ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity PAR-26-057

Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Therapeutic Agent Characterization and Preclinical Efficacy Studies

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

Innovation Grants to Nurture Initial Translational Efforts (IGNITE): Therapeutic Agent Characterization and Preclinical Efficacy Studies is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The agency's forecast estimates an application due date of September 30, 2026; forecast dates can change. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts and 10 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Feb 25, 2026Forecast posted
Jul 30, 2026 (est.)Full notice expected
Sep 30, 2026 (est.)Application deadline
Jul 1, 2027 (est.)Est. award datenext date

Posted: Feb 25, 2026
Est. close date: Sep 30, 2026
Est. award date: Jul 1, 2027
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: Not specified
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: Not specified
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2027

Typical awards for this program (SAM.gov listing for ALN 93.853, not this notice): Research grants: $22,709 to $7,753,905; $585,282. National Research Service Awards: Institutional $34,076 to $692,757; $193,304. Individual: $5,495 to $90,284; $46,239. SBIR/STTR: Phase 1 not to exceed $150,000; Phase II not to exceed $1,000,000; however with appropriate justification, budget caps for Phase I and Phase II are $225,000 and $1,500,00 respectively

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public colleges & universities
Federally recognized tribal governments
Public & Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations
501(c)(3) nonprofits
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
Private colleges & universities
For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
Small businesses
Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Other Eligible ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Aging, the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long Term (HEAL) initiative, and other participating ICs seek to support applications to conduct pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and efficacy studies to demonstrate that the proposed therapeutic agent(s) have sufficient biological activity to warrant further development as therapeutics for disorders or diseases supported by participating ICs or for non-opioid analgesic therapeutics with little or no addiction liability as a part of the NIH HEAL initiative. Therapeutic agents include small molecules or biologics. Efficacy testing can be conducted in validated in vivo models and/or validated New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) as appropriate.

Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Watch for the full noticeThe agency estimates posting it around July 30, 2026. Save this grant to track changes.
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyNINDS_IGNITE@nih.gov · NINDS_IGNITE@nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before September 30, 2026Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.853Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological DisordersProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 93.853

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$2.36B

FY25

$2.35B

FY26

— est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.853. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Who was funded under ALN 93.853

Historical data · not a prediction

Since October 1, 2023, 10,021 grant awards had funding actions under Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders, with 5,577 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.

THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION$203M
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO, THE$173M
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY$167M
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$155M
THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK$141M

Recipients, states, recent awards and sub-awards →Source: USAspending.gov.

Agency contact (as published)

NINDS_IGNITE@nih.gov
NINDS_IGNITE@nih.gov
Please contact via email

Quick answers

Is this opportunity open for applications yet?

Not yet. It is a forecast — an agency's advance notice of an expected opportunity. The agency estimates posting the full notice around July 30, 2026. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments, Public & Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, Private colleges & universities and 3 more. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How do I apply for this opportunity?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity PAR-26-057), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

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