Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Assay Development and Neurotherapeutic Agent Identification (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 124

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 124

The NIH funding opportunity PAR-21-124, titled "Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Assay Development and Neurotherapeutic Agent Identification (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," supports early translational research aimed at discovering and characterizing potential therapeutic agents for neurological or neuromuscular disorders. The central focus is on building and using laboratory-based experimental systems, specifically in vitro and/or ex vivo assays, and then running iterative screening workflows to find promising drug candidates (or other therapeutic agents) and gather the kinds of data needed to justify more advanced development. The overall intent is to move projects out of the basic discovery stage and closer to a clear translational "on-ramp," where they can qualify for larger, later-stage programs such as the Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN) or similar translational pipelines.

The mechanism used is the R61/R33 phased innovation award, which is designed to support milestone-driven progression from an initial, higher-risk development phase into a second phase that continues and expands the work once feasibility and predefined performance goals are met. In practical terms, applicants are expected to propose a plan that starts with assay development, optimization, and validation, followed by screening and follow-up characterization that is repeated in cycles to improve confidence in hits and refine candidates. This often includes establishing robustness and reproducibility of assays, demonstrating that the assay measures a biologically meaningful endpoint tied to disease biology, and showing that the screening strategy can reliably identify active compounds or agents with acceptable specificity and signal quality. Because the announcement explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," the work is limited to preclinical and non-clinical activities; it is not intended to support testing interventions in human participants.

The scientific scope centers on assays and screening approaches that can identify and characterize neurotherapeutic leads, which can include small molecules and potentially other agent types, so long as the work fits the FOA's emphasis on assay-driven discovery and iterative evaluation. The goal is not simply to produce a list of hits, but to generate credible, decision-ready evidence about activity, mechanism-relevant effects, and basic properties that help determine whether a candidate is worth advancing. In that sense, the FOA is positioned as a bridge between target/disease biology and the more resource-intensive stages of translational development, helping teams package their projects to meet entry criteria for programs like BPN that typically require strong preliminary data, validated assays, and a coherent development plan.

Eligibility is broad and includes many kinds of applicant organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the funding activity category is Health, with CFDA numbers 93.213 and 93.853 associated with the opportunity.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity created on 2021-03-11, with an original closing date listed as 2024-10-21. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the supplied source data, so those details would typically need to be confirmed directly in the full FOA or related NIH notices. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH support for teams that are ready to translate neuroscience and neuromuscular disease insights into tractable assays and disciplined screening campaigns, producing the rigorous early evidence needed to justify entry into later-stage neurotherapeutic development programs, without moving into clinical testing.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Assay Development and Neurotherapeutic Agent Identification (R61/R33 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): 93.213, 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-21. (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.

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