Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development
Forecasted Federal grant Posted
- Opportunity number
- PAR-28-043
- Agency
-
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
- Applications expected due
- Award size
- Not on record
Opportunity facts
- Expected posting
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Health
- Eligible applicants
-
- County Governments
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- State Governments
- City/Township Governments
- Small Businesses
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- Public or Indian Housing Auth.
- Other
- Special District Governments
- Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- For Profit Organizations
- Independent School Districts
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Points of contact
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The National Institutes of Health is forecasting continued support for the Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network for Small Molecules (BPN-SM), a cooperative agreement mechanism designed to advance investigator-initiated small-molecule drug discovery toward clinical testing. This program explicitly excludes biologics and is restricted to small-molecule therapeutics only.
Eligible applicants include county governments, state and city governments, 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, small businesses, for-profit organizations, public and private higher education institutions, tribal governments (federally and non-federally recognized), special district governments, public or Indian housing authorities, independent school districts, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, foreign institutions, and eligible federal agencies.
BPN-SM integrates investigator-led drug discovery with access to NIH-supported subject matter experts and contract research organizations offering expertise in medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, formulation development, GMP synthesis, and Phase I clinical testing. The program enables investigators to retain and strengthen intellectual property while gaining translational drug development experience. The cooperative agreement mechanism permits collaborative activities between investigators and NIH program staff beyond standard grant stewardship, with phased funding contingent on demonstrated feasibility of yearly milestones to support higher-risk projects. The program aims to reduce development risk sufficiently for external partners to assume late-stage development and commercialization.
The opportunity is assigned to CFDA 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders) under the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. No specific award ceiling, floor, or application deadline is provided in this forecast announcement.
Forecast synopsis
The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is interested in continuing to support the BluePrint Neurotherapeutics Network for Small Molecules (BPN-SM)- a program designed to help investigators advance promising small-molecule therapeutics toward clinical testing. The BPN-SM program supports drug discovery and development activities in investigators' own laboratories while also providing access to NIH-supported subject matter experts and contract research organizations (CROs) with capabilities in medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, formulation development, GMP synthesis, and Phase I clinical testing. By integrating NIH resources with industry-standard expertise, BPN-SM advances investigator-initiated drug discovery while enabling investigators to retain and strengthen their intellectual property while gaining hands-on experience in translational drug development.
The overarching goal of the program is to reduce the risk of scientific and therapy development sufficiently to enable external partners to take on late-stage development and ultimately bring new therapies to patients. In addition, this BPN program is specifically focused on small molecules and excludes biologics, because development, regulatory, and manufacturing considerations for each class of therapeutics differ substantially from each other. It will use a phased cooperative agreement mechanism which will enable the program to support innovative but higher-risk projects, with decisions of continued support being contingent on demonstrated feasibility of yearly milestones. A cooperative agreement framework is proposed because several key aspects of the program will involve collaborative activities between the investigators and NIH program staff, with substantial involvement beyond the normal scope of grant stewardship. The project principal investigator(s) and NIH program staff will work jointly with NIH-supported subject matter experts to coordinate and participate in all scientific and technical management aspects of the project.
Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop competitive projects and establish the cross-disciplinary collaborations necessary for success.
Eligibility
Other Eligible ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).
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