NINR Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34) | PAR 17 133

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 133

The NINR Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity designed to help research teams do the upfront work needed to launch an investigator-initiated clinical trial. Instead of paying for the full trial itself, this grant focuses on the planning, design, and documentation that must be completed before a trial can be implemented. The core idea is to support the developmental and organizational activities that make a later clinical trial more likely to run smoothly and produce clear, definitive results. In practice, that means applicants are expected to use the award period to strengthen the trial concept, refine the study design, and complete key materials and processes that would otherwise delay or derail a full-scale clinical trial.

This opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health and falls under the education and health funding activity area, with CFDA number 93.361. The funding instrument is a discretionary grant. The listed award ceiling is $150,000. The original closing date shown for the referenced posting was January 30, 2018, and the opportunity was created on January 25, 2017. The funding opportunity number provided is PAR 17 133.

The scope is specifically aimed at the complete planning package required for a clinical trial, which commonly includes finalizing the protocol and statistical analysis plan, developing case report forms and data management procedures, establishing recruitment and retention strategies, confirming feasibility (such as access to eligible participants and appropriate clinical sites), and preparing regulatory and operational documentation needed for trial start-up. The announcement emphasizes that the proposed planning work should directly increase the probability that the future clinical trial will reach definitive outcomes, which signals a preference for careful, rigorous preparation rather than exploratory or loosely defined planning efforts.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other unspecified eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, regional organizations, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility reflects an intent to encourage strong clinical trial planning efforts across many settings, including underserved communities, special populations, and diverse institutional environments.

Overall, this R34 opportunity is best understood as a bridge between having a promising clinical trial idea and being fully ready to execute it. It supports the practical, detailed preparation that turns a concept into an implementable clinical trial plan, with the explicit goal of improving trial quality, feasibility, and the likelihood of producing interpretable outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINR Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 17 133

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