Exploratory Clinical Trial Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R21) | PAR 17 293

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 293

The Exploratory Clinical Trial Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R21) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-17-293) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program administered under CFDA 93.846 and aligned with the mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Its central purpose is to support exploratory, early-stage clinical trials that can be carried out within a limited budget and on a relatively short timeline, making it a fit for studies that test feasibility, generate preliminary clinical evidence, refine trial methods, or quickly assess signals of safety, tolerability, or potential efficacy before moving into larger and more definitive clinical testing.

This FOA is intentionally broad about the kinds of exploratory clinical trials it will consider, as long as the research questions clearly match NIAMS priorities in arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, and skin diseases. Applicants may propose trials that evaluate many different categories of interventions, including drugs and biologics as well as devices. It also explicitly allows trials involving surgical approaches, dietary interventions, behavioral strategies, and rehabilitation therapies, which means proposals are not limited to pharmaceutical treatments and can include pragmatic or multidisciplinary approaches when they are clinically meaningful and scientifically justified.

The R21 mechanism signals an emphasis on innovative, hypothesis-generating, or proof-of-concept work rather than large-scale confirmatory trials. The opportunity specifies an award ceiling of $400,000, reinforcing that applications should be designed around focused aims and efficient trial designs appropriate for an exploratory stage. In practical terms, this typically means applicants are expected to propose a study that can be completed without the infrastructure and costs associated with large multi-year, multi-site Phase III style efforts, while still meeting all human subjects protections and clinical trial oversight requirements expected of NIH-funded research.

Eligibility is wide and includes many common U.S. applicant types, such as 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and a range of nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, when categorized that way). The FOA also allows applications from for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and from small businesses, along with other eligible entities. It further highlights inclusion of organizations such as 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 and community-based organizations are also listed, as are eligible agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions, reflecting NIH's broad institutional eligibility framework when the applicant can credibly conduct and oversee a compliant clinical trial.

At the same time, the FOA draws clear lines around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply either. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may still be able to include certain scientifically necessary activities conducted abroad under NIH rules, provided they are structured and justified as a foreign component rather than a foreign applicant institution.

The source record indicates the opportunity was created on 2017-05-17 and lists an original closing date of 2017-11-02. While those dates describe the posted cycle for this specific announcement record, the key takeaway for the program itself is its role as a mechanism for NIAMS-aligned, small-to-mid budget, time-limited exploratory clinical trials across a wide range of intervention types, with broad U.S. institutional eligibility but restrictions on foreign organizations serving as the applicant.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Exploratory Clinical Trial Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.846.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 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.

Apply for PAR 17 293

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