Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 16 025
Apply for RFA HD 16 025
- The National Institutes of Health in the health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Neurodevelopmental Assessment of Infants and Children in Resource Limited Settings (R41/R42)" 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 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 7, 2015 and posted on Jul 7, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 14, 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 $1,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, may be allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Neurodevelopmental Assessment of Infants and Children in Resource Limited Settings (R41/R42)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HD-16-025) was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) solicitation that focused on improving how cognitive development is measured in infants and children when resources, infrastructure, and specialized personnel are limited. The central goal was to support small business concerns in creating, refining, and testing practical tools or supporting materials that can assess neurodevelopmental and cognitive functioning in settings where traditional, clinic-based or highly specialized assessment approaches are difficult to use. In practical terms, the FOA encouraged projects aimed at developing new assessment instruments or adapting existing ones so they are feasible, reliable, and usable in low-resource environments, which often includes challenges like limited access to trained clinicians, inconsistent electricity or connectivity, constrained budgets, language diversity, and different cultural expectations around child behavior and testing.
This announcement used the STTR funding mechanism under the NIH R41/R42 activity codes, meaning it was designed for projects that include a formal collaboration between a small business and a nonprofit research institution, with defined roles for each partner and an emphasis on moving from early-stage feasibility work toward more advanced development. As with other STTR opportunities, the intent is not only to advance science but also to stimulate commercialization or broad deployment of resulting products, so applicants were expected to pursue solutions with a realistic pathway to implementation and scale. The funding instrument type was a grant, categorized under health-related research and development, and it aligned with the NIH mission areas represented in the CFDA listings 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants) and 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research). The FOA explicitly stated that there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which typically lowers barriers for small businesses that may not have large amounts of non-federal capital available at the early development stage.
In terms of who could apply, eligibility was limited to U.S. small business concerns consistent with STTR rules. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply as primary applicants, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible to apply. At the same time, the announcement noted that "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement could be allowable, which generally means a U.S.-based applicant could include certain well-justified activities carried out abroad as part of the project if they are essential to the research objectives and meet NIH policy requirements. That flexibility matters for this topic area because the target use case is resource-limited settings, which often includes international contexts where needs are high and where validation and field testing may need to occur. Even so, the applicant organization itself had to be a qualifying U.S. small business, and the overall structure needed to fit STTR expectations regarding partnership and division of effort.
The FOA was posted on July 7, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 14, 2015, and it was later archived on October 15, 2015. The estimated total funding level listed was $1,500,000, which indicates NIH anticipated supporting a limited number of projects or phases, depending on award sizes and the mix of Phase I and Phase II awards. Because this was an RFA-style solicitation, it typically implies NIH had a defined set of priorities for a specific topic area and a limited pool of funds reserved for applications responding to that particular announcement, as opposed to broader standing NIH programs that accept applications on standard cycles.
Overall, the opportunity can be understood as a targeted NIH effort to accelerate the creation of usable, scalable neurodevelopmental assessment solutions for infants and children where standard tools may fail due to cost, complexity, training requirements, cultural mismatch, or logistical barriers. The emphasis on "tools and/or materials" leaves room for a range of deliverables, such as new assessment batteries, simplified protocols, culturally and linguistically adaptable measures, training packages for non-specialist administrators, scoring and interpretation supports, and technology-enabled approaches designed to operate under constraints typical of low-resource environments. The goal was not simply academic knowledge, but tangible, testable solutions that improve the ability to identify developmental delays or cognitive impairments earlier and more accurately, supporting better clinical decisions, intervention targeting, and research quality in settings where children are often most at risk yet least served by conventional assessment infrastructure.
For applicants or interested parties seeking the original details, NIH provided an additional information link to the archived FOA on the NIH grants site (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-16-025.html) and listed the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster contact (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV) for access or linking problems.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Neurodevelopmental Assessment of Infants and Children in Resource Limited Settings (R41/R42)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-HD-16-025.
Which federal agency offered this opportunity?
This was offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What kind of funding mechanism was used?
The announcement used the NIH Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) mechanism under the R41/R42 activity codes.
What do the R41 and R42 activity codes mean in this context?
