Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)

To encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. (Support generally is restricted in level of support and in time.)

Special Considerations

  • Do you provide peer review service?
    • An alternative submission policy is available for R01, R21, and R34 grant applications where one or more of the designated PD/PIs serve as an appointed member of an NIH chartered standing study section, NIH Board of Scientific Counselors, NIH Advisory Board or Council, or an NIH Program Advisory Committee. This policy allows applications to be submitted on a continuous basis, peer reviewed in a timely manner, and assigned to an Advisory Council per designated council round deadlines. See Continuous Submission to learn more.

Award Information

  • Funding Instrument: Grant
  • Funding Category: Research and Development
  • Budget Mechanism Code: RP - Research Projects

Application and Submission Information

Parent Announcements

R21 Parent Announcements are available.

  • Parent announcements are broad funding opportunities that applicants can use to submit investigator-initiated applications for a range of popular programs. They do not specify any particular area of scientific interest. They simply provide the standard forms and instructions needed to apply.
  • Not all NIH institutes and centers participate on all parent announcements. Check the participating organization in the funding opportunity before applying.

Application Characteristics

Except when stated otherwise in the funding opportunity:

  • Project period of up to two years
  • Budget for direct costs of up $275,000 in direct costs per year with no more than $200,000 in any year  
  • Cannot be renewed 
  • No preliminary data are required, but most opportunities allow it if available 
  • Research Strategy may not exceed 6 pages. The page limit may be different when combined with other activity codes, such as R21/R33

Investigators are strongly encouraged to consult with NIH Scientific/Research staff (see Section VII. Agency Contacts of the funding opportunity) during the concept development stage of the application to determine if an R21 application is appropriate.

After identifying a funding opportunity, follow guidance in the How to Apply – Application Guide including any Research (R) instruction call-outs, except where instructed to do otherwise in the funding opportunity or related notices.

Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Active Funding Opportunities
The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is NIH's official publication of notices of grant policies, guidelines, and funding opportunities.
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Due Dates

The Key Dates section of funding opportunities lists specific due dates. Many opportunities indicate Standard Due Dates apply.

Standard Application Due Dates (when applicable) Review and Award Cycles
New Renewal, Resubmission,
Revision as Allowed		 AIDS and AIDS Related
Grant Applications		 Scientific Merit Review Advisory Council
Review		 Earliest Start Date

Participating Funding Organizations

Each funding opportunity specifies the participating organizations. Applications must fit within the mission of at least one participating funding organization and meet all opportunity-specific requirements.

The following funding organizations participate on at least one active funding opportunity.

  • Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
  • Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  • Fogarty International Center (FIC)
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
  • National Eye Institute (NEI)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  • National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  • National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
  • Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
  • Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
  • Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
  • Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO)
  • Tribal Health Research Office (THRO)

Contact

  • Your organization's sponsored programs office or grants administrators can answer many internal and agency policy and process questions. 
  • Understand NIH Staff Roles details how and when to find the right NIH contacts:
    • Before you apply, check your chosen funding opportunity for application submission, scientific/research, peer review, and financial/grants management contacts.  
    • After you apply, find NIH staff assignments in the Status module of eRA Commons.
This page last updated on: December 30, 2024
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