Drug Discovery For Nervous System Disorders (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | PAR 19 147

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 147

The Drug Discovery for Nervous System Disorders funding opportunity (PAR-19-147) is an NIH R01 grant program designed to push early-stage therapeutic discovery forward for nervous system disorders, with a clear focus on building and improving candidate drug compounds before they ever reach human testing. Backed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the FOA is centered on preclinical drug discovery and development activities that can produce credible, well-characterized small molecules or other novel compounds with real potential to prevent or treat neurological or neuropsychiatric conditions. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this announcement, which signals that the expected work should remain in discovery, optimization, and preclinical validation rather than patient-facing studies.

The research scope is framed around the main steps of getting from an initial idea to a viable preclinical drug candidate. Projects may include identifying therapeutic targets and finding or creating compounds that interact with those targets, as well as designing, synthesizing, and testing candidate molecules in relevant experimental systems. A major emphasis is placed on hit-to-lead chemistry, meaning applicants can propose work that starts with early "hits" from screening or rational design and then modifies them to improve potency, selectivity, and overall activity against the biological target of interest. The FOA also supports later-stage lead optimization, where the goal is to refine lead compounds into stronger candidates by improving properties that matter for real-world drug performance, such as efficacy in disease-relevant models, exposure levels, stability, and pharmacokinetics. In addition, the opportunity highlights the importance of early drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) work, supporting initial studies that clarify how a compound is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and cleared, and whether it has characteristics consistent with eventual development.

A distinguishing feature of this FOA is the emphasis on novelty in approach. While traditional medicinal chemistry and screening strategies are within scope, the announcement explicitly prioritizes projects that bring new or creative methods to identifying or generating potential therapeutic agents. In practice, that often means applications should not only propose solid experiments, but also make a compelling case that the strategy, platform, target engagement method, screening paradigm, or optimization workflow offers something meaningfully innovative compared with standard pipelines. The overall expectation is that funded projects will produce actionable outputs such as optimized lead series, clear structure-activity relationships, evidence of target engagement and functional impact, and early pharmacology and DMPK data that collectively position a candidate for future preclinical development steps beyond the award.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant program using the R01 mechanism, offered through NIH, and categorized under education and health-related funding activity areas. The associated CFDA numbers listed for the opportunity are 93.242, 93.279, and 93.866, reflecting NIH program areas that can support related neuroscience, mental health, and aging research priorities. The original closing date shown in the source record is January 7, 2022, and the FOA record was created on January 8, 2019; applicants should treat those dates as historical and verify any current re-issues or successor announcements if pursuing a similar application now.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organizational types, which is typical of NIH research grants. Eligible applicants include federal, state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; public housing and Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and certain tribal organizations beyond federally recognized governments. The FOA also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant categories 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth suggests NIH is open to supporting drug discovery capabilities across a wide range of research settings, including institutions that serve underrepresented communities and organizations outside the United States, as long as the science and the proposed development plan align with NIH expectations and the FOA requirements.

In short, PAR-19-147 is aimed at de-risking and advancing new therapeutic compounds for nervous system disorders through rigorous preclinical discovery and optimization. It is best suited to teams that can combine strong disease biology and target rationale with medicinal chemistry, screening, pharmacology, and early DMPK capabilities, and that can articulate a clear path from initial compounds to optimized leads supported by data-driven decision points, all without moving into clinical trial territory.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Drug Discovery For Nervous System Disorders (R01 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): 93.242, 93.279, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for PAR 19 147

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