Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R01) (PAR 16-260)

What is the PAR 16-260 funding opportunity?

PAR 16-260 is an NIH discretionary funding opportunity titled Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R01). It supports research projects that strengthen the core tools and methods used across behavioral and social science research.

Which agency administers this grant program?

The program is administered by NIH under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the listing provided, it is shown under HHS with the identifier HHS-NIH11.

What is the main purpose of this FOA?

The main purpose is to advance methodological innovation in behavioral and social science research. The emphasis is on improving how researchers design studies, measure constructs, collect data, and analyze results so the evidence produced is more reliable, valid, informative, and broadly useful.

Is this opportunity focused on a specific disease, population, or health condition?

No. The FOA is not organized around a single topic area or health condition. It is designed to fund methodological improvements that can support a wide range of substantive behavioral and social science research questions.

What kinds of projects are a fit for this FOA?

Projects that propose new or improved research designs, measurement approaches, data-collection strategies, or analytic techniques relevant to behavioral and social science research are within scope. The key expectation is that the central contribution is methodological and useful beyond a single study.

What types of methodological innovations does the FOA encourage?

Examples described in the listing include developing or refining instruments and scales, improving assessment approaches, creating or validating measurement frameworks, advancing statistical or computational methods for behavioral and social data, and proposing better study conduct methods to improve interpretability and generalizability.

Does the FOA support work on reducing bias and improving research quality?

Yes. The listing specifically notes that projects may focus on reducing bias, increasing precision, improving reproducibility, handling complex real-world data challenges, or enabling stronger causal inference, as long as the primary contribution is methodological and broadly useful.

What grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism. The R01 is generally intended for mature, well-developed research plans with a clear methodological contribution.

What is the overarching goal of funding methodological research through this FOA?

The overarching goal is to produce better evidence by improving the methods that sit underneath many substantive research questions. That includes making study findings more reliable, valid, interpretable, and generalizable across behavioral and social science research.

When was the FOA posted, and what is the closing date listed?

The FOA was created and posted on May 16, 2016. The original and current closing date listed in the provided information is September 7, 2019.

Is there an award ceiling amount listed?

No award ceiling amount is specified in the provided listing.

Does the listing state how many awards NIH expects to make?

No. The expected number of awards is not specified in the information provided.

Which CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The listing associates this FOA with multiple CFDA numbers: 93.173, 93.213, 93.273, 93.313, 93.393, 93.399, 93.853, 93.866, 93.867. This reflects that methodological advances may cut across many NIH institutes and centers.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad. 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 and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as allowed under the FOA's additional eligibility language.

Can higher education institutions apply?

Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

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

Yes. Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) are listed as eligible.

Can for-profit organizations apply?

Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are listed as eligible, and small businesses are also listed as eligible.

Can government entities apply?

Yes. State governments, county governments, and city or township governments are listed as eligible. Special district governments and independent school districts are also listed.

Are Native American tribal governments or tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are included in the eligibility list.

Are public housing authorities eligible applicants?

Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are listed as eligible applicants.

What makes an application competitive under PAR 16-260 based on the listing?

Based on the provided description, competitive applications would make a clear case that the proposed innovation meaningfully improves research practice (such as stronger measurement, better designs, more robust analyses, or more effective data collection) and that the resulting methods will be valuable to the broader research community beyond a single study.

Does the FOA require that the contribution be broadly useful?

Yes. The emphasis is on methods that improve behavioral and social science research generally, and the central contribution is expected to be methodological and broadly useful rather than limited to one specific research question.

What general research areas is this opportunity tied to?

The listing notes that the opportunity falls under NIH activity areas tied to education and health, with the methodological focus intended to support research across behavioral and social sciences.

What kinds of outcomes are intended from funded projects?

The intended outcomes are improved research methods that yield better evidence: more reliable and valid measurement, better study designs, stronger analytic approaches, improved data-collection strategies, and findings that are more interpretable and generalizable.