Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 09 151
Apply for PA 09 151
- The National Institutes of Health in the education food and nutrition health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Studies in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361 Nursing Research 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 8, 2009 and posted on Apr 8, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 7, 2012. (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: For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) 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 County governments Independent school districts City or township governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Studies in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (R21) funding opportunity (PA-09-151) is an NIH grant program designed to help researchers launch early-stage clinical and epidemiological studies focused on digestive and liver diseases and the nutrition-related disorders that occur alongside these conditions, including cancers connected to the digestive system. The goal is to support smaller, exploratory projects that test new ideas, generate preliminary human data, and lay the groundwork for larger clinical studies. In practical terms, this announcement targets pilot work such as first-in-human or early clinical testing of promising therapies, as well as studies that explore new approaches to health promotion and disease prevention in digestive, liver, and nutrition-related conditions.
The program is sponsored by multiple NIH components, reflecting its cross-cutting scope: the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR), and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). That mix signals an interest not only in biomedical interventions but also in prevention, symptom management, patient-centered strategies, nutrition interventions, and questions that connect digestive and liver disease to cancer risk, outcomes, or survivorship. The inclusion of ODS also points to legitimate research avenues involving dietary supplements, when they are scientifically justified and evaluated with appropriate rigor and safety monitoring.
Funding is provided through the NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant mechanism (R21). R21 awards are meant for early, high-potential studies where investigators are developing or testing a novel concept, method, or clinical approach and need support to establish feasibility or collect the kind of initial evidence that would make a subsequent, larger trial or definitive study competitive. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $200,000, and, as is typical for this kind of program, the exact number of awards and the final award sizes depend on the mix of applications received, their quality, their proposed duration, and their budgets. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds to be eligible.
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, nonprofit, and small business sectors. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private universities, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit entities (other than small businesses) and small businesses, and a wide range of government bodies such as state, county, city/township governments, special district governments, and certain housing authorities. The announcement also explicitly includes a variety of mission-driven or underrepresented-serving institutions and entities, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, tribal governments and tribal organizations, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Importantly, the eligibility list also includes non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, which indicates the program is open to international applicants when consistent with NIH policies.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was posted on April 8, 2009, with a closing date of May 7, 2012, and it was archived on June 7, 2012. While the specific announcement is no longer active, it provides a clear model of the type of pilot clinical and epidemiological research NIH has sought to stimulate in digestive diseases and nutrition: smaller, well-justified studies that can credibly demonstrate feasibility, refine an intervention or approach, and produce actionable preliminary data for subsequent larger-scale funding. For full details, the original NIH guide notice was hosted at the provided link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-151.html.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Studies in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (R21) (PA-09-151)
What is PA-09-151?
PA-09-151 is an NIH funding opportunity titled "Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Studies in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (R21)." It was designed to support early-stage clinical and epidemiological studies in digestive and liver diseases and in nutrition-related disorders that occur alongside these conditions, including digestive system-related cancers.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The purpose is to help researchers launch smaller, exploratory human studies that test new ideas, generate preliminary data, and establish feasibility so that investigators can build a strong foundation for larger clinical studies later.
What types of research did this opportunity aim to support?
This opportunity targeted pilot and feasibility work in humans, including early clinical testing of promising therapies (such as first-in-human or early clinical studies) and studies that explore new approaches to health promotion and disease prevention in digestive, liver, and nutrition-related conditions.
Is this opportunity focused only on digestive diseases?
No. While digestive and liver diseases are central, the announcement also emphasizes nutrition-related disorders that co-occur with these conditions and includes cancers connected to the digestive system.
Does the program include epidemiological studies, or only clinical trials?
It includes both. The description specifically mentions early-stage clinical studies and epidemiological studies, as long as they are designed to test new ideas, establish feasibility, and produce preliminary human data relevant to digestive diseases, liver diseases, and related nutrition conditions.
What is the NIH activity code/mechanism for this program?
The program used the NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant mechanism (R21), which is intended for early, high-potential projects developing or testing novel concepts, methods, or clinical approaches.
What does an R21 award generally support in this context?
In this context, the R21 mechanism supports exploratory projects that are smaller in scope and are meant to demonstrate feasibility, refine an intervention or approach, and generate preliminary evidence that can make a later, larger clinical study or trial more competitive.
What was the maximum award amount listed for PA-09-151?
The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $200,000.
Does the opportunity specify how many awards would be made?
No fixed number is stated. The final number of awards and award sizes were described as depending on factors such as the mix of applications received, application quality, proposed project duration, and proposed budgets.
Was cost sharing or matching funds required?
No. The opportunity explicitly states there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide non-federal funds to be eligible.
Which NIH components sponsored this funding opportunity?
The program was sponsored by multiple NIH components: the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR), and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).
What does the mix of sponsors suggest about the kinds of projects NIH wanted to fund?
The mix suggests a broad, cross-cutting interest that can include biomedical interventions, prevention and health promotion strategies, symptom management, patient-centered approaches, nutrition interventions, and research linking digestive and liver disease to cancer risk, outcomes, or survivorship.
Does the opportunity allow research involving dietary supplements?
The inclusion of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) indicates that scientifically justified research involving dietary supplements was considered a legitimate avenue, provided it was evaluated with appropriate rigor and safety monitoring.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many organization types across public, private, nonprofit, and business sectors, as well as various government entities and mission-driven institutions.
Are universities and colleges eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list included nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status.
Are for-profit organizations eligible?
Yes. The opportunity included for-profit entities (other than small businesses) as eligible applicants, and it also separately included small businesses as eligible.
Are small businesses eligible?
Yes. Small businesses were explicitly listed as eligible applicants.
Are government entities eligible?
Yes. Eligible government applicants included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and certain housing authorities.
Are community-based or faith-based organizations eligible?
Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations were explicitly included among eligible applicants.
Are tribal organizations or tribal governments eligible?
Yes. The eligibility list included tribal governments and tribal organizations, as well as Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
Are underrepresented-serving institutions included in the eligibility list?
Yes. The announcement explicitly included institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
Were U.S. territories eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list included U.S. territories or possessions.
Could non-U.S. (foreign) organizations apply?
Yes. The eligibility list explicitly included non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, indicating the program was open to international applicants when consistent with NIH policies.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
It was posted on April 8, 2009.
What was the closing date for applications?
The closing date listed was May 7, 2012.
Is PA-09-151 still active?
No. The opportunity was archived on June 7, 2012, and is no longer active.
If it is archived, why might it still be useful to read?
Even though it is no longer active, it provides a clear model of the type of pilot clinical and epidemiological research NIH sought to stimulate in digestive diseases and nutrition: small, well-justified studies that can demonstrate feasibility and produce actionable preliminary data for later, larger-scale funding.
Where can I find the original NIH guide notice for PA-09-151?
The original notice was hosted at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-151.html
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