ≥ $500k is strongly encouraged; include validation and sustainability plans.
