Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 22 180

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 180

The Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) is an NIH grant opportunity run through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) that supports an investigator's overall research program rather than a single narrowly defined project. It is offered under the R35 mechanism and is listed as "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning clinical trials may be included if they fit the NIGMS mission, but they are not required. The central idea is to fund the body of work happening in an investigator's lab that aligns with NIGMS priorities, giving the investigator room to pursue important questions as the science evolves.

A major purpose of MIRA is to make NIGMS funding work better for both researchers and the broader scientific enterprise. The program is designed to increase funding stability for NIGMS-supported investigators, which can make it easier to plan multi-year, ambitious research efforts and take on higher-risk, higher-reward directions. It also aims to increase flexibility by reducing how tightly investigators are locked into specific aims written far in advance, so they can pivot when new findings, new methods, or unexpected opportunities arise within the NIGMS mission. At a system level, MIRA is also intended to distribute funding more broadly across a larger number of talented investigators, with the goal of improving overall scientific productivity and increasing the likelihood of major breakthroughs by supporting a wider range of ideas and approaches.

Another explicit goal is to cut down on the time burden associated with repeatedly writing, submitting, and reviewing multiple grant applications. By consolidating support into a program-level award, MIRA is meant to reduce administrative churn and free investigators to spend more time actually doing research. The FOA also highlights mentoring as a key benefit: a steadier funding environment can allow a principal investigator to invest more consistently in training and mentorship for students and postdocs, rather than constantly operating in short funding cycles.

This funding opportunity allows applications from eligible investigators who are already NIGMS-funded as well as from New Investigators proposing research that fits within the NIGMS scientific mission. It also accepts renewal applications from current MIRA grantees, including established investigators and those who were originally funded as early-stage investigators. One important eligibility boundary is that current Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) are directed not to apply through this specific FOA; instead, they are expected to apply through the separate ESI MIRA funding opportunity.

On the organizational side, eligibility is broad across many common U.S. applicant types. The opportunity lists eligibility for a range of government entities (state, county, city or township governments, special district governments), educational institutions (public and state-controlled universities, private institutions of higher education, and independent school districts), tribal entities (federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations), and housing authorities (public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities). It also includes nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also calls out categories of institutions and organizations 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies.

There are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as applicants. However, foreign components are allowed when they meet the NIH definition in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means a U.S.-based applicant can include certain justified foreign elements of the research as part of the overall project structure, even though a foreign institution cannot be the main applicant.

Key listing details from the source include the Funding Opportunity Title "Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)," Funding Opportunity Number PAR-22-180, and Agency Name National Institutes of Health. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses the grant funding instrument, with a health activity category and CFDA number 93.859. The original closing date provided is 2025-05-16. The source also lists an award ceiling of 250000, indicating an upper bound noted in the listing for award amount, though actual budgets and project periods in NIH awards are typically governed by NIH and institute-specific policies and the applicant's justified needs as reviewed and negotiated.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-05-16. (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 $250,000.00 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.

Apply for PAR 22 180

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