Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 16 510
Apply for RFA MH 16 510
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 5, 2015 and posted on Jun 5, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 9, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) County governments City or township governments State governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education Independent school districts For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01) funding opportunity (RFA-MH-16-510) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) research grant announcement aimed at changing how clinical research studies conceptualize and investigate mental disorders. Instead of relying on traditional diagnostic categories (for example, the usual disorder labels used in clinical practice), the FOA encourages researchers to build studies around experimentally grounded dimensions of behavior and neurobiology. The central idea is to develop and test more precise, mechanism-focused ways of classifying mental health problems in research settings, with the longer-term goal of informing future diagnostic systems using evidence from genetics, neuroscience, and observable behavior.
This FOA is directly tied to NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, which promotes a framework for studying mental disorders by focusing on core functional domains and measurable constructs that can be examined across multiple levels of analysis. In practical terms, applicants are expected to design projects that look at mechanisms that cut across multiple traditional diagnoses rather than staying confined to a single disorder category. For example, a study might examine a dimension like threat responsiveness, reward learning, working memory, or social communication across participants who would ordinarily fall into different diagnostic groups, with the goal of identifying shared or distinct biological and behavioral pathways.
The announcement specifies five organizing RDoC domains that serve as the backbone for proposed research: Negative Valence Systems (broadly related to responses to aversive situations such as fear, anxiety, loss, and threat), Positive Valence Systems (processes related to reward seeking, motivation, and reinforcement learning), Cognitive Systems (including attention, perception, memory, and cognitive control), Social Process Systems (such as affiliation, attachment, social communication, and perception/understanding of self and others), and Arousal/Regulatory Systems (covering arousal, circadian rhythms, and broader regulatory processes). Importantly, NIMH indicates that consensus workshops and guidance documents for these domains have been completed, and applications submitted under this FOA must focus on at least one construct that has been defined through those RDoC workshops. In other words, proposals are expected to map clearly onto the established RDoC construct definitions and use them as the organizing logic for hypotheses, study design, and measurement strategy.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is an R01 mechanism, meaning it supports discrete, specified research projects and typically fits projects with well-developed aims and a strong scientific premise. The total estimated funding described in the listing is $3,000,000, with an award ceiling of $400,000. The announcement indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. Key dates included a posted and creation date of June 5, 2015, an original and current closing date of October 9, 2015, and an archive date of November 9, 2015, reflecting that this specific FOA cycle has concluded, though it remains a useful reference for the type of RDoC-aligned work NIMH has sought to stimulate.
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across public and private sectors. Eligible applicants include federal, state, county, city, and special district governments; public housing authorities; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profit entities); and Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations. The FOA also explicitly lists additional eligible applicants such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects an intent to attract strong RDoC-oriented science from a range of research environments and community contexts.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a push to accelerate psychiatric research that is organized around underlying functional dimensions and mechanisms rather than symptom checklists tied to diagnostic labels. By requiring alignment with established RDoC constructs within the five domains, NIMH is signaling that successful applications should be explicit about the construct(s) being studied, how those constructs will be measured (potentially across multiple units of analysis), and how the work can clarify mechanisms that span or subdivide conventional disorders. For full details, the announcement points to the NIH Grants Guide listing (RFA-MH-16-510) and to the RDoC resources and workshop proceedings hosted by NIMH.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01) opportunity?
It is an NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) research grant funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled "Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01)" with identifier RFA-MH-16-510. It supports research projects intended to change how clinical research studies conceptualize and investigate mental disorders by focusing on experimentally grounded dimensions of behavior and neurobiology rather than traditional diagnostic categories.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The goal is to develop and test more precise, mechanism-focused ways of classifying mental health problems in research settings. The longer-term aim is to inform future diagnostic systems using evidence from genetics, neuroscience, and observable behavior.
How does this FOA differ from traditional diagnosis-based psychiatric research?
Instead of organizing a study around standard disorder labels used in clinical practice, this FOA encourages researchers to design studies around dimensions (for example, specific behavioral or neurobiological mechanisms) that may cut across multiple traditional diagnoses.
