Investigator Initiated Innovation in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you've built or are building generalizable genomics software or analytical methods, NIH will fund your continued development and refinement at scale.
Report stale or inaccurate summary
What this is
This NIH R21 grant funds innovative computational genomics and bioinformatics research that creates generalizable methods and tools applicable across the genomics community. Applicants can pursue fundamental research in analytical methodologies, develop early-stage software, or harden existing tools of value to biomedical researchers. The work must scale to large datasets and address broader human health questions rather than single-disease applications. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this FOA.
Who can apply
Extremely broad eligibility: nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, universities (public and private), small businesses, for-profit companies, government agencies, tribal organizations, and several others can apply. No geographic restriction mentioned. Solo researchers must be affiliated with an eligible organization.
Eligible applicant types
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Private institutions of higher education
- Special district governments
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- City or township governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Independent school districts
- State governments
- County governments
- Small businesses
Full description — from the agency
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to invite applications for a broad range of research efforts in computational genomics, data science, statistics, and bioinformatics relevant to one or both of basic or clinical genomic science, and broadly applicable to human health and disease. This FOA supports fundamental genomics research developing innovative analytical methodologies and approaches, early-stage development of tools and software, and refinement or hardening of software and tools of high value to the biomedical genomics community. Work supported under this FOA should be enabling for genomics and be generalizable or broadly applicable across diseases and biological systems. All applications should address how the methods would scale to address increasingly larger data sets.
Topics: computational genomics · bioinformatics tools · data science methods · genomic software development · statistical genomics · scalable analytics
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.