ForecastedResearch announcementOpportunity PAR-26-119

NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research (UG1 - Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research (UG1 - Clinical Trial Optional) is a forecasted federal cooperative agreement opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services). The agency's forecast estimates an application due date of September 25, 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 93.867 (Vision Research).

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

Key facts

Mar 3, 2026Forecast posted
Jul 25, 2026 (est.)Full notice expected
Sep 25, 2026 (est.)Application deadline
Jun 1, 2027 (est.)Est. award datenext date

Posted: Mar 3, 2026
Est. close date: Sep 25, 2026
Est. award date: Jun 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: Cooperative Agreement
Opportunity category: Discretionary
Fiscal year: FY2027

Typical awards for this program (SAM.gov listing for ALN 93.867, not this notice): FOR 2023: Research Grants (R): $12,400 to $2,178,277; Avg $422,981. Cooperative Agreements: $10,980 to $7,324,750; Avg $1,067,398. Centers (P): $400,718 to $949,680; Avg $677,851. K (Institutional): $183,986 to $545,160; Avg $454,904. K (Individual): $15,332 to $277,133; Avg $177,182. NRSA (Institutional): $28,815 to $272,894; Avg $142,678. NRSA (Individual): $2,500 to $78,552; Avg $47,548. SBIR Phase I: $54,475 to $350,075; Avg $270,429. SBIR Phase II: $245,829 to $1,907,135; Avg $768,574. STTR Phase I: $149,664 to $341,302; Avg $273,829. STTR Phase II: $289,895 to $537,483; Avg $402,459. SBIR/STTR Phase III: none. FOR 2024 YTD: Research Grants (R): $4,455 to $2,153,230; Avg $428,107. Cooperative Agreements: $81,518 to $8,942,823; Avg $1,283,922. Centers (P): $161,000 to $947,710; Avg $654,204. K (Institutional): $285,890 to $562,320; Avg $478,162. K (Individual): $21,767 to $280,704; Avg $175,903. NRSA (Institutional): $29,506 to $555,162; Avg $144,608. NRSA (Individual): $3,000 to $81,892; Avg $51,319. SBIR Phase I: $54,709 to $365,000; Avg $259,725. SBIR Phase II: $52,865 to $1,093,927; Avg $821,791. STTR Phase I: $180,642 to $180,642; Avg $180,642. STTR Phase II: $615,858 to $975,387; Avg $767,351. SBIR/STTR Phase III: none YTD.

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 NEI uses UG1 cooperative agreement awards to support investigator-initiated clinical vision research projects, including multi-center clinical trials, human gene-transfer, stem cell therapy trials, epidemiological studies, and other studies that are complex, high resource, or that require increased oversight due to elevated safety considerations.

These collaborative clinical vision research projects would address chronic diseases across the lifespan through research on the burden of eye and vision conditions, their causes, diagnoses, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. These projects are multifaceted and of high public health significance, requiring careful oversight and monitoring by National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff.

The intent of this funding opportunity announcement is to provide a collaborative framework for the following components: Chair's Grant, Coordinating Center, and Resource Center(s).

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 25, 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 earlyNEI Extramural · NEI_extramural@nih.gov Open ↗
Submit before September 25, 2026Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.867Vision ResearchProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 93.867

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$696M

FY25

$703M

FY26

$864K est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.867. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

NEI Extramural
NEI_extramural@nih.gov
Please contact via e-mail

Quick answers

Is “NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research (UG1 - Clinical Trial Optional)” 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 25, 2026. Forecast details and dates can change.

Who is eligible to apply for “NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research (UG1 - Clinical Trial Optional)”?

The official notice lists 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 “NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research (UG1 - Clinical Trial Optional)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity PAR-26-119), 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.

ForecastedResearchALN 93.867