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NIH Specialized Center (P50)

Funds Specialized Center awards, NIH's P50 mechanism.

National Institutes of HealthUnited StatesGrant

The National Institutes of Health uses the Specialized Center (P50) to support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical probl…

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Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.

NIH Specialized Center Grant
Scheduled

Funds a long-running, multidisciplinary research center built on one scientific theme, with shared cores and linked projects, across an NIH institute's mission.

— pool
Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in Human Cancers for Years 2024, 2025, and 2026
Open

Funds translational cancer centres built around one organ system, or one biological mechanism that drives cancer across several. A clinical trial is required.

— pool·29 days
NIDCD Clinical Research Center Grant
Open

Funds centres doing clinical research on hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language disorders.

— pool·37 days
Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in Human Cancers for Years 2027, 2028, and 2029
Between cycles

Funds translational cancer research programmes — several linked projects on one organ-specific cancer or a related group — reaching a human endpoint.

$25M pool
National Biomedical Research Centers
Scheduled

Funds specialised biomedical research centers built to replace animal testing with new human-based research models.

— pool
Specialized Alcohol Research Centers
Between cycles

Funds a specialised, multi-investigator centre on alcohol misuse and its consequences, built to outperform its individual research projects added up.

— pool
Limited Competition: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers 2027
Open

Funds the renewal of NICHD's IDD research centres — about 15 awards from an $18 million pool. Only existing centres may apply.

$18M pool·36 days
Last verified: 27 Aug 2026Source: grants.nih.gov