PRIMED-AI: Academic-Industrial Partnerships (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has announced a forecasted funding opportunity for the PRIMED-AI: Academic-Industrial Partnerships program. This initiative will be released under the UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement mechanism and aims to foster collaborative partnerships between academic and industrial stakeholders in the development of artificial intelligence tools for healthcare. The PRIMED-AI program is part of the NIH Common Fund’s efforts to support research that integrates medical imaging with multimodal data to advance precision medicine. The primary goal of the program is to create innovative, reliable, and cost-effective AI-based tools that can enhance clinical diagnosis and treatment, particularly for patients with chronic and complex health conditions. The program will support collaborations focused on interoperability and data integration in its first phase. In the subsequent phase, the emphasis will shift to algorithm development and performance testing. Through this two-stage process, the NIH intends to establish a framework for producing clinically applicable AI solutions that integrate imaging data with other forms of health information. The PRIMED-AI program will use the UG3/UH3 phased cooperative agreement mechanism, which allows for a milestone-driven progression from initial development to later-stage testing and implementation. Applicants will need to demonstrate capacity for effective academic-industrial partnerships and should be prepared to conduct both developmental and validation work in AI tools. The NIH encourages investigators with expertise in managing such partnerships, as well as those with technical capabilities in AI and multimodal data, to consider applying. The funding activity falls under the category of health research. The forecast indicates a total program funding estimate of $2.9 million. The award ceiling and floor amounts have not yet been specified. No cost sharing or matching requirement is included in this opportunity. The estimated award date and project start date are December 1, 2026, with funding tied to the fiscal year 2027. The number of expected awards is not specified at this stage. Eligible applicants include a wide range of institutions and organizations such as independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions), for-profit entities including small businesses, state and local governments, county governments, public housing and Indian housing authorities, federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal organizations, and tribal governments. This broad eligibility reflects NIH’s intent to support diverse collaborations that can bring together different perspectives and capacities in AI research. Applications are not being accepted at this time. The estimated posting date for the Notice of Funding Opportunity is December 11, 2025, with an estimated application due date of February 11, 2026. The opportunity is currently in forecast status to allow potential applicants to begin planning collaborations and project development in anticipation of the formal release. Prospective applicants are encouraged to use this time to develop meaningful partnerships that align with the program’s objectives. For further details, applicants may contact Sahana N. Kukke, PhD, at the NIH Office of the Director, Common Fund, Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI). Dr. Kukke can be reached by phone at 301-402-3756 or by email at ODPRIMED-AI@od.nih.gov. This contact information provides the primary point of inquiry for potential applicants seeking clarification or guidance regarding the upcoming funding opportunity.