R41/R42 are STTR activity codes and indicate a project structure that moves from early-stage feasibility work toward more advanced development, with a formal collaboration between a small business and a nonprofit research institution and an emphasis on developing solutions with a realistic path to broader deployment.
What was the main purpose of the funding opportunity?
The central goal was to improve how cognitive development is measured in infants and children when resources, infrastructure, and specialized personnel are limited, by supporting small business concerns in creating, refining, and testing practical assessment tools or supporting materials.
What problem or gap was NIH trying to address?
The opportunity targeted situations where traditional, clinic-based or highly specialized neurodevelopmental assessments are difficult to use due to constraints like limited access to trained clinicians, unreliable electricity or connectivity, constrained budgets, language diversity, and different cultural expectations around child behavior and testing.
What types of projects were encouraged?
Projects aimed at developing new assessment instruments or adapting existing ones to be feasible, reliable, and usable in low-resource environments were encouraged.
What kinds of deliverables could be supported under this FOA?
The FOA emphasized "tools and/or materials," which could include new assessment batteries, simplified protocols, culturally and linguistically adaptable measures, training packages for non-specialist administrators, scoring and interpretation supports, and technology-enabled approaches designed to work under low-resource constraints.
Is the focus purely academic research, or does it emphasize practical deployment?
It emphasized tangible, testable solutions, not just academic knowledge. The intent included commercialization or broad deployment, meaning applicants were expected to pursue solutions with a realistic pathway to implementation and scale.
What population was the focus of the assessments?
The target population was infants and children, with a focus on measuring neurodevelopmental and cognitive functioning.
What types of settings were targeted?
The targeted use case was "resource limited settings" where typical assessment approaches are hard to implement. These settings can include environments with limited infrastructure, limited trained personnel, and logistical constraints, and may include international contexts where needs are high.
What was the funding instrument type?
The funding instrument type was a grant.
What general category did this opportunity fall under?
It was categorized under health-related research and development.
Which CFDA program areas were associated with this opportunity?
It aligned with CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants) and 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA explicitly stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply as the primary applicant?
Eligibility was limited to U.S. small business concerns consistent with STTR rules.
Could a foreign institution apply as the primary applicant?
No. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply as primary applicants.
Could a non-U.S. component of a U.S. organization apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible to apply.
Are any international or non-U.S. activities allowed under this opportunity?
The FOA noted that "foreign components" (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) could be allowable. This means a U.S.-based applicant could include certain well-justified activities carried out abroad if they are essential to the research objectives and meet NIH policy requirements.
Why does the FOA mention foreign components?
The topic area centers on resource-limited settings, which often include international contexts. Validation and field testing may need to occur in those contexts, so allowing foreign components can be important when justified and permitted under NIH policy.
What partnership structure was expected under STTR for this solicitation?
The STTR design required a formal collaboration between a small business and a nonprofit research institution, with defined roles for each partner and a structure aligned with STTR expectations regarding partnership and division of effort.
When was the FOA posted?
The FOA was posted on July 7, 2015.
What was the application closing date?
The original and current closing date was September 14, 2015.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. It was archived on October 15, 2015, and the listed closing date was September 14, 2015.
How much total funding was expected to be available?
The estimated total funding level listed was $1,500,000.
What does it mean that this was an RFA-style solicitation?
As an RFA (Request for Applications), it typically implies NIH had defined priorities for a specific topic area and a limited pool of funds reserved for applications responding to this particular announcement, rather than a broad standing program with standard cycles.
What types of constraints were applicants expected to design for?
The FOA highlighted constraints common in low-resource environments, including limited access to trained clinicians, inconsistent electricity or connectivity, constrained budgets, language diversity, and differing cultural expectations around child behavior and testing.
What was the intended impact of improving neurodevelopmental assessment in these settings?
The aim was to improve the ability to identify developmental delays or cognitive impairments earlier and more accurately, supporting better clinical decisions, intervention targeting, and research quality in settings where children are often most at risk and least served by conventional assessment infrastructure.
Where can the original (archived) FOA be found?
NIH provided an archived FOA link at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-16-025.html
Who should be contacted for problems accessing the archived FOA link?
The NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster was listed for access or linking problems: FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV
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