Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS 24 057
Advancing Hearing and Balance Research Using Auditory and Vestibular Organoids (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), NIH grant opportunity (PAS-24-057) focused on strengthening the human organoid toolkit for hearing and balance science. The program is centered on early-stage, high-impact projects that improve how human auditory and vestibular organoids are made, maintained, and validated, with a heavy emphasis on reproducibility, reliability, and biological relevance. The goal is to push these organoids closer to becoming durable, trustworthy model systems that can be used across labs to study inner ear development, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic strategies, without drifting in quality or function over time.
A key priority is advancing the development and characterization of human auditory and vestibular organoids in ways that make results more consistent and comparable. Applicants are encouraged to tackle practical and technical barriers that currently limit organoid systems, such as variability between batches, instability during long culture periods, incomplete cellular maturation, or difficulty maintaining functional phenotypes. The initiative is not just about making organoids exist in a dish, but about producing organoid platforms that can reliably mimic and recapitulate native inner ear biology, including correlative biological function. In other words, proposed organoid models should be shown, through appropriate characterization, to resemble real auditory or vestibular tissues not only in markers and structure but also in function when relevant.
The announcement strongly encourages innovative methods and technologies that improve organoid longevity and stability and that enable expansion of organoid populations in a controlled way. This includes developing or refining tools to deliver genes, proteins, small molecules, biomaterials, synthetic factors, or other payloads that can enhance survival, promote maturation, or stabilize desired cell states. Projects that introduce novel delivery approaches or culture engineering strategies are especially responsive when they are designed to make the organoid system more reproducible and more faithful to the biological processes of hearing and balance.
Animal organoid work is allowed, but only under specific conditions. Studies that focus on animal auditory or vestibular organoids must include integrated companion studies involving human organoids, such as direct comparisons, parallel validation, or other combined designs that keep the human system central. Proposals that only study animal organoids, with no meaningful human organoid component, are explicitly considered non-responsive to the opportunity. The overall thrust is that human organoids are the primary model of interest, and animal models are acceptable only when they strengthen or contextualize the human organoid work rather than replacing it.
This is an R21 mechanism, meaning it is intended for exploratory and potentially transformative research rather than large, multi-year development programs. The funding opportunity is categorized as discretionary and supports health-related research under CFDA 93.173. The notice specifies that clinical trials are not allowed, so projects must remain preclinical and focused on model development, validation, and enabling technologies rather than testing clinical interventions in humans.
In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The opportunity also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal 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.
There are also important limits related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply as applicants, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which means a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or elements if they meet NIH policy requirements and are justified within the project scope.
Administrative details included in the listing note an original closing date of May 7, 2024, and an award ceiling of $275,000. The opportunity is issued by NIH, with NIDCD as the sponsoring institute, and it was created on October 25, 2023. Overall, the program is designed to accelerate breakthroughs in human inner-ear organoid systems by rewarding projects that solve the core bottlenecks: reproducible generation, stable long-term maintenance, scalable expansion, and convincing functional and biological validation that these organoids truly model hearing and balance tissues in a meaningful way.Apply for PAS 24 057
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Hearing and Balance Research Using Auditory and Vestibular Organoids (R21-Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-25.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-07. (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 $275,000.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Advancing Hearing and Balance Research Using Auditory and Vestibular Organoids (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is PAS-24-057.
Which agency and institute are sponsoring this opportunity?
This is an NIH funding opportunity sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
What is the main purpose of this program?
The program aims to strengthen the human organoid toolkit for hearing and balance research by supporting early-stage, high-impact projects that improve how human auditory and vestibular organoids are made, maintained, and validated.
What type of research projects is this opportunity trying to support?
This opportunity targets exploratory, potentially transformative projects focused on practical improvements to human auditory and vestibular organoid systems, especially projects that increase reproducibility, reliability, longevity, stability, scalability, and biological relevance.
What does the R21 mechanism mean for the scope of the work?
Because this is an R21 mechanism, it is intended for exploratory research and early-stage, high-impact ideas rather than large, long-term development programs.
Are clinical trials allowed under this announcement?
