Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Applications close Aug 11, 2027
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- Agency
- National Institutes of Health
- Opportunity number
- PAR-25-101
- Posted
- Dec 30, 2024
- Closes
- Aug 11, 2027
- Award ceiling
- $150,000
- Estimated program funding
- $150,000
- Cost sharing required
- false
About this opportunity
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Cutting-Edge Basic Research Award (CEBRA) is designed to foster highly innovative or conceptually creative research related to the etiology, pathophysiology, prevention, or treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs). It supports high-risk and potentially high-impact research that is sparse or not included in NIDA's current portfolio that has the potential to transform SUD research. The proposed research should: 1. develop, and/or adapt, revolutionary techniques or methods for addiction research or that show promising future applicability to SUD research; and /or 2. test an innovative and significant hypothesis for which there are scant precedent or preliminary data and which, if confirmed, would transform current thinking.
Who can apply
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
How to apply
- 1Register your organization
Applications are submitted by your institution, not individuals. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration (with a UEI) and a Grants.gov account with an Authorized Organization Representative.
- 2Read the full notice
Open the official notice for the complete eligibility rules, review criteria, page limits, and required forms. Applications close Aug 11, 2027.
- 3Download the application package
From the Grants.gov opportunity page, download the package (or apply via your agency's system where required) and prepare each component.
- 4Build and submit
Prepare the budget and narrative, route for institutional sign-off, and submit before the deadline: GrantsManager can track every step for you.
Agency contact: National Institutes of Health · grantsinfo@nih.gov
Details are pulled from Grants.gov and can change, always confirm against the official notice. GrantsManager isn't affiliated with these agencies.
About the NIH R21 program
A shorter NIH grant for exploratory, high-risk/high-reward work that doesn't yet have extensive preliminary data.
Typical award: Up to 2 years, with combined direct costs normally capped at $275K and no more than $200K in any single year.
Resources for applying
All NIH grants and resources- Proposal submission checklist
A pre-submission checklist for research proposals: solicitation review, internal routing, budget, compliance, and sponsor-system steps to hit the deadline cleanly.
- NIH modular budget
How NIH modular budgets work: the $250,000 threshold, $25,000 modules, consortium F&A, what goes in the personnel, consortium, and additional narrative justifications, and a worked example.
- Reading your Notice of Award
The parts of a Notice of Award that determine what you can spend, when, and what needs prior approval, plus the terms that cause disallowed costs if missed.
- Letter of Support Template for Grant Applications
A free letter of support template for NIH and other research grant applications, with collaborator and consultant versions, what NIH asks letters to include, and how NIH's move to letters of collaboration affects them.
- NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Template
A free NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan template in the updated 2026 format required for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, with every element, word limits, and example answers.
- Budget Justification Template
A free budget justification (budget narrative) template for research grants, organized by the federal R&R budget categories, with example language for personnel, fringe, equipment, travel, other direct costs, subawards, and F&A.
- Grant Application Cover Letter Template
A free cover letter template for NIH grant applications, with when a cover letter is required, what to include, who reads it, and why assignment requests now go on a separate form.
- NIH salary cap 2026
The NIH salary cap for 2026 is $228,000 (Executive Level II, effective January 1, 2026). See the cap by year and calculate the allowable salary and over-the-cap amount at any effort level.
- NIH modular budget
Round direct costs up to $25,000 modules for each budget year, check eligibility for a modular budget (up to $250,000 a year), and total the request with consortium F&A.
- F&A & MTDC calculator
Build the Modified Total Direct Cost base, apply your F&A rate, and see total direct costs, indirect costs, and the full award total, with the usual MTDC exclusions handled.
- Grant burn rate
Compare the share of a grant spent and encumbered with the share of the award period elapsed, see the average monthly burn, the monthly spend needed to finish on budget, and the projected run-out date.
- Grants.gov
Federal grant applications and forms for NIH, USDA, and many others.
- NIH eRA Commons
NIH application status, progress reports (RPPR), and award management.
- SciENcv
Biosketches and Current & Pending (Other) Support documents.
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