NIH Planning Grant Program (R34)

Introduction

The NIH Planning Grant Program (R34) provides support for the initial development of a clinical trial or research project. This program may support:

• establishment of the research team,
• development of tools for data management and research oversight
• development of a trial design or experimental research designs 
• finalization of the protocol
• preparation of an operations/procedures manual
• pilot studies or collection of feasibility data for subsequent research projects*

*When used as a planning grant for clinical trials, this program is not designed for the collection of preliminary data or the conduct of pilot studies to support the rationale for a clinical trial.

• Renewal applications not allowed
• Project period limited to 3 years
• Direct costs limited to $225,000 per year and $450,000 over the 3-year project period
• Modular budgets required except for applications from foreign institutions
• Funding opportunity should define outcomes to be achieved by the end of the project period
• For a list of institutes and centers participating in the R34 program, see your funding opportunity.

For clinical trials, the planning grant is designed to:

• permit early peer review of the rationale and concept for the proposed clinical trial;
• support development of essential elements of a clinical trial
• lead to an application for support of a full-scale trial, based on elements developed under the planning period

• U34 Planning Cooperative Agreement
• P20 Exploratory Grant (multicomponent)

Active Funding Opportunities

• NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts search results for active R34 opportunities