NIDCD Clinical Research Center Grant (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications for its Clinical Research Center Grant (P50), a specialized funding opportunity intended to foster multidisciplinary research addressing disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. The NIDCD aims to support integrated research programs that advance diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and overall understanding of sensory and communication disorders. This funding opportunity is a reissue of PAR-22-025 and encourages new, renewal, resubmission, and revision applications, with clinical trials considered optional. This P50 grant mechanism is designed for Clinical Research Centers that propose a synergistic and collaborative set of three to four research projects centered on a unifying clinical theme. The research must primarily involve individuals with sensory and/or communication disorders, or data and tissues from such individuals. While studies including individuals at risk or without disorders are permitted with strong justification, at least the majority of the research must be clinically focused. Low-risk clinical trials and Basic Experimental Studies with Humans are eligible, provided they do not require FDA oversight or meet the definition of NIH Phase III trials. The structure of an eligible Clinical Research Center must include one required Administrative Core, three to four research projects, and optionally, one or two scientific cores that support the projects through shared infrastructure (e.g., data management, patient recruitment). Each center must establish an External Advisory Committee, which is not to be pre-identified in new applications but must be described in terms of its expertise and intended oversight role. The integration of efforts across components is emphasized to ensure the center operates as more than a sum of its parts. Applicants may propose annual direct costs up to $1,500,000 for new applications, and up to $2,000,000 or 10% above the final year’s cost of an existing award for renewals, excluding consortium F&A costs. The maximum project period is five years. Applications involving foreign subawards or subcontractors are ineligible, in alignment with the NIH’s updated international collaboration policy effective May 1, 2025. Eligible applicants include a broad range of U.S.-based entities: public and private higher education institutions, nonprofits, state and local governments, federally recognized tribal governments, small businesses, and other for-profit organizations. Applications from foreign organizations or with foreign subcontracts are not allowed. Required registrations include SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov, among others, which may take weeks to complete. PDs/PIs must have an eRA Commons ID. The funding opportunity opens on October 4, 2025, with rolling application due dates across four cycles: November 4, 2025; February 2, 2026; June 2, 2026; and October 2, 2026. Scientific merit review and advisory council reviews follow within approximately four to six months of submission, and earliest award dates begin three to four months after council review. The final expiration date for this funding opportunity is October 3, 2026, as per Notice NOT-DC-26-004. All applications must be submitted electronically via NIH ASSIST or an institutional system-to-system platform. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult early with the NIDCD scientific/research contact, particularly if proposing clinical trials or projects that depart from strict inclusion of affected individuals. Reviewers will evaluate the overall impact of the center based on project integration, significance, innovation, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the administrative structure. Specific review criteria also apply to individual projects and optional scientific cores, ensuring rigorous evaluation across all components.

Early consultation with NIDCD staff is strongly encouraged to ensure responsiveness and completeness.