Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 20 117

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 117

The Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35, Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) designed to support an early stage investigator by funding an overall program of research rather than a single narrowly defined project. In this announcement (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-20-117), a "program of research" is described as a collection of related projects being pursued within the investigator's laboratory, as long as those projects fit within the NIGMS mission. The emphasis is on backing the investigator's broader research direction and trajectory, giving the lab a more cohesive and sustained base of support.

A core purpose of MIRA is to improve the efficiency and impact of NIGMS funding by creating a more stable and flexible funding structure for promising early career researchers. The opportunity is intended to let investigators apply earlier in their independent careers, so they can secure funding that helps launch and maintain a productive research program. It also aims to help new faculty establish scientific independence by encouraging movement into research areas that are distinct from their postdoctoral mentors, which NIGMS views as a pathway to original ideas and new discoveries.

Another major theme is flexibility. Instead of locking investigators into highly specific aims that were written long before the experiments begin, MIRA is meant to allow researchers to follow emerging opportunities and new directions as the science develops. This flexibility is paired with the idea of supporting more ambitious and creative work, since stable funding can make it easier for a lab to take thoughtful risks and tackle bigger questions. NIGMS also frames this program as a way to distribute resources more broadly across many talented investigators, increasing the overall scientific output and improving the odds of major breakthroughs.

MIRA is also designed to reduce administrative burden in the research ecosystem. By supporting a program of research under one award mechanism, the FOA anticipates less time spent writing and reviewing multiple grant applications, freeing investigators to spend more time actually conducting research. The funding stability is also expected to strengthen training and mentorship, because a lab operating in a more predictable environment can devote more sustained attention to mentoring students and trainees.

This is a discretionary grant program in the health funding category (CFDA 93.859). The listed award ceiling is $250,000 (as provided in the source data). The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning clinical trials may be allowed but are not required; applicants would need to follow NIH rules about whether their proposed work meets the NIH definition of a clinical trial and submit the appropriate components if they propose one.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Examples listed include state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (other than federally recognized governments), as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is limited. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant organization may include certain foreign elements in the project when justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

Key administrative details included in the source data are that the opportunity was created on 2020-02-24 and had an original closing date of 2022-10-03. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the mechanism is an R35 award under the MIRA program targeted specifically to early stage investigators whose research programs align with NIGMS priorities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Maximizing Investigators Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-03. (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 $250,000.00 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.

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