Technology area

Rehabilitation technology

274 funded awards, $172.1M total, FY2023-FY2025.

Data current as of 2026-05-11

Pattern read

Rehabilitation technology is split roughly evenly across NHLBI (45, cardiopulmonary rehab), NIA (43, aging-related mobility and falls), and NICHD (42, pediatric and developmental rehab). 274 records, $172M. Median award is $584K. R44/R43/R41 mix is healthy across the board. Concentration is low (5.5%). The tag captures assistive devices, gait/balance tools, post-stroke rehabilitation tech, and adaptive interfaces.

Fit indicators

  • Three-IC anchor by indication: NHLBI (cardiac rehab), NIA (aging mobility), NICHD (pediatric/developmental).
  • Median award and mechanism mix indicate a healthy Phase I-to-Phase II pipeline.

Watchouts

  • The tag is heterogenous. Orthotics, balance trainers, exoskeletons, and adaptive software all land here. Frame against a specific population and use case.

Where the money sat, by Institute / Center

IC funding decisions are set by portfolio priorities, NOFO scope, and program-officer judgment. These are funded records, not predictions of future funding.

ICNameRecordsMedian award
HL (NHLBI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 45 $744,229
AG (NIA) National Institute on Aging 43 $784,203
HD (NICHD) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 42 $806,362
EY (NEI) National Eye Institute 35 $674,598
DC (NIDCD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 22 $307,788
DK (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 21 $459,824
NS (NINDS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 18 $596,690
AR (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 11 $685,746
DA (NIDA) National Institute on Drug Abuse 9 $400,000
MD (NIMHD) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 5 $295,250
AI (NIAID) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 5 $470,755
MH (NIMH) National Institute of Mental Health 4 $634,950
NR (NINR) National Institute of Nursing Research 4 $716,376
AA (NIAAA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 3 $949,822
AT (NCCIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 3 $294,312
EB (NIBIB) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 2 $986,413
GM (NIGMS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences 2 $165,383

FOA / NOFO routes

Opportunity number prefixes: PA = Parent Announcement (broad, omnibus, multiple ICs), PAR = Parent with Special Review, PAS = Parent with set-aside funds, RFA = Request for Applications (targeted, single-IC, fixed budget). Status unknown means the pipeline has not verified whether the FOA is currently posting awards; the SBIR omnibus has been in reauthorization gap during this window. See the glossary for full definitions.

OpportunityStatusRecords
PA-22-176 unknown 42
PA-23-230 unknown 27
PA-21-259 unknown 23
PA-21-260 unknown 18
PA-22-177 unknown 17
PA-24-245 unknown 12
PA-22-178 unknown 11
PA-23-231 unknown 9
PAS-19-316 unknown 9
PA-23-232 unknown 8
PA-20-260 unknown 7
PA-23-233 unknown 6
PAS-22-196 unknown 6
PA-21-345 unknown 6
PA-24-246 unknown 4
PA-20-262 unknown 4
RFA-MD-23-003 unknown 4
PA-24-247 unknown 3
RFA-DA-19-019 unknown 3
PA-22-179 unknown 3
PA-21-262 unknown 3
PAR-21-266 unknown 3
PAR-22-073 unknown 3
PA-20-272 unknown 3
PA-20-261 unknown 3
RFA-HL-23-009 unknown 2
RFA-DA-23-021 unknown 2
PAR-18-618 unknown 2
RFA-DA-24-018 unknown 2
PA-21-261 unknown 2
PA-19-272 unknown 2
RFA-MD-22-004 unknown 2
RFA-HL-19-017 unknown 2
PAR-23-311 expired 1
PAS-22-197 unknown 1
PAR-24-131 expired 1
PA-24-248 unknown 1
RFA-MD-22-003 unknown 1
RFA-HL-23-008 unknown 1
PAR-23-032 unknown 1
RFA-NS-23-007 unknown 1
PAR-18-108 unknown 1
PAR-19-335 unknown 1
RFA-DA-19-020 unknown 1
PA-20-265 unknown 1
PAS-19-317 unknown 1
RFA-HL-19-018 unknown 1
PA-18-870 unknown 1
PAR-19-333 unknown 1
RFA-AG-21-025 unknown 1
PAR-20-244 unknown 1
RFA-NS-20-011 unknown 1
PA-18-566 unknown 1
RFA-NS-23-006 unknown 1

Comparable funded projects

ApplIDFYICTitleOrganizationAmount
11019846 2025 AG Phase IIB Plasticity-based Adaptive Cognitive Remediation for Alzheimers Disease POSIT SCIENCE CORPORATION $826,900
11062457 2025 EY STTR Phase II - Development of a visual-to-tactile conversion system for automating the tactile graphic generation process UNAR LABS, LLC $775,623
11066116 2025 HD Virtual Activities of Living for Occupational Rehabilitation BARRON ASSOCIATES, INC. $925,658
11068131 2025 HD A Unique Body-Powered Terminal Device with Enhanced Grasping Capabilities for Individuals with Upper Limb Loss LITTLE ROOM INNOVATIONS, LLC $304,906
11068187 2025 EY Anti-sense oligonucleotide inhibitors of retinoic acid signaling and reversion of retinal remodeling for mitigating vision loss SHIFT PHARMACEUTICALS HOLDINGS, INC. $312,239
11068271 2025 DC Real time speech enhancement/noise reduction for the hearing impaired NEURAL EAR INC $313,372
11068392 2025 EY Manufacturing Development and Commercial Readiness of an Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Leber Congenital Amaurosis Type 1 ATSENA THERAPEUTICS, INC. $870,675
11068450 2025 HD A Novel Prosthetic Ankle Joint with Swing Phase Dorsiflexion and Terrain Adaptation LITTLE ROOM INNOVATIONS, LLC $624,165

Review panels that have appeared on these records

Panel names use NIH's Center for Scientific Review (CSR) format: a 2-4 letter study-section code plus a meeting-cycle number in parentheses (e.g. ISB (12) = Instrumentation and Systems Development, cycle 12). SBIR/STTR review groups are temporary, meeting-specific bodies. The names below describe panels that have appeared on the cited funded-project records, not where future applications get assigned. NIH assigns panels at the time of submission based on the application content.

Limitations

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