Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R21) | Apply Online

FAQs: NIH "Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R21)" (PAR-08-213)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 08-213). It supports early-stage, exploratory research to strengthen how behavioral and social science research is conducted and how its data are generated, measured, and analyzed.

What is the main goal of PAR 08-213?

The central aim is to improve the overall quality, reliability, and scientific usefulness of behavioral and social science data in ways that align with the missions of participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The emphasis is on making research itself better rather than testing a single health program or intervention.

What kinds of projects does this opportunity emphasize?

The opportunity emphasizes methodological innovation, such as developing more precise measurement tools, strengthening study designs, improving data collection approaches, and creating more powerful or appropriate analytic techniques for behavioral and social science research.

Is this meant to fund testing of a specific health intervention or program?

No. The description explicitly distinguishes this opportunity from projects focused on testing one specific health intervention or program. Instead, it prioritizes innovations that improve research methods, measurement, and analysis.

What types of methodological problems are encouraged?

Projects are encouraged to tackle difficult, high-impact methodological problems that commonly limit behavioral and social research, especially those that, if solved, could materially improve the field's data quality and inference.

Does the FOA encourage work focused on diverse populations?

Yes. The announcement highlights the need for improved methods when studying diverse populations, particularly where standard measures may not perform equally well across groups.

Does the FOA encourage methods for studying sensitive behaviors?

Yes. The opportunity specifically notes the challenge of researching sensitive behaviors where stigma, privacy concerns, or fear of disclosure can distort participant responses, and it encourages better approaches for these contexts.

How important are ethics and human-subject protections in this FOA?

They are a highlighted priority. The description emphasizes ethical and human-subject protections, including strategies for working with confidential data, reducing risk to participants, and strengthening protections in study designs where privacy is hard to maintain.

What does NIH mean by interdisciplinary and integrative approaches here?

The FOA signals strong interest in approaches that integrate across disciplines and methods, including multimethod designs (for example, combining surveys with passive sensing), multilevel approaches (linking individual behavior to broader family, community, institutional, or policy contexts), and projects connecting behavioral and social science methods with biological, physical, computational sciences, or engineering.

Are multimethod projects encouraged?

Yes. The FOA specifically mentions multimethod approaches, such as combining different types of data collection (for example, surveys plus passive sensing) to improve measurement and data quality.

Are multilevel projects encouraged?

Yes. The announcement calls out multilevel approaches that connect individual-level behavior to family, community, institutional, and/or policy contexts.

Can projects link behavioral measures with biological or device-based data?

Yes. Examples in the description include linking behavioral measurement with biomarkers, using computational models to improve inference, and leveraging engineering or device-based approaches to capture behavior more accurately.

What funding mechanism is used?

This opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically intended for exploratory, developmental research. The description notes that such projects may involve higher risk but offer the potential for significant methodological payoff.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The listed award ceiling is $200,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states that cost sharing or matching is not required.

What research domains or health areas can the methods apply to?

The FOA associates the funding with a wide range of health and social domains. Examples listed include oral health; communication disorders; complementary and integrative health; sleep disorders; alcohol and drug use; technological innovations for health; nursing research; cancer-related research (cause, biology, control); cardiovascular and blood diseases; neuroscience; child health and human development; and aging.

Do proposed advances need to be health-related?

Yes. While the immediate outputs may be tools, methods, or analytic improvements rather than direct clinical outcomes, the methodological advances are described as needing to be relevant to health-related behavioral and social science questions and aligned with participating NIH Institutes and Centers.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as broad. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities); for-profit organizations (with small businesses also eligible); and multiple levels of government (city, county, state, special district governments, and certain housing authorities).

Are community-based or faith-based organizations included in eligibility?

Yes. The eligibility language explicitly includes faith-based and community-based organizations.

Are minority-serving institutions explicitly included?

Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes institution types and organizations serving specific communities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility language explicitly includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), as well as U.S. territories or possessions and regional organizations.

When was this FOA posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on July 22, 2008. The original and current closing date listed is September 7, 2011, with an archive date of October 8, 2011.

Is PAR 08-213 still open for applications?

No. Based on the closing and archive dates provided (closing date September 7, 2011; archive date October 8, 2011), this specific FOA is no longer open.

Which agency sponsored this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Where was the full announcement hosted?

The full announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide.

Who is the contact for technical issues accessing the announcement?

For technical issues accessing the announcement, the contact listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.