NIH Competing Renewal R01 Program

Enhancing Purdue’s NIH Research Portfolio

Office of Research
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907

Deadlines

Proposals: Due date of October 1, 2026, by 5:00 pm ET.

Please note that there is only one review cycle for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Notification: Funding will be available January 1, 2027.

Overview and Purpose

The purpose of the NIH Competing Renewal R01 Program is to increase the success rate of NIH R01 renewal applications with the long-term goal of increasing Purdue’s NIH funding portfolio. Pilot funds at a pivotal time in the project period will allow freedom to extend studies, try higher risk approaches, or gain access to samples/materials that are beyond the available funds, which are concentrated on the most “doable” experiments. These approaches, if successful, will provide critical data that will increase the probability of success in the renewal process.

Eligibility

Tenure-track/tenured and research faculty at Purdue University who hold active NIH R01 grants and anticipate submitting a competitive renewal within 18 months of the funding start date (January 1, 2027) or the 2028 NIH Cycle II Due Date (whichever is later) are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to faculty who do not have access to startup or discretionary funding. Please review FAQ below prior to submission.

Note: PIs are limited to a single submission to the NIH incentive programs per cycle, i.e., they can apply to either the NIH New R01 Program or the NIH Competing Renewal R01 Program.

Maximum Award

Requests are limited to $50,000 and below.

Application and Submission Process

Faculty should apply through the InfoReady application portal here: https://purdue.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/2024759

Applicants do not need to go through Sponsored Programs Pre-Award Services for the submission process.

Applications must use Arial 11-point font with 0.5-inch margins, single line spacing and must follow the supplied NIH Renewal Application Template.  Applications should contain the following components:

1. Abstract (30-line limit)
2. Specific Aims (one-page limit):
   • Anticipated specific aims of the renewal R01
3. Narrative (four-page limit): Discuss how funding from this program will enhance the competitiveness of your renewal application including:

3. Identifying the original specific aims where progress has been insufficient and discuss how funds might be used to enhance competitiveness if applicable,
4. Identifying any anticipated specific aims where funds might be used to enhance preliminary data,
5. Discussing the importance of the research, and
6. Discussing rigor and feasibility.

4. Cited Literature (limited to two pages)
5. NIH Biosketch (following the new SciENcv format) for the PI and each Co-PI
6. Current and pending support for the PI and each Co-PI using the SciENcv Current and Pending Common Form
7. Budget and budget justification: A ROM budget template is provided here.
8. Funded R01 application from the last review cycle (technical/science section only)
9. Summary statement from funded R01 application from the last review cycle
10. List of publications attributed to the funded R01 grant (provide citation if published, provide journal title if submitted)
11. Appendix containing all dated annual Progress Reports since the last competitive review

Incomplete applications and/or applications that do not meet these requirements will be returned without review. Priority will be given to applicants who do not have significant startup or discretionary funds available.

Allowed Costs

• It is not the intent of this program to provide salary support for faculty and staff (see FAQs for more information regarding salary support for faculty). Salary support for graduate students is allowed. The major intent of this program is to provide funds for reagents, services, or experimental tools that will enable critical data collection for competitive renewal applications.
• Equipment purchases are not envisioned as part of this program. However, specialized equipment that would bring significant new capabilities to a project may be considered if carefully justified.

Cost Sharing or Matched Funding

Cost-sharing or matched funding is not required.

Requirement

Recipients must submit their competitive renewal NIH R01 application no later than the submission cycle following the 18-month award. Failure to do so may result in the recipient becoming ineligible to receive future funding from the Office of Research.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the impact the funding is likely to have on the success of the investigator’s NIH R01 competitive renewal application. A compelling description of how this funding will increase the likelihood of success at competitive renewal will be weighted in the review process.

Post-Award and Reporting Requirements

The Principal Investigator must submit an email reporting the date the competitive renewal was submitted to nihcrR01program@purdue.edu.

To request a No Cost Extension or revised budget, please submit a prior approval request directly to nihcrR01program@purdue.eduafter obtaining your business office and department head approvals.

Additional Information

Questions may be directed to Perry Kirkham (pkirkham@purdue.edu) or Emily Stevenson (steve201@purdue.edu). Applicants are encouraged to reach out to Perry Kirkham prior to submission to discuss proposal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were specific funding mechanisms (e.g., R01) chosen and not others (e.g., R21, R35)?

The funding mechanisms chosen were based on the results of a review of the distribution of awards within Purdue’s current NIH funding portfolio.

Will this be a recurring/annual initiative?

For the 2026-27 academic year, the program will be held once during the academic year.  Our goal is to continue offering the program in following years.

What if my R01 is currently in a No Cost Extension (NCE)?

If your R01 is currently in a NCE and you have not submitted a competitive renewal, you are eligible for this program. If you have submitted your competitive renewal and you are not successful, then further discussion may be needed. Contact Perry Kirkham (pkirkham@purdue.edu) for further questions.

Can a portion of the funds be used to pay faculty salary?

In general, support for faculty salaries is not the intent of this program. However, individual cases may arise where this is the most productive use of funds. Contact Perry Kirkham (pkirkham@purdue.edu) for further explanation.

How many awards will be made??

We anticipate awarding 2-3 proposals in this cycle.