NEI Translational Research Program (TRP) to Develop Novel Therapies and Devices for the Treatment of Visual System Disorders (R24) | PAR 17 099

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 099

The NEI Translational Research Program (TRP) to Develop Novel Therapies and Devices for the Treatment of Visual System Disorders (R24) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity designed to move promising vision research out of the laboratory and toward real-world clinical use. The core idea is to support projects where an experienced leader assembles and directs a coordinated, multi-disciplinary team that can translate innovative discoveries into tangible clinical tools. These tools can include therapies, medical devices, and other enabling technological, biological, or pharmacological resources that clinicians can ultimately use to treat diseases and disorders of the visual system. The program emphasizes practical, efficient translation rather than purely basic discovery work, with the intent that the outputs will be usable by clinicians and beneficial to patients.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its team-science structure. Rather than funding a single investigator working in isolation, the program expects a collaborative group of scientists and clinicians spanning multiple disciplines and working under a clear leadership and management plan. This reflects the reality that turning a lab finding into something a clinician can use typically requires many different types of expertise, such as molecular biology, pharmacology, bioengineering, clinical ophthalmology, regulatory strategy, manufacturing/scale-up considerations, and methods for evaluating safety and performance. The program is particularly well suited for complex translational pathways where coordinated development work is needed to bridge key gaps between early discovery and downstream clinical application.

In terms of scientific scope, the opportunity is aimed at translational projects focused on therapeutic or interventional pathways that can be targeted through biological or engineering approaches. The announcement explicitly highlights areas like gene therapy, cell-based therapy, pharmacological strategies, and the development and use of medical devices. In practice, this could include work such as optimizing a gene delivery approach, developing or refining a device intended for diagnosing or treating an eye condition, producing translational-grade biological materials needed for clinical studies, establishing assays or platforms that support therapy development, or creating other resources that remove bottlenecks preventing clinician access to emerging technologies. The emphasis is on producing resources and interventions that are closer to clinical readiness and that can accelerate adoption in patient care settings.

Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary grant from NIH under the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.867. The specific funding opportunity is identified as PAR 17 099, created on 2017-01-05, with an original closing date listed as 2018-03-06. The listed award ceiling is $1,500,000. The source data also lists “ExpectedAwards:” without a number, indicating the expected number of awards was not specified in the provided extract.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants include 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; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other categories. The opportunity also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign participation is restricted in specific ways. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, the program allows “foreign components” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning certain discrete parts of the project can be conducted outside the U.S. if they meet NIH’s definition and justification requirements, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

Overall, this R24 program is built for organized translational efforts in vision science where the main deliverables are clinically relevant therapies, devices, and enabling resources. It is best suited for applicants who can demonstrate both the scientific innovation behind the candidate intervention and the practical, coordinated plan needed to move it toward clinician use, including strong cross-disciplinary collaboration and leadership capable of driving a complex translational roadmap.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Translational Research Program (TRP) to Develop Novel Therapies and Devices for the Treatment of Visual System Disorders (R24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-03-06. (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 $1,500,000.00 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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