T1 Translational Research on Aging: Small Business Innovation Awards (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 183

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 183

The grant opportunity titled "T1 Translational Research on Aging: Small Business Innovation Awards (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 18 183) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to push aging-related scientific discoveries closer to real-world use. The core idea is that small businesses are often well positioned to take promising research findings and turn them into practical, market-ready solutions, and NIH wants to accelerate that translation so that older adults can benefit sooner. The overall aim is to improve or maintain health and functional independence in later life by supporting commercialization-oriented development work rather than purely basic research.

This announcement uses the SBIR mechanism, specifically the R43 and R44 pathways, which generally correspond to early-stage feasibility work and more advanced development, respectively. Projects supported under this FOA are expected to transform advances in aging research into tangible outputs such as novel medical or assistive devices, products, healthcare practices, and programs. In other words, the program is geared toward innovations that can be implemented outside the lab, including tools and interventions that could support mobility, cognition, chronic disease self-management, caregiving, independent living, or healthcare delivery for older populations. The "Clinical Trial Optional" framing indicates that applicants may propose a clinical trial if it is appropriate for the stage and goals of the project, but a clinical trial is not required for every application.

Eligibility is limited to small businesses, consistent with SBIR rules. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, the FOA notes that a "foreign component" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement may be allowable in some circumstances, meaning certain project activities could potentially be carried out abroad if they meet NIH policy requirements and are justified, even though the applicant organization itself must be eligible and U.S.-based. Applicants would need to consult the FOA and NIH policy language closely to understand what kinds of foreign involvement, if any, are permissible.

Administratively, this is a grant (FundingInstrumentType: Grant) in the health category (FundingActivityCategory: Health) under CFDA number 93.866, and it is offered by NIH. The original closing date listed for the opportunity is 2019-09-05, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of 2017-11-28. The provided source data does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so prospective applicants would typically look to the full FOA or associated NIH documentation for budget guidance, project period expectations, and the typical scale of awards for the R43/R44 mechanisms.

In practical terms, the opportunity is meant for small companies that have a credible path from an aging-related scientific advance to a deployable solution, and that can describe clear development milestones leading toward commercialization and real-world impact for older adults. The emphasis is on translational outcomes: moving beyond discovery into prototype development, validation, optimization, implementation-oriented program development, and other steps that bridge the gap between research and products or practices that can be used in clinical, community, or home settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "T1 Translational Research on Aging: Small Business Innovation Awards (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-05. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for PAR 18 183

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