Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Trailblazer Award for New and Early-Stage Investigators (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, with the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health intend to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the Trailblazer Award. This is an opportunity for NIH-defined New and Early Stage Investigators (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-investigators/index.htm) 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. 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. This NOFO will utilize the R21 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into the application of principles and techniques from engineering and quantitative sciences, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer sciences are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in trans-disciplinary research approaches with the potential to open new areas of biomedical investigation will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.

The major elements in evaluating proposals include assessments of: (1) Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field? (2) Approach: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? (3) Innovation: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or method? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies? (4) Investigator: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)? (5) Environment: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support? (6) the appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the proposed research; (7) the relevance and importance to announced program objectives; (8) the adequacy of plans to include both...