Patient-oriented Research to Mitigate Health Disparities and Lessen the Burden of Chronic Diseases Within the Mission of NIDDK (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DK 20 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 20 015

The NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is offering this discretionary grant opportunity (RFA-DK-20-015) to support patient-oriented clinical research aimed at reducing health disparities and lowering the burden of chronic diseases that fall within NIDDKs mission areas. In practice, this means the program is looking for studies that directly involve people as participants and that test or develop real-world strategies to address unequal outcomes tied to chronic conditions such as diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic diseases, digestive diseases, nutrition-related conditions, and kidney or urologic diseases. The mechanism is an R01 research project grant, and clinical trials are optional, so applicants can propose either clinical trials or other patient-oriented clinical studies as long as they include direct interaction with human participants.

A central priority of the announcement is a focus on populations that experience disproportionate harm from chronic disease, especially people who carry multiple chronic conditions at the same time or who face disparities driven by social, behavioral, and/or biological risk factors. The intent is not simply to describe disparities, but to generate actionable evidence on strategies that can mitigate them. That can include interventions or approaches designed to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment engagement, disease management, care delivery, or patient outcomes, particularly in communities where structural barriers, access issues, or uneven exposure to risk factors contribute to poorer health.

The FOA is specifically limited to patient-oriented work, meaning studies must involve interaction with human participants to be considered responsive. This distinguishes it from opportunities that would support purely laboratory research, secondary analyses without participant interaction, or other non-participant-facing projects. The activity category is listed under food and nutrition and health (CFDA 93.847), aligning with NIDDKs broad portfolio spanning nutrition, metabolic disease, digestive disorders, and kidney disease.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) as well as Native American tribal organizations and tribal governments that are not federally recognized. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA clearly restricts foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. In other words, applications must be fully domestic in terms of the applicant organization and the components carrying out the work.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the opportunity was created on March 18, 2020, and the original closing date was May 22, 2020. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided text, so applicants would normally confirm budget limits and the projected award count by checking the full FOA on the NIH/NIDDK posting. Overall, this opportunity is positioned for researchers and community or health system partners who want to run participant-facing clinical research that produces practical, evidence-based strategies to reduce chronic disease disparities in NIDDK-relevant conditions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Patient-oriented Research to Mitigate Health Disparities and Lessen the Burden of Chronic Diseases Within the Mission of NIDDK (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-03-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 DK 20 015

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