Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), in collaboration with the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, has announced its intent to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Trailblazer Award. This initiative is designed specifically for New and Early Stage Investigators as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The opportunity aims to support research programs that integrate engineering and physical sciences with life and biomedical sciences. The Trailblazer Award seeks to encourage projects that are exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high-risk and high-impact in nature. Proposals can be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. The initiative promotes the application of principles and techniques from engineering, physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer sciences to the biomedical field. Collaborative efforts that bring together cross-disciplinary expertise to open new avenues of biomedical investigation are highly encouraged. The Trailblazer Award will utilize the R21 activity code and is categorized under the Assistance Listing 93.286—Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health. The grant is discretionary in nature and does not require cost-sharing or matching. Detailed information about funding limits, total program funding, and the number of awards has not been provided at this stage. The anticipated award date is October 1, 2026, with the project start date expected on December 1, 2026. Eligible applicants for this opportunity include Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, state governments, independent school districts, small businesses, county governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. As this is a forecasted opportunity, applications are not being solicited at this time. The estimated post date is November 21, 2025, and the estimated application due date is February 16, 2026. Interested applicants are advised to begin developing collaborations and responsive projects well in advance. Specific application questions and tips have not been provided at this stage. The main point of contact for this opportunity is Randy King at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. He can be reached by phone at 301-451-0707 or via email at Randy.King@nih.gov. The NOFO is being announced to give potential applicants ample time to prepare competitive submissions.