Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 21 121

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 121

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), is offering a limited-competition Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) called the Small Grant Program for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program using the R03 mechanism (clinical trial optional). This opportunity, listed as PAR-21-121 (CFDA 93.350), is designed to help a specific group of early-stage investigators strengthen their research independence by generating the kind of preliminary results that can support a later, larger application such as an R01 or an equivalent award. In practical terms, the FOA is focused on helping NCATS CTSA Program KL2 scholars, along with individuals supported by CTSA-funded diversity supplements and re-entry supplements, build momentum as they move from mentored or supplement-supported roles into fully independent academic translational scientist careers.

The program supports small, self-contained clinical and translational science projects that can be completed relatively quickly and with modest resources. The FOA explicitly highlights several types of projects that fit the R03 scope: pilot and feasibility studies, secondary analyses of existing datasets, compact research projects with clearly defined aims, and work focused on developing or refining research methods or new research technologies. Importantly, the proposed research may include patient-oriented research, but it does not have to; the emphasis is on translational science broadly and on producing credible, fundable preliminary evidence or proof-of-concept results. The R03 format is meant to reduce barriers to launching a focused line of inquiry, allowing investigators to test an approach, establish feasibility, or validate a method before pursuing a more resource-intensive follow-on study.

Eligibility is broad at the organizational level, consistent with many NIH grant programs, and includes a wide range of U.S.-based entities such as state, county, and local governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories that NIH often highlights for inclusivity and reach, including 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), certain Indian/Native American Tribal Governments that are not federally recognized, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly limits foreign participation: non-U.S. (foreign) institutions cannot apply as applicant organizations, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, “foreign components” as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement may be allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain well-justified international elements under NIH rules even though a foreign institution cannot be the applicant.

From a funding standpoint, the award ceiling is listed as $50,000, reflecting the small-grant nature of the R03 mechanism and reinforcing the expectation that projects should be tightly scoped and achievable without extensive infrastructure or long timelines. The overall intent is capacity-building for translational researchers in the CTSA ecosystem: applicants are expected to use this short, targeted funding to produce publishable findings, feasibility metrics, validated tools or workflows, or other tangible outputs that make a subsequent larger grant application substantially more competitive.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the agency is NIH, the opportunity category is discretionary, the funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is health. The original closing date shown is October 17, 2023, and the FOA was created on January 4, 2021. Since NIH opportunities can have multiple receipt dates, revisions, or expiration dates depending on the announcement, anyone planning to apply would typically confirm the current status and active due dates in the official NIH/Grants.gov listing for PAR-21-121 and review the full FOA text for the limited-competition requirements tied specifically to CTSA KL2 scholars and CTSA-supported diversity or re-entry supplement recipients.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for the NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.350.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-17. (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 $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.

Apply for PAR 21 121

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