Limited Competition: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence: Expansion/Sustainability Phases (COBRE-E/S) (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Updated Oct 20, 2026

Grant from the National Institutes of Health, open to small businesses. Closes May 25, 2029, 948 days left.

Opportunity number	PAR-27-055
Agency	National Institutes of Health
Funding type	Grant
Field	Health
Cost sharing or matching	Not required
Assistance listing	93.859
Posted	Jun 18, 2026
Closes	May 25, 2029 (948 days left)
Add the deadline to	Google Calendar

Who can apply

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 and Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Others (see the eligibility notes)

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Eligibility is restricted to institutions that meet all the following criteria:In an IDeA-eligible state, commonwealth, or jurisdiction, which are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming; andAward doctoral degrees in health-related sciences or are independent biomedical research institutes/medical centers with ongoing biomedical research programs funded by the NIH or other federal agencies; andHold three or fewer active COBRE awards (except for COBRE Phase 3), including those in no-cost extension at the time of application submission. Applications will not be accepted from organizations that hold four or more active Phase 1, Phase 2, COBRE-D, COBRE-E, and COBRE-S awards, including those in no-cost extension.Foreign Organizations/International CollaborationsNon-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organization) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Description

The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program supports biomedical research capacity building in states that have historically received low levels of NIH funding. The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence: Expansion/Sustainability Phases (COBRE-E/S) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports the expansion and sustainability of biomedical research centers in IDeA-eligible institutions.

These centers will focus on building research capacity in broad scientific areas of strategic importance for the institutions. The goal of COBRE-E is to expand research capacity by growing the institutional faculty base and supporting research projects and core facilities in the new area. The objective of COBRE-S is to sustain the infrastructure by continuing the growth of the faculty base and consolidating research cores.

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Limited Competition that will invite application(s) from eligible organization(s) to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information.

In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the application(s) will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious application(s) will be considered.

Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov

Health grants right now

There are 350 open federal grants in health that small businesses may apply for; 33 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $500,000. The agencies offering the most are National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA and Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD. Grants in this field stay open a median of 1031 days; this one is open for 1072 days.

Who has won this program before

West Virginia University Research Corporation $77.1 million · from Aug 15, 2012
Pennington Biomedical Research Center $65.3 million · from Aug 15, 2012
University Of Oklahoma $64.1 million · from Sep 1, 2013
University Of Delaware $62.9 million · from Sep 30, 2001
University Of Alaska Fairbanks $61.8 million · from Sep 24, 2001

The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 93.859 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.