Closed · PA-25-169 · CFDA 93.286;93.866;93.867 · Discretionary
Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Federal grant opportunity posted by National Institutes of Health, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- Varies
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- May 7, 2026
- Close date
- -
- Expected awards
The verdict
Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) is a closed discretionary listing from National Institutes of Health that offered Varies by applicant. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.
- Varies
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 93.286;93.866;93.867
- CFDA program
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) - is cataloged under number PA-25-169 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 93.286;93.866;93.867, posted by National Institutes of Health. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on January 8, 2025 and last updated on June 16, 2025. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is Varies by applicant. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on May 7, 2026. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully, federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed, it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.
Award Range
Varies by applicant
Close Date
May 7, 2026
Posted
January 8, 2025
Instrument
Grant
Description
This Trailblazer Award is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm) to pursue research programs that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high risk-high impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Importantly, applicants must propose research approaches for which there are minimal or no preliminary data.A distinct feature for this FOA is that no preliminary data are required, expected, or encouraged. However, if available, minimal preliminary data are allowed. Preliminary data are defined as material which the applicant has independently produced and not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal. All preliminary data should be clearly marked and limited to one-half page, which may include one figure. Applications including data more than one-half page or more than one figure will be considered noncompliant with the FOA instructions and will not go forward to review.
Eligibility
Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category codes 00, 01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 11, 12, 13, 20, 22, 23, 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
NIH Grants Information grantsinfo@nih.gov
Key Dates
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this grant opportunity?
Is this opportunity still open?
How much funding is available?
How do I apply?
More from National Institutes of Health
Clinical Coordinating Center for Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (Collaborative UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
Single-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
Data Coordinating Center for Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (Collaborative U24 Clinical Trial Required)
Development of Collaborative Research Facilities or Research-Resource Facilities (C06 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Research Grants in Clinical Informatics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
| Publisher | PlainGrants |
| Sources | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |