NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) Awards (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA OD 23 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 23 005

The NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) Awards funding opportunity (RFA-OD-23-005) is a renewed NIH program designed to speed up the movement of academic biomedical discoveries out of the lab and toward real-world products that improve patient care and public health. The central idea is to fund institutions to build or strengthen “Hubs” for academic entrepreneurship. These Hubs are expected to act as organized launchpads that help researchers take promising early-stage technologies and push them through the risky, under-resourced proof-of-concept phase where many innovations typically stall.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01, clinical trial optional), which generally means NIH expects to be actively involved during the award in a collaborative role rather than functioning only as a passive funder. The Hub is not just a single project; it is meant to be an institutional capability that can repeatedly identify, evaluate, and advance multiple technologies. NIH’s intent is that funded Hubs will work together as a consortium, sharing approaches and building a broader national infrastructure for academic translation and commercialization.

The core functions expected of a REACH Hub include building a reliable pipeline for identifying the most promising technologies within NIH’s mission areas, then providing targeted seed funding to individual research teams for “product definition” work. That product definition support can include feasibility studies, prototype development, and proof-of-concept studies that reduce technical and translational uncertainty. Alongside funding, the Hub must supply practical expertise and hands-on support across the areas that typically determine whether a biomedical product can realistically reach the market or the clinic. The FOA specifically highlights scientific and technical guidance, regulatory strategy, reimbursement considerations, business development, legal support (often including IP and contracting), and project management. Another major expectation is workforce and skills development in entrepreneurship, meaning the Hub should help researchers learn how to think and operate more like product developers and founders, not only like investigators.

Public-private partnerships are emphasized as a key success factor. NIH signals that Hubs should not rely solely on federal dollars, but should also bring in additional non-federal support and partnerships that can expand capacity, add specialized expertise, and create smoother pathways to downstream investment or adoption. In practice, this points toward relationships with industry partners, venture groups, accelerators, foundations, health systems, payers, and other stakeholders who can help de-risk technologies and position them for commercialization.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based entities and includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) cannot apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Key administrative details provided include the sponsoring agency (National Institutes of Health), the opportunity category (discretionary), the activity category (health), and the CFDA number listed as 93.859. The original closing date shown is February 9, 2023. The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000. The description also notes “ExpectedAwards:” but does not provide a number in the source text provided, so the exact count of anticipated awards is not specified here.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) Awards (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-09. (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 $1,000,000.00 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.

Apply for RFA OD 23 005

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