Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 843

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 843

Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (PAR 18-843) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity that uses the R21 mechanism and explicitly does not allow clinical trials. It is designed to support early-stage, investigator-initiated projects that push forward computational genomics and data science as enabling foundations for both basic and clinical genomic research. The central idea is to fund work that strengthens the analytical and computational backbone of genomics, with clear relevance to human health and disease, rather than projects tied to a single narrow disease use case or a one-off dataset.

The scope is intentionally broad and welcomes research in computational genomics, bioinformatics, statistics, and data science. Competitive projects are expected to develop innovative analytical methodologies, new computational approaches, or software and tool development that the wider genomics community can use. The FOA covers both the creation of new tools in early development and the improvement of existing high-value tools, including the kind of refinement sometimes described as hardening software (for example, making methods more robust, scalable, portable, well-tested, well-documented, and easier for others to adopt). Regardless of whether the contribution is a new algorithm, a statistical framework, a machine learning method, or a software pipeline, the work should be positioned as broadly applicable across diseases, traits, and biological systems rather than being tailored to one specific condition without broader generalization.

A recurring requirement in this opportunity is scalability. Applications are expected to explain how proposed methods and tools will handle increasingly large datasets, which is a major practical challenge in modern genomics where studies routinely involve tens or hundreds of thousands of genomes, multimodal data types, and rapidly expanding public and controlled-access resources. Reviewers will look for credible plans for computational efficiency, memory and storage considerations, parallelization or cloud/HPC readiness where relevant, and thoughtful handling of data complexity such as batch effects, population structure, missingness, and heterogeneous data modalities.

Eligibility is wide and includes many types of organizations that commonly apply to NIH, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as various government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, independent school districts) and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, eligible federal agencies, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, as well as tribal governments and organizations that are not federally recognized. In practice, this wide eligibility aligns with the FOA goal of building broadly useful computational genomics capabilities across the biomedical research ecosystem.

From a practical standpoint, an applicant responding to this FOA would typically frame a project around a methodological gap in genomics analysis or data integration and then propose a focused, innovation-driven plan suitable for an R21. The strongest fits are projects that can demonstrate a clear advance over current practice, provide convincing preliminary rationale (even if not extensive), and deliver outputs that others can reuse, adapt, or extend. Because clinical trials are not allowed, the emphasis stays on computational and methodological development rather than interventional studies in participants, even if the long-term impact is intended to support clinical research down the line.

Key identifying details from the source information include the funding opportunity title (Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science, R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), the funding opportunity number (PAR 18-843), the NIH as the issuing agency, the activity category of health, and the CFDA number 93.172. The original closing date listed in the provided record is 2021-09-07, and the record creation date is 2018-06-28. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text, suggesting applicants would need to consult the full NIH FOA posting and related NIH R21 policy guidance for up-to-date budget and submission details.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Investigator Initiated Research in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-06-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 18 843

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