NEI Center Core Grant for Vision Research (P30 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 175

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 175

The NEI Center Core Grant for Vision Research (P30; Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity from the National Eye Institute (NEI) designed to strengthen and expand an institution's overall capacity to conduct high-quality vision research. Rather than funding a single research project, this P30 mechanism supports a shared infrastructure model: the applicant institution establishes a Center Core that brings together at least three shared Resource and/or Service Cores that can be used by a group of independently funded investigators, typically those holding R01-level awards. The central idea is to build a common set of resources that makes multiple ongoing research projects more productive, more collaborative, and more cost-effective than if each lab tried to create or maintain the same capabilities on its own.

A key feature of this opportunity is consolidation and efficiency. By pooling equipment, specialized staff expertise, standardized methods, and service functions into shared cores, the program aims to reduce duplication of effort across labs and lower per-project costs, while also improving quality and consistency. These cores can include things like specialized imaging and instrumentation, data analysis support, biostatistics, animal model services, molecular or cellular assays, clinical or translational support services that do not involve conducting clinical trials, or other shared facilities that are expensive or impractical for a single investigator to sustain. Because the Center Core is meant to serve a community of investigators, it is expected to provide broad access to high-value services and facilities that accelerate progress across multiple separate grants.

Programmatically, NEI is using this mechanism to enhance the institutional environment for vision science and to encourage collaborative studies focused on the visual system and disorders of vision. The Center Core structure is intentionally flexible: the design, number, and purpose of the individual cores can vary depending on the research strengths and needs of the applicant institution and the user community it serves. Overall, the supported activities should align with the NEI mission and strategic priorities by enabling new research directions, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving the pace and rigor of discovery in vision research.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types that can administer NIH grants. Eligible applicants listed for this opportunity include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the opportunity includes clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, and foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In addition, the funding opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the award cannot be used to support clinical trials under NIH definitions, even though the cores may still provide shared resources that support preclinical, basic, or other non-trial research activities within NEI's scope.

From the administrative details provided, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Instrument: Grant) in the health category, associated with CFDA number 93.867. The funding opportunity number is PAR 23-175. The original closing date listed is 2025-09-30, and the opportunity was created on 2023-05-01. The award ceiling, expected number of awards, and some other award quantity details are not specified in the provided source text, so applicants typically need to consult the full NIH notice and related budget guidance for limits, expectations, and review criteria.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Center Core Grant for Vision Research (P30 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): 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-05-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-30. (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 23 175

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