How is this FOA related to NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative?
This FOA is directly tied to NIMH's RDoC initiative, which promotes studying mental disorders through core functional domains and measurable constructs that can be examined across multiple levels of analysis.
What kind of study designs does NIMH encourage under this FOA?
NIMH expects projects to investigate mechanisms that cut across multiple traditional diagnoses rather than staying confined to a single disorder category. Example dimensions mentioned include threat responsiveness, reward learning, working memory, and social communication, studied across participants who might fall into different diagnostic groups.
What are the five RDoC domains mentioned in the FOA?
The FOA identifies five organizing RDoC domains for proposed research: Negative Valence Systems, Positive Valence Systems, Cognitive Systems, Social Process Systems, and Arousal/Regulatory Systems.
What does the Negative Valence Systems domain cover?
Negative Valence Systems are broadly related to responses to aversive situations such as fear, anxiety, loss, and threat.
What does the Positive Valence Systems domain cover?
Positive Valence Systems include processes related to reward seeking, motivation, and reinforcement learning.
What does the Cognitive Systems domain cover?
Cognitive Systems include functions such as attention, perception, memory, and cognitive control.
What does the Social Process Systems domain cover?
Social Process Systems include affiliation, attachment, social communication, and perception/understanding of self and others.
What does the Arousal/Regulatory Systems domain cover?
Arousal/Regulatory Systems cover arousal, circadian rhythms, and broader regulatory processes.
Do applications have to align with specific RDoC constructs?
Yes. Applications submitted under this FOA must focus on at least one construct that has been defined through the RDoC consensus workshops. Proposals are expected to map clearly onto established RDoC construct definitions and use them to organize hypotheses, study design, and measurement strategy.
What role do RDoC workshops and guidance documents play in this FOA?
NIMH indicates that consensus workshops and guidance documents for the five domains have been completed, and the FOA requires that proposed research focus on constructs defined through those workshops.
What grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism, which supports discrete, specified research projects and typically fits projects with well-developed aims and a strong scientific premise.
What is the estimated total funding amount mentioned for this FOA?
The listing describes total estimated funding of $3,000,000.
What is the award ceiling mentioned in the listing?
The award ceiling is $400,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What were the key dates for this FOA?
The posted and creation date was June 5, 2015. The original and current closing date was October 9, 2015. The archive date was November 9, 2015.
Is this FOA still open for applications?
No. Based on the provided dates, this specific FOA cycle has concluded (closing date October 9, 2015) and it is archived (archive date November 9, 2015). It remains a useful reference for the type of RDoC-aligned work NIMH has sought to stimulate.
Who is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many public and private organization types across sectors, including various levels of government, institutions of higher education (public and private), nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations.
Are U.S. government entities eligible applicants?
Yes. Eligible applicants include federal, state, county, city, and special district governments.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities are listed as eligible applicants.
Are universities and colleges eligible?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are eligible.
Are nonprofits eligible if they do not have 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. The FOA lists nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status as eligible applicants.
Are for-profit entities eligible to apply?
Yes. For-profit organizations, including small businesses and other for-profit entities, are listed as eligible.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations are explicitly included.
Does the FOA mention eligibility for specific institution types such as HBCUs or Hispanic-serving Institutions?
Yes. The FOA explicitly lists additional eligible applicants such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are listed among eligible applicants.
Are applicants from U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are included among eligible applicants.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA states that non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are eligible.
What does NIMH expect applicants to be explicit about in their proposals?
NIMH signals that strong applications should be explicit about the construct(s) being studied, how those constructs will be measured (potentially across multiple units of analysis), and how the work can clarify mechanisms that span or subdivide conventional disorders.
Where does the FOA direct applicants for full details and related resources?
For full details, the announcement points to the NIH Grants Guide listing (RFA-MH-16-510) and to RDoC resources and workshop proceedings hosted by NIMH.
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