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NIH research grants (R series)

Need assistance with NIH research grants?

NIH research grants (R series) are intended to develop, support, and expand upon research programs for early career through senior investigators.   

When applying for a R series grant, follow the most current NIH SF424 guidance, as well as any specific instructions in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).  Note: The FOA instructions always supersede the SF424 or standard page limitation guidance.

Also review additional NIH proposal guidance:

Guidance on review and submission of the proposal is available within myRESEARCHpath. The grant manager should be contacted with questions (e.g., what documents transfer from SPS versus what is uploaded into grants.duke).

Support for NIH proposal development

Included below are grant writing toolkits developed by the SoM Office of Research Development and the Office of Campus Research Development (OCRD). 

Standard R grant toolkits, templates, and examples

The School of Medicine’s Office of Research Development maintains toolkits for the standard R01 and R21 solicitations, updating them and as needed when NIH issues Guide Notices as well as when Forms are updated (e.g., Forms G to H). ORD has also developed additional resources, including proposal development calendars, tracking sheets, and writing tips (available within each toolkit) and maintains templates for human subjects attachments as well (see Human Subjects and Clinical Trials attachments heading below). Contact SoM ORD (christine.erlien@duke.edu) with any questions about these materials.
NIH R01 with clinical trial toolkit

Proposal resources

Proposal templates

 

NIH R01 without clinical trial toolkit

Proposal resources

Proposal templates

NIH R21 with clinical trial toolkit

Proposal resources

Proposal templates

NIH R21 without clinical trial toolkit

Proposal resources

Proposal templates

NIH R grants Human Subjects and Clinical Trials attachments

OCRD: R toolkits

The Office of Campus Research Development (OCRD) has toolkits to develop specific NIH “R” proposals. Each toolkit includes guidance and templates tailored to the specific opportunity. Toolkits are updated annually or as needed to conform to both NIH- and program-specific requirements.

Contact OCRD (sohini.sengupta@duke.edu) if you would like a toolkit that is not yet available for an R funding opportunity of interest.
NIH R Grant Toolkit (standard)

The NIH R Grant toolkit provides guidance and templates to write a standard R grant application for the following activity codes: R01, R21, and R03. 

Upcoming deadlines: See standard due dates for R01, R21, and R03 applications

NIH Katz ESI R01 Grant Toolkit

The NIH Katz ESI R01 toolkit (PAR-25-322 [Clinical Trial Not Allowed], PAR-25-323 [BES]; NIH-wide): The Katz Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Research Project (R01) program offers a unique opportunity for PIs who qualify to be ESIs to pursue innovative research in a new direction without the need for preliminary data.  

Upcoming deadlines: See standard due dates in either funding opportunity announcement. 

NIH R13 Conference

The NIH Research Conference Grant (R13) (PA-25-080) supports high-quality scientific conferences that are relevant to NIH's mission and public health. A conference is defined as a symposium, seminar, workshop, or any other organized and formal meeting, whether conducted face-to-face or via the internet, where individuals assemble (or meet virtually) for the primary purpose of exchanging technical information and views or exploring or clarifying a defined subject, problem, or area of knowledge, whether or not a published report results from such meeting. 

Deadlines: NIH Standard deadlines apply. 

NIH R21 Trailblazer Toolkit

NIH R21 Trailblazer toolkit (PA-25-169; NIBIB, NIA, NEI): The Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) provides support for New and Early-Stage Investigators to pursue research programs that integrate engineering and the physical sciences with the life and/or biomedical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high risk-high impact and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven. Importantly, applicants must propose research approaches for which there are minimal or no preliminary data.   

Upcoming Deadlines: 2/16/2026; 5/7/2026 (AIDS)

NIH NIGMS R35 MIRA Toolkit

The NIH NIGMS R35 MIRA Toolkit (PAR-26-121, Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)) provides support for a program of research in the laboratories of Established Investigators that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The broad goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of NIGMS funding.

Upcoming Deadline: 1/27/2026

NIH NIGMS R35 MIRA ESI Toolkit

The NIH NIGMS R35 MIRA ESI Toolkit (PAR-23-145, Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESI) (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)) provides support for a program of research in an Early-Stage Investigator's (ESI) laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. For the purpose of this opportunity, a program of research is a collection of projects in the investigator's lab that are relevant to the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of NIGMS funding.

Upcoming Deadline: 2/3/2026