Opportunity Overview
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Research and Innovation administers Biomedical Research Seed Grants to help UNL faculty generate preliminary biomedical research data and strengthen future NIH R21 or R01 proposals. The program is supported by the Nebraska Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Fund.
Deadline
October 1, 2026 for the next cycle, with a second deadline of April 1, 2027. The controlling program page and RFP do not publish an exact closing clock time or time zone. Proposals must be submitted through NuRamp using institutional credentials.
Funding
Category 1 proposals targeting development of an NIH R21 application may request up to $25,000. Category 2 proposals targeting development of an NIH R01 application may request up to $50,000. Projects run for 12 months. The RFP does not state a cost share or match requirement.
Eligibility
Eligible principal investigators include tenured and tenure-track assistant, associate, and full professors and research assistant, associate, and full professors at UNL. Other essential personnel, including external collaborators, may participate, but the principal investigator must meet the published UNL eligibility requirements. Each PI may submit one proposal per deadline.
Application and Requirements
The proposal is submitted in NuRamp as a single PDF. The RFP requires a program coversheet, proposal narrative, references cited, detailed budget, budget justification, and a draft NIH R21 or R01 proposal. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Matthew Dwyer at mdwyer4@unl.edu or 402-472-1661 before submission to discuss eligibility and project appropriateness.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 86/100. N9+ Fit Score: 45/100 conditional. This is a substantive Nebraska-administered biomedical research opportunity with a legitimate possibility that health technology could support a qualifying faculty-led preliminary study or data-collection plan. However, no specific UNL principal investigator, research protocol, allowable device budget, or project need for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform has been independently established. Atlas therefore does not force applicant outreach. This opportunity is administered by UNL and is not a direct federal solicitation, even though its intended outcome is to strengthen future NIH applications.
Controlling source: UNL Biomedical Research Seed Grants.