Cooperative Agreement for In Vivo High-Resolution Imaging for Inner Ear Visualization (U01 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA DC 24 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DC 24 005

The Cooperative Agreement for In Vivo High-Resolution Imaging for Inner Ear Visualization (U01 Clinical Trial Required), RFA-DC-24-005, is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity designed to push inner ear imaging beyond what is currently possible in routine clinical practice. The core purpose is to support high-risk, high-reward clinical trial efforts that develop or substantially improve non-invasive imaging technologies capable of visualizing the living human inner ear with much higher structural and functional detail. The emphasis is on in vivo imaging in humans, with the expectation that funded projects will meaningfully advance how clinicians and researchers can see and evaluate the auditory and vestibular systems in real time or near-real time, ideally in awake patients in clinical settings.

Projects are expected to focus either on dramatically improving the resolution and usefulness of existing imaging modalities or on inventing and validating new approaches that can capture inner ear anatomy and physiology more precisely. The announcement highlights both structural imaging (clearer depiction of inner ear anatomy) and functional imaging (information about biological processes and activity), and it explicitly values the ability to visualize dynamic elements. That means applicants are encouraged to think beyond static pictures and toward techniques that can reveal motion, fluid dynamics, physiologic changes, or other time-varying features that matter for hearing and balance disorders.

A key scientific goal is better visualization of specific inner ear components that are currently difficult or impossible to image in sufficient detail in living humans. Examples named in the opportunity include auditory and vestibular structures and features such as hair cells, otoliths, membranes, ions, and vasculature. The program is looking for technologies that can bring these targets into view with substantially greater detail and accuracy than what clinicians can obtain today, and to do so using approaches that can reasonably translate to clinical workflows. Alongside imaging hardware or acquisition methods, the opportunity also welcomes development of new imaging probes or contrast agents that can enhance visualization of inner ear structures, provided they fit within the overall goal of enabling much higher fidelity in vivo assessment.

Because the funding instrument is a U01 cooperative agreement, awardees should expect substantial scientific and programmatic involvement from the NIH compared with a standard research grant. The clinical trial requirement signals that the proposed work needs to include studies in humans that develop, advance, or test the imaging technology. If the project includes intermediate steps (for example, preparatory studies that bridge from earlier work to human use), the application needs to lay out a credible, explicit pathway to application in awake humans. If certain work is limited to anesthetized humans, the proposal must clearly explain why, what the limitations are, and what the results would still contribute toward the overall objective.

The opportunity encourages a multidisciplinary team approach, reflecting the reality that meaningful progress in inner ear imaging typically requires expertise spanning clinical otology/neurotology, radiology, biomedical engineering, physics, signal processing, computational modeling, chemistry (for probes/contrast agents), and clinical trial operations. The intent is not just incremental refinement, but coordinated, technically rigorous development that is paired with human evaluation so that the field moves toward practical tools for diagnosing and studying hearing and balance disorders.

Administrative details indicate this is a discretionary health funding opportunity under CFDA 93.173, offered by the NIH. The original closing date is June 3, 2025, and the listed award ceiling is $500,000. Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic U.S. organizations such as state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations. The announcement also notes additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), indicating an intent to attract the strongest possible teams and capabilities to solve a difficult imaging problem with real clinical impact.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for In Vivo High-Resolution Imaging for Inner Ear Visualization (U01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DC 24 005

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