Verified opportunity
The National Institutes of Health is accepting applications under PAR-27-072, Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional). The NOFO supports multidisciplinary bioengineering projects that solve biomedical problems by integrating, optimizing, validating, translating or otherwise accelerating promising tools, methods and techniques for basic, translational or clinical science and practice.
Next new-application deadline: October 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The next renewal, resubmission and revision deadline is November 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM applicant-local time. The NOFO was posted May 4, 2026 and opened September 5, 2026. NIH lists recurring standard due dates through 2029.
Funding
Application budgets are limited to less than $500,000 in direct costs per year. The project period is determined by the proposed scope and may extend up to five years depending on the participating NIH Institute or Center’s policy. Cost sharing is not required. The number of awards depends on appropriations and the number of meritorious applications.
Eligibility and submission
Eligible organization classes include public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations; small businesses and other for-profit organizations; state, county, city/township and special-district governments; independent school districts; tribal entities; eligible federal agencies; faith- and community-based organizations; regional organizations; and other listed entities. Required registrations include SAM, Grants.gov and eRA Commons, and PDs/PIs must have appropriate eRA Commons credentials.
Applications are submitted electronically through NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution and tracked through eRA Commons. Applicants should review the current NIH application guide, institute-specific requirements and all linked notices before submission.
Research requirements and fit limits
The BRG mechanism is intended for substantive bioengineering development and translation. Responsive projects may validate and translate promising tools for prevention, monitoring or intervention; integrate or optimize technologies to improve diagnostic or measurement performance; develop quantitative models; or engineer and test delivery systems, tissues, therapeutics, implants or prosthetics. Clinical trials are optional and may be used to test functionality or validate performance in the chosen setting.
This is not a general equipment-purchase or commercialization program. NIH states that commercial production is not supported, conventional clinical trials without translation as the primary motivation are not intended, and Phase III clinical trials are not supported. A project relying only on an existing unmodified technology without meaningful bioengineering development, integration, optimization or validation should not be advanced as a fit.
Participating NIH components
The original NOFO lists the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Eye Institute (NEI), and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). NIH Notice NOT-NS-26-042, released August 28, 2026 and effective for due dates on or after October 5, 2026, adds the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Applicants should match the proposed science to the mission and current priorities of a participating component.
Arkansas relevance
Arkansas has realistic applicant classes in academic biomedical engineering, academic medicine, health systems, nonprofit research, medical-device and diagnostic technology development, pediatric and maternal health, neurology, oncology, vision research and translational point-of-care technology. The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is a strong applicant environment because its Biomedical Engineering faculty conduct technology-development, imaging, spectroscopy and translational research.
Atlas fit
Atlas Opportunity Score: 97/100. The opportunity is open, has broad organizational eligibility, requires no cost sharing, provides substantial multi-year direct-cost support, and explicitly supports bioengineering technology integration, optimization, validation and translation.
N9+ Fit: 84/100, conditional. A legitimate Nonagon N9+ role could exist when an applicant-led research project requires meaningful modification, integration, optimization or validation of a remote physical-examination, vitals or multimodal clinical-peripheral platform to solve a defined biomedical problem. N9+ should not be positioned as an off-the-shelf equipment purchase, an already-proven scientific solution, or a commercial-production expense. The applicant’s scientific aims, participating-IC mission fit, engineering work and validation plan remain controlling.
QC Healthcare / Dr. Miltie fit: For-profit organizations are an eligible applicant class, but Atlas is not advancing a direct Dr. Miltie application without a qualified research PI/team, the required registrations, a responsive bioengineering research plan and participating-IC alignment. A partner-led technology or research-collaboration structure is more realistic for the current Arkansas pursuit.
Official sources and contacts
NIH PAR-27-072 — Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG)
NIH Notice NOT-NS-26-042 — NINDS participation effective October 5, 2026
Scientific contacts published in the NOFO include NCI at bioengineeringresearchgrants@mail.nih.gov, NEI at NEI_extramural@nih.gov, and NICHD at rehabilitation1@mail.nih.gov. Applicants considering NINDS should use the NINDS contact identified in the effective participation notice.