NICHD Small Research Grant Program (R03 Clinical Trial Required) | PA 25 125

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 25 125

The NICHD Small Research Grant Program (R03 Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) designed to support small, focused clinical trials that align with the NICHD mission. In practical terms, it is meant for investigators who have a well-defined clinical trial question that can be answered with a modest budget and a limited project scope, rather than a large multi-site effort. Because this specific announcement is "clinical trial required," the proposed research must include a clinical trial as defined by NIH, meaning the study prospectively assigns human participants to an intervention (which could include behavioral, educational, preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic strategies, depending on the context) in order to evaluate effects on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.

This opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant mechanism and uses the NIH R03 activity code, which is commonly used for pilot studies, feasibility work, early-stage testing of an intervention, or other tightly scoped projects that can generate preliminary evidence and inform larger studies later. The listed award ceiling is $50,000, signaling that this program is intended for smaller budgets compared with larger NIH clinical trial mechanisms. The funding activity category is Health, Income Security and Social Services, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.865, which corresponds to NICHD-related assistance listings.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicant organizations. Public-sector applicants may include state, county, and city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are eligible across the spectrum, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education. Tribal entities are explicitly included, both federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments, and the opportunity also highlights additional eligible groups such as Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI). The announcement also allows participation from faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and applicants located in a U.S. territory or possession. Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profit entities that are not small businesses) are also listed as eligible. Notably, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are included as eligible applicants, which can be important for clinical trial questions requiring international settings or populations, provided the work fits NICHD priorities and complies with NIH policies.

From a timing standpoint, the opportunity was created on 2024-11-18, and the original closing date is listed as 2028-01-07, indicating a multi-year open period typical of NIH program announcements with recurring submission cycles. While the summary data provided does not specify the number of expected awards, the long open window suggests ongoing opportunities for submission across multiple receipt dates. Overall, the program can be read as a targeted route for teams that have a clinical trial concept within NICHDs scientific scope and need a smaller grant to test an approach, establish feasibility, collect early efficacy signals, or otherwise generate the clinical trial evidence base needed to justify a subsequent, larger-scale study.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NICHD Small Research Grant Program (R03 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 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.

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