Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development of Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 051

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 051

The Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN) opportunity (PAR 25-051) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to help neuroscience investigators push promising small molecule drug projects further down the pipeline, with the explicit goal of moving candidates toward the clinic for disorders of the nervous system. The program is built to bridge the gap between academic discovery and the specialized, resource-heavy development work required to reach an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and early human testing. While applicants keep control of the core scientific direction of their project, the structure of the award is meant to surround research teams with practical drug-development capabilities that are often hard to assemble within a single lab or institution.

A key feature of BPN is the division of responsibilities and support. Awardees remain responsible for all disease- or target-specific work that depends on their unique expertise and tools, such as developing or running specialized assays, using disease models, validating targets, and generating the mechanistic or translational evidence needed to justify advancement. NIH funding covers the activities conducted in the awardee's own laboratory. At the same time, awardees collaborate with NIH-supported consultants and can also tap into NIH contract research organizations (CROs) to carry out major development tasks. Those CRO-enabled capabilities include medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, formulation development, chemical synthesis (including Good Manufacturing Practices, or GMP, when needed), and Phase I clinical testing. In practice, this means an investigator does not need to build a full pharmaceutical development operation from scratch to access the kinds of studies regulators expect before and during first-in-human work.

The program is structured so projects can enter at different starting points depending on maturity. One pathway is entry at the Discovery stage, where the focus is on taking promising hits or early leads and optimizing them through medicinal chemistry, improving properties like potency, selectivity, metabolic stability, brain penetration when relevant, and overall developability, with the aim of producing a development-ready candidate. Another pathway is entry at the Development stage, where the project centers on advancing a single nominated development candidate through IND-enabling studies, including the required toxicology package, and then moving into Phase I clinical testing. The announcement also notes that some projects may begin at the Development stage and move through IND-enabling work and Phase I in a shorter timeframe, reflecting that some applicants may already have substantial preclinical progress.

Because this is a cooperative agreement (UG3/UH3; clinical trial optional), the NIH role is more hands-on than in a standard research grant, emphasizing active collaboration and milestone-driven progression. Although the specific milestones and transition criteria are not detailed in the provided text, the UG3/UH3 format generally implies an initial phase focused on achieving predefined objectives that, if met, supports transition to a later phase oriented toward more advanced development activities. The "clinical trial optional" component signals that Phase I clinical testing can be part of the project when appropriate, but it is not a mandatory requirement for every applicant, depending on the stage and aims proposed.

Intellectual property (IP) terms are also highlighted as a major incentive. Awardee institutions retain their own IP rights, and they also gain assignment of IP rights from BPN contractors for drug candidates developed through the program. This is important because it leaves the institution in control of patent prosecution and licensing negotiations, which can be decisive for attracting follow-on investment, forming partnerships, or moving a candidate into later-stage clinical development beyond Phase I.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types: state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The opportunity explicitly calls out additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) entities. That breadth reflects an intent to draw strong neuroscience and drug discovery projects from many settings, not just traditional research-intensive universities.

From the source data, the agency is NIH and the opportunity category is discretionary. The funding activity category is listed under education and health, and several CFDA numbers are associated with the program (93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.853, 93.866, 93.867), reflecting the multi-institute nature of NIH neuroscience and translational programs. The original closing date provided is 2026-08-18, and the record creation date is 2024-09-25. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided information.

Overall, BPN is essentially an NIH-supported translational engine for small molecule neurotherapeutics: investigators bring the disease expertise, target biology, and specialized models, while NIH helps supply the development infrastructure and experienced consultants needed to turn early chemical matter into an IND-ready candidate and, when feasible, into Phase I testing, all while allowing awardee institutions to retain and consolidate IP control over resulting drug candidates.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development of Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.853, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-18. (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.

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