New Investigator Gateway Awards for Collaborative T1D Research (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 19 026

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 19 026

The New Investigator Gateway Awards for Collaborative T1D Research (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DK-19-026, is an NIH discretionary grant program meant to bring more new investigators into type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and keep that talent in the field long term. The core idea is to support early, preliminary projects while also placing new and early stage principal investigators inside the day-to-day scientific environment of large, ongoing collaborative T1D research consortia. By being embedded in these established networks, awardees are expected to gain faster exposure to the field's most pressing research questions, learn how big team science efforts are organized, and build relationships that can turn into durable collaborations and a stronger career trajectory in T1D research.

Mechanistically, this is an R03 award mechanism, which generally aligns with small, time-limited projects aimed at generating early data, exploring feasibility, or launching a new direction that can later be scaled into a larger R01-type program. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applicants must propose research that does not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial. In practical terms, this steers applicants away from prospective studies that assign human participants to interventions to evaluate health-related outcomes, and toward preclinical, mechanistic, observational, or other non-trial human-subjects work that fits NIH policy under a non-clinical-trial funding announcement.

The program sits within NIH and is categorized under the funding activity area of Food and Nutrition and Health, with CFDA number 93.847. The listed award ceiling is $100,000, indicating the maximum amount that can be requested under this announcement. The original closing date was November 3, 2020, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of January 2, 2020. While the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, the structure and language of the program make clear that NIH intended a cohort of awardees to join and interact with existing collaborative research programs rather than operating in isolation.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic organization types: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. In addition, the announcement explicitly calls out several categories of "other eligible applicants," including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the foreign eligibility rules are fairly strict. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means that a U.S. applicant institution may include a defined element of work to be performed outside the U.S. when it is justified and compliant with NIH foreign component requirements, even though a foreign institution cannot serve as the primary applicant.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a career on-ramp for new PIs in type 1 diabetes research: a modestly sized R03 budget paired with intentional integration into major collaborative programs. The emphasis is not just on funding a small project, but on accelerating professional development through networking, shared scientific infrastructure, and exposure to the collaborative culture that often drives progress in complex disease research like T1D.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "New Investigator Gateway Awards for Collaborative T1D Research (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-01-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DK 19 026

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