The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides enormous opportunities for biomedical research and the life sciences industry. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) received $10.4 billion in the Recovery Act, the majority of which will be used to either fund R01 applications that were reviewed last year and which scored well, but weren't funded, or to award supplements for existing NIH grants.
However, the NIH has published notices announcing two excellent opportunities to obtain Recovery Act funding for new scientific projects:
- NIH Challenge Grants
The Challenge grants are two-year grants of $500,000 per year in 15 "challenge areas" including stem cells, clinical trials, biomarker discovery and validation, bioethics, and other topics. The NIH Challenge Grant applications are due April 27, 2009. Funding should be awarded by early October. - Grand Opportunities Grants
NIH has begun a new program called Research and Research Infrastructure "Grand Opportunities" grants, which will be funded with Recovery Act money. These grants are limited to two years and are generally designed to "address large, specific biomedical and biobehavioral research endeavors." Grand Opportunities applications are due May 27, 2009. Funding should be awarded by early October. Notices for specific grants are available here and here.
The application deadline for both Challenge Grants and Grand Opportunities Grants is fast approaching. Foley Hoag is happy to provide you with more information on specific opportunities and to offer strategic advice on preparing your grant application. Contact your lawyer at Foley Hoag for additional information.
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