Limited Competition: National Primate Research Centers (P51) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | PAR 23 126

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 126

The Limited Competition: National Primate Research Centers (P51) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed) opportunity (PAR-23-126) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding announcement designed to maintain and strengthen the National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs). These centers exist because nonhuman primates (NHPs) are among the most scientifically informative animal models for understanding human biology and disease. Because NHPs are closely related to humans in physiology and genetics, they can be essential for basic and translational studies that are difficult or impossible to do in other model organisms, especially when researchers need complex immune, neurological, reproductive, metabolic, or developmental systems that more closely mirror humans.

The FOA focuses on supporting the infrastructure and coordinated activities that allow NPRCs to function as centralized, high-capability resources for the broader biomedical research community. A key point is that effective NHP research requires specialized facilities and expertise: high-standard animal housing, veterinary and clinical care, biosecurity, colony management, breeding and genetics programs, behavioral management, environmental enrichment, and a wide range of technical and scientific capabilities tied to primate-based research. The announcement emphasizes that these needs are most efficiently addressed through centralized primate centers rather than duplicated piecemeal across many separate institutions. In practice, the NPRC model is intended to provide both the physical capacity (facilities, equipment, colonies) and the intellectual capacity (specialized staff, veterinarians, scientists, program leadership) needed to support NHP-based research at a national scale.

A major purpose of the program is to make these primate center resources available to investigators on a national basis, meaning the centers are expected to serve as shared resources that support NIH-funded researchers beyond the host institution. By doing so, the NPRCs complement and enable the missions of multiple NIH Institutes and Centers, helping investigators conduct NHP studies that advance understanding of human health and disease. The P51 mechanism typically aligns with center-level support rather than a single narrowly defined research project, so applications generally revolve around sustaining and improving the center capabilities and operations that underpin multiple lines of biomedical research conducted by many users.

This is a limited competition opportunity, which generally means it is not open to all potential applicants in the way a broad, general FOA would be. Applicants should expect restrictions tied to the existing NPRC program structure and should review the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for the specific eligibility and competition requirements. The announcement also states that clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, so proposed work must fit within non-clinical trial definitions and should not include human clinical trial activities as defined by NIH.

In terms of eligibility and organizational constraints, foreign participation is explicitly restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) cannot apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. These restrictions are important for organizations with international branches, affiliates, or planned overseas components, since those structures can affect allowability and application compliance. The source data also lists eligible applicants as small businesses, though applicants should rely on the full FOA text to reconcile that field with the NPRC limited competition nature and the standard institutional profiles typically associated with primate centers.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from NIH within the health funding activity category, associated with CFDA numbers 93.351 and 93.866. The opportunity was created on 2023-05-26, and the original closing date provided is 2026-05-25. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the supplied source data, so budgeting expectations and likely award volume would need to be confirmed directly in the full FOA and any related NIH notices.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: National Primate Research Centers (P51) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-05-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-05-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for PAR 23 126

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