Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 248
Apply for PAR 16 248
- The HHS-NIH11 in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Media Environment (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393,.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 10, 2016 and posted on May 10, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 13, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Media Environment (R21) opportunity (PAR 16-248) is a National Institutes of Health grant announcement under HHS (listed as HHS-NIH11) designed to spark early-stage, exploratory research on how cancer-related information is created, spread, interpreted, and acted on in modern digital and media settings. The focus is cancer communication across the full cancer control continuum, meaning projects can target prevention, early detection and screening, diagnosis, treatment decision-making, survivorship, and even end-of-life communication. Because it uses the R21 mechanism, the intent is generally to support innovative, high-impact ideas and proof-of-concept work rather than large, fully scaled trials.
A central theme of the announcement is methodological innovation. Rather than funding traditional communication studies alone, it explicitly encourages applicants to bring newer analytic approaches, research tools, and data sources into cancer communication research. Examples named in the announcement include social media data mining (studying posts, comments, sharing patterns, and trends), Natural Language Processing techniques (automated analysis of large volumes of text to detect themes, sentiment, misinformation patterns, or changes over time), and online social network analysis (mapping relationships among users or communities to understand how information and influence flow). It also highlights crowdsourcing platforms such as mTurk for rapid experimentation or survey deployment, analysis of online search data to understand information-seeking behavior and public attention to cancer topics, and Ecological Momentary Assessment to capture real-time or near-real-time experiences, exposures, and decisions in people’s everyday lives. Beyond purely digital measures, the FOA also welcomes neuroscience and biobehavioral approaches to communication (for example, examining attention, emotional response, stress, or physiological markers related to message exposure) and the use of geographic information systems to connect communication patterns with place-based factors such as access to care, neighborhood characteristics, or regional disparities.
The outcomes this FOA wants projects to study are directly tied to cancer prevention and control and reflect the kinds of changes that communication can realistically drive or shape. The announcement specifically calls out outcomes such as knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and perceived risk, along with decision making in screening and treatment contexts. It also emphasizes information inequalities, which can include differences in access to accurate information, differences in exposure to misleading content, or unequal ability to find and use health information effectively across populations. Additional outcomes of interest include social support, shared decision making between patients and clinicians or families, persuasion and message effects, caregiving communication, behavioral intentions, actual preventive behaviors, and support for health-related policies. In practice, this means a project could be framed around how new media influences whether people seek screening, how patients weigh treatment options, how survivors find support communities, or how misinformation and targeted messaging affect beliefs and behaviors.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the education and health activity area, and it is associated with CFDA numbers 93.393 (as listed in the source information). The award ceiling is noted as $200,000. The announcement was created and posted on May 10, 2016, with a listed closing date of June 13, 2019. Even though the listed deadline is in the past, the summary is still useful as a template for the kinds of projects NIH has sought in this space and the methods and outcome areas that were considered responsive.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can carry out research. Eligible applicants listed 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; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional eligible entities as described in the opportunity’s detailed eligibility language. This wide eligibility reflects the interdisciplinary nature of cancer communication research, which can involve academic researchers, public health agencies, technology-focused groups, and community or policy organizations.
Overall, the opportunity is aimed at research teams that want to study cancer communication in the realities of today’s media environment, where people learn about cancer through social platforms, search engines, online communities, targeted digital content, and rapidly evolving information ecosystems. Competitive applications under this FOA would typically combine a clearly defined cancer control question with a well-justified innovative method or data source, and then link that approach to measurable outcomes that matter for prevention, treatment decisions, survivorship experiences, caregiving, equity in information access, and public support for evidence-based cancer control policies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Media Environment (R21)" opportunity (PAR 16-248)?
PAR 16-248 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant announcement under HHS (listed as HHS-NIH11). It is designed to support early-stage, exploratory research on how cancer-related information is created, shared, interpreted, and acted on in modern digital and media environments.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to spark innovative, high-impact, proof-of-concept research that advances methods and approaches for studying cancer communication in today's media landscape. It emphasizes methodological innovation and the use of newer data sources and analytic techniques rather than funding only traditional communication research.
What does the R21 mechanism imply for the type of research being funded?
Because this is an R21, the intent is generally to support exploratory, early-stage research and innovative ideas that can demonstrate feasibility or generate pilot evidence, rather than large, fully scaled trials.
What parts of the cancer control continuum are considered relevant?
The opportunity covers cancer communication across the full cancer control continuum. Projects may focus on prevention, early detection and screening, diagnosis, treatment decision-making, survivorship, and end-of-life communication.
What does "cancer communication in the new media environment" mean in this context?
It refers to how people learn about and discuss cancer through modern channels such as social platforms, search engines, online communities, targeted digital content, and other fast-changing information ecosystems, and how these communication pathways influence cancer-related outcomes.
