Tobacco Regulatory Science Small Grant Program for New Investigators

Tobacco Regulatory Science R03

Funds early-career research on tobacco product regulation and public health risk science.

The Tobacco Regulatory Science Small Grant Program for New Investigators is a joint initiative of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), operating under the trans-HHS Tobacco Regulatory Science Program (TRSP). It funds early-stage research informing tobacco product manufacturing, distribution, and marketing regulations under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA). The program uses the NIH R03 small grant mechanism, which is designed for pilot and feasibility studies, secondary data analysis, and methodology development rather than large-scale research projects. The active Funding Opportunity Announcement is RFA-OD-25-008, with application receipt dates of November 18, 2025 and July 14, 2026.

The program specifically targets new and early-career investigators across biomedical, behavioral, and social science disciplines. Eligible applicants include faculty and researchers at U.S. universities, colleges, medical schools, research institutes, and independent investigators; for-profit companies and non-profit organizations not conducting research are not eligible. Applications are submitted through NIH ASSIST or Grants.gov and are processed through NIH's standard R03 review process, with FDA CTP providing co-funding. The R03 mechanism imposes statutory limits on direct costs (typically $50,000 per year for up to two years under standard NIH R03 terms); applicants should confirm current limits in RFA-OD-25-008.

Successful applications articulate a clear regulatory science question — specifically, one that can inform how FDA CTP regulates the manufacturing, distribution, or marketing of tobacco products. The career-stage requirement (new investigator status per NIH definitions) is a hard screen. Proposals that combine behavioral or social science methodology with direct policy relevance to the FSPTCA tend to score well. The July 14, 2026 receipt date is the next available deadline for new submissions.