NIH Blueprint MedTech Translator

NIH Blueprint MedTech Translator — PAR-25-383

Funds translational neurotechnology device development through structured milestones and multi-year collaboration.

The NIH Blueprint MedTech Translator, issued under NOFO PAR-25-383, funds translational development of therapeutic and diagnostic devices targeting nervous system and neuromuscular disorders. The program uses the UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement mechanism, which is a milestone-driven two-phase structure: the UG3 planning phase must achieve pre-specified milestones before NIH releases UH3 implementation phase funding. As a cooperative agreement, NIH program staff from the Blueprint Consortium are active partners throughout the award — setting milestones, approving scope adjustments, and participating in project oversight — rather than serving as passive monitors. The NOFO was posted June 17, 2025 and remains open through January 29, 2028.

Eligible applicants include for-profit companies, nonprofit organizations, universities, and research institutions registered in the United States. The scope is explicitly limited to therapeutic and diagnostic devices; drug and biologic projects are out of scope. The program is administered through the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Consortium, which encompasses 16 NIH institutes and centers that co-fund neuroscience-relevant tool and technology development. Applications must target the nervous system broadly — brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, or neuromuscular junction — and must address a diagnostic or therapeutic need rather than basic research questions alone.

Applications are submitted through Grants.gov to the NIH Center for Scientific Review for peer review. Given the cooperative agreement structure, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a NINDS program officer before submission to discuss milestone design, budget scope, and alignment with Blueprint priorities. The UG3/UH3 structure means that initial award budgets cover the planning phase only; full project budgets are negotiated at the UH3 transition contingent on milestone achievement.