NINDS Program Project Grant (P01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 24 169

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 169

The NINDS Program Project Grant (P01 Clinical Trial Optional), Funding Opportunity Number PAR-24-169, is a discretionary NIH grant mechanism offered by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to support large, coordinated research programs in neuroscience and neurological disorders. The core idea behind this opportunity is to fund a set of closely related research projects that are scientifically interdependent and designed to work together in a way that creates clear advantages over funding the same work as separate, stand-alone grants. NINDS is specifically looking for applications that bring together outstanding investigators in a genuinely collaborative structure, including teams that may not typically work together, with the goal of producing stronger, faster, or more impactful progress on major scientific questions aligned with the NINDS mission.

A defining feature of this P01 is its emphasis on synergy and interaction across projects. Applicants are expected to propose multiple highly meritorious projects that fit together as a coherent program rather than a loose collection of studies. In other words, the combined program should be more than the sum of its parts: shared conceptual frameworks, integrated aims, coordinated methods, and cross-project dependencies should be evident. The overall program should tackle significant scientific questions in neurological disorders or fundamental neuroscience that are important to NINDS, and the structure should demonstrate how the team approach materially improves the likelihood of meaningful advances compared with independent R01-style efforts.

Clinical trials are optional under this announcement, meaning applicants may propose clinical trial activities if they are scientifically justified and fit the program, but a clinical trial is not required. This flexibility allows programs to span a wide range of translational stages, from basic mechanisms to preclinical development to clinical research, as long as the projects remain integrated and the collaborative design is central to the scientific strategy.

Eligibility for applicants is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the NOFO includes important restrictions related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. Practically, this means a U.S.-based applicant can include certain foreign collaborations or activities as foreign components when permitted under NIH policy, but the lead applicant organization itself must be domestic, and the application cannot be submitted by a non-U.S. institution.

From an administrative standpoint, this is an NIH grant under the health funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 93.853. The NOFO was created on March 27, 2024, and the original closing date listed is January 7, 2025. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided source data, so applicants typically need to consult the full NOFO text and NINDS guidance for budget expectations, scope considerations, and programmatic priorities. Overall, this opportunity is aimed at well-justified, multi-project programs where the scientific payoff depends on the coordinated efforts of multiple investigators and where the integrated design is essential to addressing high-impact neurological research questions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Program Project Grant (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 24 169

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