Enhancing Biomedical Engineering, Imaging, and Technology Acceleration (BEITA) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA EB 23 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA EB 23 006

The NIH funding opportunity "Enhancing Biomedical Engineering, Imaging, and Technology Acceleration (BEITA) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)" (RFA-EB-23-006) is a discretionary, health-focused cooperative agreement that uses the UG3/UH3 phased award structure and does not allow clinical trials. Its overall aim is to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities plan for and build stronger biomedical engineering (BME) and related technology ecosystems by establishing or enhancing BME departments, interdisciplinary technology centers, and/or academic programs that can accelerate bioengineering, imaging, and technology development capacity at HBCU institutions.

A central emphasis of the opportunity is structured planning and capacity building. Applicants are expected to propose actionable, institution-level plans that may include creating or expanding research and educational opportunities for trainees in bioengineering and technology development at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. The scope also includes planning for shared enabling infrastructure such as core technology facilities, maker spaces, and data science centers that can support hands-on design, prototyping, analysis, and translational technology work across departments. In addition to physical and computational resources, the NOFO highlights strengthening the human and organizational elements needed for growth, including faculty recruitment strategies, collaborative research programs, trainee development, and partnerships that broaden expertise and increase access to cutting-edge methods and equipment.

The opportunity also encourages institutions to address academic foundations and workforce preparation through curriculum building and course development. This can include new or revised degree pathways, interdisciplinary course sequences, or experiential learning components that align engineering, imaging, computation, and biomedical problem-solving. Complementing academic training, applicants may propose innovation and entrepreneurship programming to support technology acceleration, such as mentorship, industry engagement, commercialization training, and pathways that help move promising ideas toward practical use. Importantly, the program expects applicants to think beyond the initial award period by including clear plans for sustainability, such as long-term institutional commitments, recurring funding models, shared-resource business plans, partnership pipelines, and strategies to retain and continually develop faculty and trainee talent.

Eligibility is focused on U.S.-based institutions, with HBCUs explicitly identified as eligible applicants. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. Foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. The listed eligible applicant categories include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities as described in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means NIH program staff are expected to have substantial involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The opportunity was created on 2023-10-10, and the original application closing date is 2025-09-30. The award ceiling is $300,000. The CFDA number associated with the program is 93.286. Applicants should consult the full NOFO for detailed requirements, including the UG3/UH3 phase expectations, allowable activities, review criteria, and any additional conditions tied to the cooperative agreement mechanism.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Biomedical Engineering, Imaging, and Technology Acceleration (BEITA) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) (UG3/UH3 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): 93.286.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-10.
• 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.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for RFA EB 23 006

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