Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23/K25 Recipients (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HL 24 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 24 005

The NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is offering a limited-competition small grant opportunity under an R03 mechanism designed specifically for people who currently hold, or have recently completed, certain NHLBI career development (K) awards. The program is titled "Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23/K25 Recipients (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)" and it is meant to give K awardees a short, focused infusion of support so they can expand the work they started during their mentored career phase or pursue a new, closely related research direction that grew out of their K award research. The larger goal is to help these investigators strengthen their trajectory toward full research independence and position themselves for a strong next-step application at the R01-equivalent level.

Eligibility is tightly tied to prior NHLBI K support. Current NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 awardees can apply once the Notice of Award has been issued for their first Type 5 K award (in other words, after the K award is formally active). Investigators who have finished one of these NHLBI K awards can still apply as long as timing works out: the earliest possible start date of the R03 has to fall within two years of the end date of the prior NHLBI K project period. This structure keeps the program focused on the transition window when investigators are moving from mentored support to independent funding and need targeted resources and publishable results.

The R03 mechanism is intentionally modest and time-limited. Projects are expected to be achievable quickly, with limited resources, and completed within no more than two years. The maximum award amount listed for this opportunity is $75,000 (award ceiling). The kinds of studies NHLBI is looking for are practical, self-contained efforts that can generate preliminary data or proof points that make a later, larger application more competitive. Examples include pilot or feasibility studies, proof-of-concept projects, secondary analyses of existing datasets, small stand-alone research projects, development of new methods or technologies, or building novel experimental models. The announcement is also explicitly "clinical trial optional," meaning a clinical trial may be proposed if appropriate, but it is not required.

For applicants coming from the K23 pathway, the announcement is flexible about whether the R03 work is patient-oriented. In other words, a current or former K23 awardee is not locked into patient-oriented research for the R03; the proposed project can include patient-oriented components or shift into other approaches as long as it aligns with the investigator's evolving scientific direction and fits the R03 scope.

A major expectation is that applicants maintain meaningful protected research time while on the R03. During the R03 award period, a minimum of 40 percent protected overall research effort is required. Importantly, that 40 percent does not have to be entirely covered by the R03 itself; it can be met by combining effort across the proposed R03 and other research projects, regardless of the funding source. The point is to ensure the investigator has enough dedicated research time to actually produce results and continue progressing toward independence.

The eligible applicant organizations are broad and include many common U.S. entities that can host NIH grants, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions, among others.

At the same time, there are clear limits on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, and foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this announcement. That keeps the work fully within eligible domestic institutional structures.

Key administrative details from the notice include the funding opportunity number RFA-HL-24-005, the activity category of Health, and the NIH as the sponsoring agency (NHLBI). The original closing date listed is January 7, 2026. The associated CFDA numbers include 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, and 93.840. Overall, this program is best understood as a bridge: it gives NHLBI K award alumni and current awardees a short runway to produce a targeted set of results, de-risk a new idea, or extend a promising line of work, with the explicit intent that the output will help justify and strengthen a subsequent R01-equivalent submission.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23/K25 Recipients (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-10-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
• 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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