What kinds of research approaches does the FOA explicitly encourage?
The announcement places a central emphasis on methodological innovation. It encourages applicants to incorporate newer analytic approaches, research tools, and data sources into cancer communication research.
What are examples of innovative methods or data sources mentioned in the announcement?
Examples listed include social media data mining; Natural Language Processing (NLP) for large-scale text analysis; online social network analysis; crowdsourcing platforms such as mTurk; analysis of online search data; Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) for near-real-time measurement in daily life; neuroscience and biobehavioral approaches; and geographic information systems (GIS) to connect communication patterns with place-based factors.
How might social media data mining be used in a responsive project?
Social media data mining could involve analyzing posts, comments, sharing patterns, and trends to understand what cancer-related information people encounter, how messages spread, and how conversation patterns relate to beliefs, misinformation, support-seeking, or decision making.
How might Natural Language Processing (NLP) fit into a project under this FOA?
NLP could be used to automatically analyze large volumes of text to detect themes, sentiment, misinformation patterns, or changes over time in how cancer topics are discussed and understood.
What is online social network analysis, and why is it relevant here?
Online social network analysis maps relationships among users or communities to understand how information and influence flow. In this FOA's context, it can help explain who shapes cancer narratives online and how content reaches different audiences.
Why does the announcement mention crowdsourcing platforms like mTurk?
Crowdsourcing platforms are highlighted as tools for rapid experimentation or survey deployment, which can be useful for quick testing of message effects, perceptions, or other communication-related outcomes.
What does the FOA mean by analyzing online search data?
It refers to using search-related data to study information-seeking behavior and public attention to cancer topics, such as shifts in what people look up, when they search, and how that relates to events or communication trends.
What is Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), and why is it included?
EMA is a method for capturing real-time or near-real-time experiences, exposures, and decisions in everyday life. The FOA includes it as an example of innovative measurement that can link media exposure or communication experiences to immediate outcomes.
How do neuroscience and biobehavioral approaches relate to cancer communication research in this FOA?
The FOA welcomes approaches that examine attention, emotional response, stress, or physiological markers related to message exposure. These approaches can help clarify how people process cancer-related messages and how that processing may influence decisions or behaviors.
How is GIS (Geographic Information Systems) relevant to cancer communication studies under this opportunity?
GIS can be used to connect communication patterns with place-based factors such as access to care, neighborhood characteristics, or regional disparities, helping researchers study how geography intersects with information exposure and inequalities.
What outcomes does the FOA want projects to study?
The FOA highlights outcomes tied to cancer prevention and control, including knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, perceived risk, and decision making in screening and treatment contexts.
Does the FOA address misinformation and unequal access to information?
Yes. A stated emphasis is on information inequalities, including differences in access to accurate information, differences in exposure to misleading content, and unequal ability to find and use health information effectively across populations.
What other outcomes of interest are mentioned besides knowledge and decision making?
Additional outcomes of interest include social support, shared decision making (with clinicians or families), persuasion and message effects, caregiving communication, behavioral intentions, actual preventive behaviors, and support for health-related policies.
Can projects focus on survivorship, caregiving, or end-of-life communication?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes survivorship and end-of-life communication within the cancer control continuum, and it also lists caregiving communication as an outcome area of interest.
What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?
The award ceiling is noted as $200,000.
Which agency and activity area is associated with this grant opportunity?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity under HHS/NIH (HHS-NIH11) in the education and health activity area.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA number listed in the source information is 93.393.
When was this announcement posted, and what closing date is listed?
The announcement was created and posted on May 10, 2016, and the listed closing date is June 13, 2019.
If the closing date is in the past, is the information still useful?
Based on the summary provided, yes. Even though the listed deadline is in the past, it can still serve as a template for the kinds of cancer communication projects NIH has sought, including responsive methods and outcome areas.
Who is eligible to apply based on the eligibility categories listed?
Eligibility is broad and includes: 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; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional eligible entities as described in the detailed eligibility language.
Are both nonprofit and for-profit organizations included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The eligible applicant list includes nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status, with specific wording about not being institutions of higher education in those categories) and also includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses as well as small businesses.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations.
Are universities and other higher education institutions eligible?
Yes. The list includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.
What kinds of project themes would likely fit the intent described in this opportunity?
Themes that fit the described intent would typically combine a clearly defined cancer control question with an innovative method or data source and link that approach to measurable outcomes relevant to prevention, screening, treatment decisions, survivorship experiences, caregiving, equity in information access, or support for evidence-based cancer control policies.
Is this opportunity limited to traditional communication studies?
No. The summary states that it explicitly encourages bringing newer analytic approaches, tools, and data sources into cancer communication research, rather than funding traditional communication studies alone.
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