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.
R34 Characteristics
- 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
Due Dates
Standard receipt dates are February 16, June 16, and October 16. AIDS and AIDS-related grant application due dates are May 7, September 7, and January 7. For additional information, the receipt, review and award cycle schedules are posted on: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm.Related Activity Codes