Limited Competition: NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) (SB0 Clinical Trial Optional)

The Limited Competition: NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) (SB0 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity number is RFA-OD-27-009, and the Assistance Listing is 93.310, Trans-NIH Research Support. NIH, including its Institutes and Centers, plans to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity inviting eligible colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations to participate in the NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub program. The program is intended to move promising biomedical discoveries from academic research toward real-world products that can improve patient care and public health. NIH expects to fund five new academic entrepreneurship hubs. These hubs will provide researchers with early-stage funding, technical and business resources, mentorship, product-development support, and commercialization assistance. The hubs will focus on high-priority technologies that align with the NIH mission and collectively form a technology development consortium. Planned activities include identifying promising academic biomedical technologies and supporting early product-development work such as feasibility studies, prototypes, and proof-of-concept studies. The program will also provide access to expertise in science, regulation, reimbursement, business, law, and project management, as well as entrepreneurship training and hands-on commercialization experience. The forecast identifies estimated total program funding of 5000000 and an expected five awards, but it does not provide an award floor or award ceiling. Grants are the identified funding instrument. The Grants.gov cost sharing or matching requirement field states No, so no formal matching requirement is identified in the forecast. However, the program description states that public-private partnerships and non-federal matching funding will be important to program success. Because the formal cost sharing or matching field states No, the available source does not establish a mandatory applicant match amount or percentage. The funded hubs are expected to build on lessons from previous REACH hubs and support the Phase 0 Proof of Concept Partnership pilot program. Eligible applicants listed in the forecast include nonprofits having 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education, nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education. An additional and important eligibility condition applies to the primary applicant organization: it must be a university or other research institution that participates in the NIH STTR program. For this purpose, participation means that the university or other research institution has previously been a formal partner to a small business on an STTR award. The source does not identify a specific state, territory, county, city, or other geographic restriction. The opportunity is currently a forecast rather than an open solicitation, and applications are not being solicited at this time. NIH is providing advance notice so potential applicants have sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The estimated posting date is September 30, 2026, and the estimated application due date is November 10, 2026. The supplied forecast does not identify a letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating deadline. It also does not provide application forms, required uploads, narrative questions, or detailed submission mechanics. Applicants will therefore need to rely on the forthcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity for final application requirements and procedures. Applications submitted under the eventual opportunity are expected to undergo NIH standard peer-review processes, and only meritorious applications will be considered. Based on the program description, responsive projects should address promising biomedical technologies, product development, commercialization, and alignment with the NIH mission. The program also supports federal research and development priorities that include preparing the 21st-century workforce, moving technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace, strengthening partnerships among government, industry, and academia, and addressing local health needs, particularly in medically underserved and rural areas. The forecast does not provide detailed scored review criteria, so no additional evaluation criteria should be inferred before the full Notice of Funding Opportunity is published. The forecast was issued June 25, 2026 and was last updated August 13, 2026. The estimated posting date is September 30, 2026, the estimated application deadline is November 10, 2026, the estimated award date is April 30, 2027, and the estimated project start date is June 1, 2027. No recurring application cycle is stated. Questions may be directed to the NIH SEED, Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development, Office at 301-827-8595 or nihreach@nih.gov. Because this is a forecasted limited competition, dates, requirements, funding details, and application instructions remain subject to the forthcoming official Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects; focus on high-priority biomedical technologies aligned with the NIH mission; demonstrate a credible path from academic discovery through early product development and commercialization; incorporate relevant scientific, regulatory, reimbursement, business, legal, and project-management expertise; consider alignment with workforce development, government-industry-academia partnerships, and local health needs, particularly in medically underserved and rural areas.