No. The notice specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," so proposed work must remain preclinical (for example, model development, characterization/validation, and enabling technologies) rather than testing clinical interventions in humans.
What kinds of organoids are the primary focus?
The primary focus is on human auditory and vestibular organoids intended to model inner ear biology relevant to hearing and balance.
What are the biggest scientific priorities highlighted in the description?
Key priorities include improving reproducible generation, reducing batch-to-batch variability, enabling stable long-term culture, supporting more complete cellular maturation, maintaining functional phenotypes over time, and producing organoids that are comparable and reliable across laboratories.
What does "reproducibility" mean in the context of this opportunity?
In this context, reproducibility refers to making organoid results more consistent and comparable across batches, time, and laboratories, so that organoids behave as durable and trustworthy model systems rather than drifting in quality or function.
What does the opportunity mean by "biological relevance" and "recapitulating native inner ear biology"?
The opportunity emphasizes organoid platforms that resemble real auditory or vestibular tissues not only by markers and structure, but also by biological function when relevant, supported through appropriate characterization.
Is characterization and validation of organoids a central requirement?
Yes. The program emphasizes developing and characterizing organoids in ways that make results more consistent, comparable, and convincingly tied to native inner ear biology, including function when relevant.
What kinds of technical barriers does the program want applicants to address?
The description specifically calls out barriers such as variability between batches, instability during long culture periods, incomplete cellular maturation, and difficulty maintaining functional phenotypes.
What kinds of innovative approaches are encouraged?
Innovative methods and technologies that improve organoid longevity, stability, controlled expansion, and reproducibility are encouraged, including approaches involving delivery of genes, proteins, small molecules, biomaterials, synthetic factors, or other payloads to enhance survival, promote maturation, or stabilize desired cell states.
Does the opportunity encourage new delivery or culture-engineering strategies?
Yes. Projects that introduce novel delivery approaches or culture engineering strategies are described as especially responsive when designed to make organoids more reproducible and more faithful to hearing and balance biology.
Can projects include animal auditory or vestibular organoids?
Yes, but only under specific conditions. Animal organoid studies must include integrated companion studies involving human organoids (for example, direct comparisons, parallel validation, or combined designs) that keep the human organoid system central.
Are proposals that only use animal organoids allowed?
No. Proposals that focus only on animal organoids without a meaningful human organoid component are explicitly described as non-responsive.
What is the role of animal organoid work if it is included?
Animal organoid work is acceptable only when it strengthens or contextualizes the human organoid work, rather than replacing it.
What disease or biology areas does the program aim to enable?
The improved organoid systems are intended to support studies of inner ear development, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic strategies, using organoids as durable model systems.
What is the maximum award amount mentioned for this opportunity?
The listing notes an award ceiling of $275,000.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity supports health-related research under CFDA 93.173.
When was this opportunity created?
The listing states the opportunity was created on October 25, 2023.
What is the closing date listed in the provided information?
The administrative details note an original closing date of May 7, 2024.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations, including state/county/local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.
Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included in the eligible categories?
Yes. The opportunity highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal 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.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. (non-domestic) organizations eligible to apply as the main applicant?
No. Non-domestic entities are not eligible to apply as applicants, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
Can a U.S.-based applicant include foreign collaborators or work performed outside the U.S.?
Yes, foreign components (as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or elements if they meet NIH policy requirements and are justified within the project scope.
What is meant by making organoids "durable" and "trustworthy" in this program?
Based on the description, this refers to organoid systems that can be used across labs without drifting in quality or function over time, supported by reproducible manufacturing, stable maintenance, scalable expansion, and convincing biological and functional validation.
Is the program more focused on simply producing organoids or on improving organoid platforms?
The description stresses that it is not just about making organoids exist in a dish; it is about producing organoid platforms that reliably mimic and recapitulate native inner ear biology, including correlative biological function when relevant.
What does the opportunity emphasize about comparability across labs?
It emphasizes methods and characterization approaches that make organoid results more consistent and comparable across labs, reinforcing reproducibility and reliability as major program goals.
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