Advancing Basic Neurobiology Toward Translation Through Assay Development (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | PAR 18 505

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 505

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Advancing Basic Neurobiology Toward Translation Through Assay Development (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-18-505) supports research projects that build and refine new laboratory assays designed to detect meaningful changes in neuronal and/or glial function. The central idea is to take cutting-edge methods that measure fundamental cellular processes or molecular events in the nervous system and turn them into practical, reliable phenotypic assays. In this context, "phenotypic" means the assay is read out through an observable functional outcome, rather than being limited to a narrow, single-target measurement. NIH is aiming for assays that can probe biological mechanisms or responses to perturbations in a way that is unbiased, efficient, and well-suited to accelerating discovery.

The scientific emphasis is on assay development that bridges basic neurobiology and translational needs. Rather than funding a traditional disease-focused therapeutic trial, this FOA prioritizes tools that make it easier to measure neurobiological endpoints that matter for nervous system function. The assays envisioned here could help researchers understand how neurons and glia behave under different conditions, identify what goes wrong in pathological states, and establish measurable functional outcomes that can later support target identification and therapeutic development. In other words, the deliverable is not a clinical intervention, but an enabling measurement platform that improves how the field studies nervous system biology and evaluates potential points of therapeutic leverage.

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism, meaning it is meant for substantial, hypothesis-driven or technology-enabling research programs with enough scope to develop, validate, and demonstrate the usefulness of an assay. The announcement explicitly states "Clinical Trials Not Allowed," which signals that applications should not propose prospective clinical intervention studies designed to evaluate the effect of an intervention on health-related outcomes in humans. Work can still be strongly translational in intent, but it needs to remain in the realm of assay creation and preclinical or non-trial human research activities consistent with NIH definitions.

Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of institutions and organizations. Public and private institutions of higher education can apply, as can nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses, and a wide range of government entities such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Tribal eligibility is also emphasized, including Native American tribal governments that are federally recognized as well as Native American tribal organizations and tribal governments that are not federally recognized. The FOA also highlights eligibility for institutions that serve specific communities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and applicants located in U.S. territories or possessions are included as well. Notably, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are listed as eligible applicants, which indicates NIH is open to supporting strong assay-development efforts outside the United States when allowed under NIH policy and when the work is justified.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program managed by NIH, and it falls under funding activity categories associated with education and health. The CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) numbers associated with the announcement include 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, and 93.866, which correspond to NIH program areas that commonly include neuroscience and related biomedical research activities. The FOA record indicates it was created on 2017-12-18, and the listed original closing date is 2021-01-07. The source data provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would typically look to the full FOA text and NIH institute/center participation details to understand likely budget ranges, project periods, and institute-specific priorities.

Overall, PAR-18-505 is best understood as a tool- and methods-enabling neuroscience opportunity: it invites applicants to create robust, modern assays that capture key functional aspects of neurons and glia, convert sophisticated basic measurements into scalable phenotypic readouts, and deliver endpoints that can speed up fundamental discovery while also making downstream target discovery and therapeutic development more efficient and data-driven.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Basic Neurobiology Toward Translation Through Assay Development (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-07. (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 18 505

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