Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 27 018
Apply for RFA AI 27 018
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Implementation Science to Advance HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.310, 93.313, 93.361, 93.393, 93.394, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.879.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-10-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2029-06-20.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
Implementation Science to Advance HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AI-27-018) focused on implementation research that can materially improve how proven HIV interventions are adopted and delivered in real-world U.S. settings. The central aim is not to invent entirely new HIV prevention or treatment tools, but to generate rigorous, actionable evidence on strategies that increase the uptake, quality of implementation, long-term sustainment, and broader scale or spread of evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, and care interventions. The NOFO is explicitly oriented toward communities in the United States that are significantly impacted by HIV, with an emphasis on producing findings that are both scientifically strong and immediately relevant for public health decision-making.
A defining feature of this opportunity is its expectation for projects to be large in scale and positioned for high impact. NIH signals strong interest in research designs that match the complexity of implementation in practice, including large single-site studies when a single setting can generate broadly informative lessons, multi-site studies that test strategies across different organizations or jurisdictions, and comparative studies that directly evaluate more than one implementation strategy to determine what works best, for whom, and under what conditions. Because the award uses the R61/R33 mechanism, applicants should generally anticipate a phased structure typical of these awards, where early-stage activities are used to establish feasibility or readiness to proceed and later-stage activities support expanded or confirmatory implementation research. The NOFO also notes that clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose studies that do or do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial, depending on whether the project prospectively assigns participants or sites to strategies and evaluates outcomes.
The research scope centers on practical implementation outcomes and system-level change. Projects are expected to address barriers and facilitators to real-world delivery of evidence-based interventions, such as improving initiation and persistence of prevention strategies, strengthening linkage to and retention in HIV care, optimizing delivery models, supporting adherence and continuity, and building organizational and community capacity to maintain effective programs over time. The wording of the NOFO highlights implementation processes like adoption, fidelity, adaptation, sustainability, scaling, and spreading successful approaches beyond the initial study context. Overall, the emphasis is on implementation strategies and delivery system improvements rather than efficacy testing of interventions that are not yet evidence-based.
Eligibility for this grant is broad and includes many types of U.S. and certain non-U.S. entities, reflecting the NOFO’s focus on large-scale, community-anchored research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional categories listed as “Others.” The NOFO also specifically calls out other eligible applicants such as Indian/Native American Tribal Governments that are not federally recognized, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and non-domestic (foreign) institutions. In practice, that breadth supports the kinds of cross-sector partnerships often needed for implementation studies in HIV, including collaborations among health departments, clinics, community-based organizations, academic teams, and other service systems.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as a grant in the health funding activity category, offered by NIH, with a listed original closing date of June 20, 2029. The NOFO indicates an expectation of about 10 awards, though the total dollar amount and a formal award ceiling are not specified in the provided source data. The opportunity is associated with multiple CFDA (Assistance Listing) numbers, including 93.121, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.310, 93.313, 93.361, 93.393, 93.394, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.879, reflecting NIH’s multi-institute and multi-program funding structures that can support HIV-related research and implementation science.
Taken together, this NOFO is aimed at funding ambitious, practice-focused implementation science projects that can demonstrably improve how well established HIV prevention, treatment, and care interventions are delivered in the United States, particularly in communities bearing a disproportionate burden of HIV. The strongest proposals are likely to be those that operate at meaningful scale, compare or rigorously test implementation strategies, produce measurable improvements in implementation and service outcomes, and generate lessons that can be sustained and extended to additional sites and populations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Implementation Science to Advance HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional).
What agency is offering this grant?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-AI-27-018.
What is the main purpose of this NOFO?
The main purpose is to fund implementation research that can materially improve how proven (evidence-based) HIV prevention, treatment, and care interventions are adopted and delivered in real-world U.S. settings. The goal is to produce rigorous, actionable evidence about strategies that improve uptake, quality of implementation, sustainment, and the ability to scale or spread effective approaches.
Is this opportunity meant to develop brand-new HIV interventions?
No. The central aim is not to invent entirely new HIV prevention or treatment tools. The emphasis is on improving the real-world delivery and implementation of interventions that are already evidence-based.
