Opportunity Overview
Children’s Nebraska’s Criss Heart Center, with the Child Health Research Institute (CHRI), is accepting hypothesis-driven research proposals in clinical research, laboratory research, and education related to pediatric cardiac disease, including pediatric congenital or acquired heart disease and adult congenital heart disease.
Funding
Total funding may not exceed $40,000. Funding is for one year with a one-time no-cost extension. Investigator salary support is not allowable; salary support for ancillary staff such as coordinators, research technologists, and statisticians is allowed. Indirect costs are not allowable.
Deadline and Submission
The RFA states that the application opened September 1, 2026 and is due November 16, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) through the CHRI Submission System. The RFA does not state a time zone. Because ’12:00 a.m. (midnight) on November 16′ can be operationally ambiguous, applicants should confirm the portal closing interpretation with CHRI and submit early rather than rely on a last-minute filing.
Eligibility
Projects must be hypothesis driven and address at least one of the three primary topic areas. At least one member of the investigative team must be both a member of the Criss Heart Center and a member of the Child Health Research Institute. Grant recipients must provide progress reviews at six months and at the end of the grant cycle.
Required Application Components
The full application requires a face page, NIH biosketch, budget, and project narrative. The narrative includes specific aims, background and innovation, approach, relevance to pediatric cardiac disease and future directions, resources and facilities, and references.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 88/100. This is a current Nebraska healthcare research opportunity with a clear sponsor, defined research topics, documented eligibility, and a fixed funding ceiling.
N9+ Fit Score: 45/100 conditional. A defensible N9+ role could exist only where an eligible investigator-led clinical research protocol independently establishes a need for remote examination, digital auscultation, imaging, or related data capture and the cost is allowable under the approved budget. Do not force N9+ into a project or introduce N9+ in ordinary initial outreach.
QC Healthcare / Dr. Miltie direct fit: 0/100. The RFA requires a qualifying investigative team with Criss Heart Center and CHRI membership and does not establish Dr. Miltie or QC Healthcare as a direct eligible applicant.
Official sources: CHRI Funding Opportunities and the Criss Heart Center RFA.