Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 402
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding opportunity to support U.S. small business concerns that want to build interactive digital media (IDM) resources focused on STEM learning with an emphasis on health, medicine, and related career exploration. The central idea is to help small companies translate strong, evidence-based health and medicine educational content into modern, interactive digital experiences that can be used either in formal pre-college settings (pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including both pre-service and in-service teachers) or in informal science education environments such as museums and other out-of-classroom learning venues.
In this program, “interactive digital media” is meant in a broad, practical sense: computer-based products or services that react to user input and deliver educational content through combinations of text, animation, video, audio, simulations, or game-like experiences. The FOA reflects a well-established research base suggesting that interactive media can improve learning by making content more engaging and by giving learners more control, immediate feedback, and a structured way to practice skills. In other words, NIH is not just looking for static digital textbooks or passive videos; the aim is to fund tools that encourage learning-by-doing, inquiry, experimentation, and iterative problem-solving, often through virtual environments or guided interactive modules.
The educational scope is tightly connected to health and medicine themes, including topics that can expose students to biomedical science concepts and help them understand potential career pathways. The opportunity explicitly anticipates projects that adapt or extend existing P-12 STEM curricula and museum exhibits into digital formats, which implies that applicants may build on proven instructional materials and then enhance them with interactivity, assessment, and user-driven exploration. The intended beneficiaries include students, teachers, and broader community learners, reflecting a dual-use mindset: materials might be classroom-ready for teachers while also being suitable for informal learning contexts where families or the general public engage with science content.
From an administrative standpoint, this is an NIH discretionary grant opportunity under the SBIR mechanism, using the R43/R44 structure, and it is labeled “Clinical Trial Not Allowed,” meaning the funded work should not involve NIH-defined clinical trials. Eligibility is limited to small businesses; foreign institutions cannot apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, “foreign components,” as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, may be allowable in some cases, so applicants would need to review NIH’s policies carefully if any part of the work would occur outside the United States or involve foreign collaborators.
The source listing identifies the opportunity as PAR-18-402, in the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.859, and an original closing date of 2019-09-05. Overall, the program is aimed at accelerating the creation of high-quality, interactive STEM learning products grounded in health and medicine, leveraging the strengths of small businesses to produce scalable educational technologies for both schools and informal science education settings.Apply for PAR 18 402
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Interactive Digital Media STEM Resources for Pre-College and Informal Science Education Audiences (SBIR) (R43/R44 - 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): 93.859.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-10-04.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-05. (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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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PAR 18 402) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Interactive Digital Media STEM Resources for Pre-College and Informal Science Education Audiences (STTR) (R41/R42 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 403 Funding Number: PAR 18 403 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Amplify Family Planning and Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity (AMPLIFY-FP)) Apply for RFI 624 18 000001 Funding Number: RFI 624 18 000001 Agency: West Africa USAID-Ghana Category: Health Funding Amount: $18,500,000 |
| National Institute of General Medical Sciences Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral Institutional Research Training Grant (T32) Apply for PAR 17 341 Funding Number: PAR 17 341 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cellular Immunotherapy Data Resource (CIDR) (U24) Apply for RFA CA 17 048 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 048 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,200,000 |
| HIV Vaccine Research and Design (HIVRAD) Program (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 319 Funding Number: PAR 18 319 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Data Management and Resource-Sharing Center (DMRC) (U24) Apply for RFA CA 17 047 Funding Number: RFA CA 17 047 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Fundamental Science Research on Mind and Body Approaches (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 322 Funding Number: PA 18 322 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Fundamental Science Research on Mind and Body Approaches (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 323 Funding Number: PA 18 323 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Announcement of Anticipated Availability of Funds for Support for Expectant and Parenting Teens, Women, Fathers, and Their Families Apply for AH SP1 18 001 Funding Number: AH SP1 18 001 Agency: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| NHLBI Program Project Applications (P01 - Clinical Trials Optional) Apply for PAR 18 405 Funding Number: PAR 18 405 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Maintaining Immunity After Immunization (U01 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AI 17 034 Funding Number: RFA AI 17 034 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Technology to Detect, Monitor and Assess Daily Functions in Individuals with Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease and/or Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 329 Funding Number: PAR 18 329 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Technology to Detect, Monitor and Assess Daily Functions in Individuals with Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease and/or Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 326 Funding Number: PAR 18 326 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Immunity in the Elderly (R01) Clinical Trial Optional Apply for RFA AI 17 037 Funding Number: RFA AI 17 037 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Enhancing Central Neural Control of Mobility in Aging (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AG 18 019 Funding Number: RFA AG 18 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Single-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for PAR 18 406 Funding Number: PAR 18 406 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Role of Peripheral Proteostasis on Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AG 18 020 Funding Number: RFA AG 18 020 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Clinical Coordinating Center for Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (Collaborative UG3/UH3) - Clinical Trial Required Apply for PAR 18 407 Funding Number: PAR 18 407 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Data Coordinating Center for Multi-Site Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (Collaborative U24 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for PAR 18 410 Funding Number: PAR 18 410 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Research Grants Using the Resources from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) (R21) - Clinical Trial Not Allowed Apply for PA 18 408 Funding Number: PA 18 408 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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