Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 158

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) opportunity?

Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-158). It supports collaborative, multidisciplinary bioengineering research intended to solve clearly defined biomedical problems by combining life sciences expertise with physical and engineering sciences.

What is the main goal of this program?

The program aims to create or refine practical bioengineering solutions that move the field forward. Projects are expected to go beyond generating knowledge and instead produce tools, methods, or technologies that can be integrated into biomedical research or practice, then improved through optimization and validation, and ultimately translated or otherwise accelerated toward real-world adoption.

What does “bioengineering framework” mean in the context of this grant?

In this program, a bioengineering framework means an integrative strategy where engineering principles and biological or clinical needs are addressed together (not in parallel or as separate workstreams). The expectation is that engineering design and biomedical application inform each other throughout the project.

What kinds of research approaches are allowed?

The scope is intentionally broad. Applications may be:

• Design-directed (building and iterating a solution)
• Developmental (advancing early-stage concepts)
• Discovery-driven (uncovering new phenomena enabled by engineering approaches)
• Hypothesis-driven (testing specific mechanistic or biological hypotheses)

The unifying feature is an integrated bioengineering approach aimed at practical, adoptable outputs.

Does this opportunity allow clinical trials?

No. This specific announcement is an R01 with a “Clinical Trial Not Allowed” boundary. Projects should remain non-clinical-trial in nature under this funding opportunity.

What types of outcomes does NIH expect from BRG projects?

Projects are expected to generate tools, methods, or technologies that can be used in biomedical research or practice. The program emphasizes accelerating adoption and impact, which includes integrating technologies into workflows, optimizing performance for a specific use case, validating methods for trust and reproducibility, and translating results so others can use them in research or translational/clinical-relevant settings (while staying within the non-clinical-trial limitation).

What does “accelerating adoption and impact” mean here?

It refers to making bioengineering outputs more usable and more likely to be taken up by others. Examples described include integrating promising technologies into workflows, optimizing performance for a specific use case, validating methods so they are reproducible and trusted, and translating results so they can be used by other researchers or applied in clinical or translational settings (without conducting a clinical trial under this announcement).

What kinds of projects fit within the described scope?

The description notes that projects may include (as examples) improving instrumentation or biomaterials, advancing computational methods for biomedical data, developing quantitative measurement techniques, or refining platforms that enable better diagnostics, monitoring, or experimental models, as long as the work stays within the “clinical trial not allowed” boundary.

Is the program intended for large consortia or smaller teams?

The program is described as a good fit for small teams that can combine disciplines efficiently to tackle problems in basic, translational, or clinical science, while remaining non-clinical-trial in nature for this R01 opportunity.

What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?

The funding instrument is an NIH R01 research project grant.

What is the funding activity category listed for this opportunity?

The funding activity category is listed under Education, Environment, and Health.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PAR-19-158.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants, including domestic U.S. organizations and additional eligible groups explicitly listed in the announcement details provided.

Which U.S. domestic entity types are eligible applicants?

The provided eligibility list includes:

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
• Other tribal organizations
• Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
• Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories)
• For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
• Small businesses

Are minority-serving institutions and similar organizations eligible?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly notes additional eligible applicant groups, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).

Are federal agencies eligible to apply?

Yes. Eligible federal agencies are explicitly noted as additional eligible applicant groups in the provided information.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly listed among additional eligible applicant groups.

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly listed as eligible applicant groups in the provided information.

Are foreign organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are explicitly listed as eligible applicant groups in the provided information.

Are tribal governments other than federally recognized tribes eligible?

Yes. The eligibility notes include Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized tribes.

Which NIH CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

Multiple NIH CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity, reflecting its cross-cutting relevance across NIH institutes and program areas: 93.113, 93.121, 93.273, 93.286, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.846, 93.853, and 93.866.

Is the scientific scope narrow or broad?

The scope is described as intentionally broad in terms of scientific approach and project style, as long as the project uses an integrative bioengineering strategy and remains within the “clinical trial not allowed” limitation for this announcement.

What dates are associated with this funding opportunity record?

The opportunity record shows a creation date of 2019-01-08 and an original closing date of 2022-05-07.

Is the award ceiling listed?

No. The provided information states that the award ceiling is not specified in the data provided.

Is the expected number of awards listed?

No. The provided information states that the expected award count is not specified in the data provided.

What makes a project a strong fit based on the description?

Based on the description, a strong fit is a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort that uses an integrated bioengineering approach to address a clearly defined biomedical problem and produces practical, adoptable outputs (tools, methods, or technologies) that can be optimized, validated, and translated or otherwise accelerated toward real-world use, while remaining non-clinical-trial under this announcement.