NIA Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI): Entrepreneurial Small Business Transition Award (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AG 22 014

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 014

The NIA Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI): Entrepreneurial Small Business Transition Award is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that uses the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) mechanism to help early career scientists build real entrepreneurial experience while advancing a technology toward commercialization. In practical terms, it is designed for researchers who want to move their work out of the academic track and into an industry or startup pathway, and it does that by pairing traditional R&D support with structured entrepreneurial development. The program is framed as an immersion-style career development opportunity, meaning it is not just about funding experiments or product development, but also about building the skills, exposure, and professional transition needed to operate in a commercial environment.

This opportunity is offered under the R41/R42 activity codes, which correspond to the STTR phased award structure. R41 generally aligns with an early feasibility or proof-of-concept phase, and R42 typically supports further development toward a more mature prototype, validation, and commercialization readiness. The notice also states "Clinical Trial Optional," which means applicants may propose a study that includes a clinical trial if it makes sense for the technology, but a clinical trial is not required. That flexibility is useful for aging-related technologies that may range from diagnostics and digital health tools to therapeutics, devices, caregiving innovations, and other interventions where the right evaluation pathway may or may not require a formal clinical trial at that stage.

Eligibility is centered on small businesses, consistent with STTR rules, and the program is categorized as a discretionary grant in the health domain. Importantly, foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, the announcement notes that foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) may be allowed, which typically means a U.S.-based applicant organization might be able to include certain limited, well-justified foreign elements in the project when they are necessary for the work and permitted under NIH policy. Applicants would need to be careful to follow NIH definitions and requirements closely, because "foreign component" permission is not the same as allowing a foreign applicant or a foreign-based subaward to function as the main project driver.

From a program intent standpoint, the core idea is to accelerate the transition of an early career scientist into an industry-facing role by supporting two things at once: the scientific and technical development of the innovation, and the applicant's entrepreneurial growth. That typically implies milestones beyond standard research outputs, such as customer discovery, product-market fit exploration, regulatory planning, intellectual property strategy, commercialization planning, and building partnerships that help move the technology into the private sector. In other words, the grant is meant to fund not only the next technical steps, but also the professional shift from being primarily a researcher to being someone capable of leading or substantially contributing to a commercialization effort.

Administrative details in the source information identify the opportunity title as "NIA Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI): Entrepreneurial Small Business Transition Award (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional)," with Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AG-22-014, issued by NIH, with CFDA number 93.866, and an original closing date of 2021-10-26. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, so those specifics would normally need to be confirmed in the full FOA document or related NIH notices.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIA Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI): Entrepreneurial Small Business Transition Award (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-10-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

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