What kinds of communities or settings are emphasized?
The NOFO is explicitly oriented toward communities in the United States that are significantly impacted by HIV, with an emphasis on generating findings that are immediately relevant for public health decision-making.
What does NIH mean by “implementation science” in this NOFO?
Based on the description provided, implementation science here focuses on generating evidence about strategies and system-level changes that improve the real-world delivery of proven interventions, including outcomes and processes such as adoption, fidelity, adaptation, sustainability, scaling, and spread.
What types of study designs does NIH encourage under this NOFO?
NIH signals strong interest in designs that match real-world complexity, including:
- Large single-site studies when one setting can generate broadly informative lessons
- Multi-site studies that test strategies across different organizations or jurisdictions
- Comparative studies that directly evaluate more than one implementation strategy to determine what works best, for whom, and under what conditions
Does NIH expect projects to be large in scale?
Yes. A defining feature of this opportunity is the expectation that projects will be large in scale and positioned for high impact.
What funding mechanism is being used?
The award uses the R61/R33 mechanism, which is described as having a phased structure.
What does the R61/R33 phased structure imply for applicants?
Applicants should generally anticipate a two-phase structure: an early stage focused on establishing feasibility or readiness to proceed, followed by later-stage activities supporting expanded or confirmatory implementation research.
Are clinical trials required?
No. Clinical trials are optional under this NOFO.
When would a proposed project be considered a clinical trial in this NOFO?
As described, a study may meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial if it prospectively assigns participants or sites to strategies and evaluates outcomes. Projects may be proposed either way, depending on the design.
What kinds of outcomes or problem areas are projects expected to address?
The scope centers on practical implementation outcomes and system-level change, including addressing barriers and facilitators to real-world delivery of evidence-based interventions. Examples specifically mentioned include:
- Improving initiation and persistence of prevention strategies
- Strengthening linkage to care and retention in HIV care
- Optimizing delivery models
- Supporting adherence and continuity
- Building organizational and community capacity to maintain effective programs over time
What implementation processes are highlighted as important?
The NOFO highlights implementation processes such as adoption, fidelity, adaptation, sustainability, scaling, and spreading successful approaches beyond the initial study context.
Is the focus on testing whether an HIV intervention works (efficacy), or on how to deliver it well?
The emphasis is on implementation strategies and delivery system improvements, rather than efficacy testing of interventions that are not yet evidence-based.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. and certain non-U.S. entities. The eligible applicant types listed include:
- State, county, city or township governments
- 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
- Tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Additional categories listed as “Others”
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The NOFO specifically calls out faith-based or community-based organizations as eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?
Yes. The NOFO specifically includes U.S. territories or possessions among eligible applicants.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible?
Yes. The NOFO explicitly includes non-domestic (foreign) institutions among eligible applicants.
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. The NOFO specifically mentions eligible federal agencies as eligible applicants.
Does this NOFO support cross-sector partnerships?
Yes. The breadth of eligible entities supports the kinds of cross-sector partnerships often needed for implementation studies in HIV, including collaborations among health departments, clinics, community-based organizations, academic teams, and other service systems.
What is the funding activity category?
The opportunity is categorized as a grant in the health funding activity category.
How many awards does NIH expect to make?
The NOFO indicates an expectation of about 10 awards.
What is the application closing date listed for this opportunity?
The provided information lists an original closing date of June 20, 2029.
Is a total funding amount or award ceiling specified in the provided information?
No. The provided source data does not specify the total dollar amount or a formal award ceiling.
What Assistance Listing (CFDA) numbers are associated with this NOFO?
The opportunity is associated with multiple Assistance Listing numbers, including:
93.121, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.310, 93.313, 93.361, 93.393, 93.394, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.879.
What would a strong proposal generally look like, based on the description provided?
Based on the information provided, the strongest proposals are likely to be those that:
- Operate at meaningful scale and are positioned for high impact
- Compare or rigorously test implementation strategies in real-world settings
- Produce measurable improvements in implementation and service outcomes
- Generate lessons that can be sustained and extended to additional sites and populations
- Focus on delivery and implementation of evidence-based HIV interventions (not inventing new tools)
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