Breast Cancer and the Environment Communication Research Initiative (R03) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Breast Cancer and the Environment Communication Research Initiative (R03)?

It is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity (RFA ES 15 015) released under HHS-NIH11 that supports small, focused research projects on how to communicate research findings about breast cancer and environmental factors in ways that are accurate, meaningful, and usable to the people who need the information.

What does this funding opportunity focus on?

The focus is on the communication process itself: how scientific results about environmental factors and breast cancer are translated into clear risk messages, how those messages are interpreted by different groups, and which communication approaches best support informed decision-making and prevention-oriented behavior.

Does this opportunity fund basic laboratory or clinical studies on breast cancer causes?

No. The announcement is centered on communication research rather than basic laboratory or clinical studies on the causes of breast cancer.

What kinds of research questions does the initiative encourage?

It encourages research on topics such as how people perceive and process information about potential environmental contributors to breast cancer risk; what wording or framing improves comprehension without oversimplifying the science; and how factors like trust, uncertainty, numeracy, cultural context, and prior beliefs influence whether messages are accepted or dismissed.

Why is NIH funding research on communication for breast cancer and environmental factors?

The FOA is addressing the problem that even strong scientific findings may not improve public health if they are not communicated in ways that make sense to communities, clinicians, educators, advocates, and other stakeholders. The intent is to generate evidence about what works in real-world communication so risk messaging can be higher quality and more effective.

What is the long-term public health goal of this initiative?

The long-term goal is to build a stronger scientific foundation for communication-based prevention efforts that reduce breast cancer risk linked to environmental factors.

What practical outcomes are projects expected to support?

In practical terms, projects are expected to produce research evidence that can inform better educational materials, outreach strategies, community engagement practices, and message dissemination channels so environmental risk information leads to constructive prevention actions rather than confusion, fatalism, or misinformation.

What are examples of activities or outputs that fit this FOA?

Examples described in the opportunity include designing and evaluating communication strategies, identifying barriers to understanding, and determining how best to tailor messages for specific audiences.

What grant mechanism is used for this funding opportunity?

This opportunity uses the NIH R03 mechanism.

What is the R03 mechanism intended to support?

The R03 mechanism is intended for smaller, short-duration projects and typically supports targeted questions, pilot studies, method development, formative research, or early testing of communication interventions.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is $50,000.

What topic areas is the FOA categorized under?

The FOA is categorized under education, environment, and health.

What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.113 and 93.399.

When was this announcement posted and created?

The announcement was posted and created on November 5, 2015.

What is the application closing date?

The application closing date is February 10, 2016.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can conduct or support communication research. Eligible applicants include: state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the FOA's additional eligibility language.

Are government entities allowed to apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types listed include state, county, city or township, and special district governments.

Are schools and higher education institutions eligible?

Yes. The eligible applicant types listed include independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are included in the eligible applicant types.

Can nonprofits apply even if they do not have 501(c)(3) status?

Yes. The eligibility language includes nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (with exclusions noted in the opportunity language).

Can for-profit organizations apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types listed include for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.

What audiences does the FOA emphasize for improving communication?

The opportunity highlights the need for communication that makes sense to communities, clinicians, educators, advocates, and other stakeholders, and it emphasizes tailoring messages for specific audiences.

What types of communication challenges does the FOA explicitly mention?

It explicitly mentions challenges such as ensuring messages are accurate without oversimplifying, improving comprehension, addressing trust and uncertainty, accounting for numeracy differences, and recognizing how cultural context and prior beliefs shape interpretation and acceptance of messages.

What is the main idea behind treating communication as part of prevention?

The FOA frames communication as a critical step in prevention by supporting studies that test and improve how environmental breast cancer findings are translated into understandable, actionable risk messages, with the broader intent of enabling more effective prevention efforts and reducing risk associated with environmental exposures.