Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 323
Apply for PAR 15 323
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34)" 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.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 6, 2015 and posted on Aug 6, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 7, 2018. (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 $225,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: 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 Independent school districts City or township governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments County governments Special district governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education Small businesses.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) 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 Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 15 323) is a National Institutes of Health program, aligned with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) priorities, that supports small, early stage, pilot services research projects in mental health. The central idea is to fund studies that can move the services research field forward even when the work is not yet ready to develop or test a specific services intervention. NIMH has increasingly required intervention studies to follow an experimental therapeutics model, but this FOA recognizes that many high value questions in real world mental health service delivery do not fit that intervention framework and still have strong potential to improve the quality, reach, and effectiveness of care.
The FOA targets three main categories of pilot research. First, it encourages studies that identify mutable (changeable) factors that affect mental health service access, utilization, quality, financing, outcomes, disparities in outcomes, or the scalability of services. The emphasis on mutable factors matters because it pushes applicants to focus on drivers that can realistically be changed through policy, system redesign, financing mechanisms, workforce practices, technology, or organizational processes, even if the study itself is not testing an intervention. The end result of this line of work is often a clearer set of actionable targets for later intervention development, implementation strategies, or system level reforms.
Second, the opportunity supports the development and initial testing of new research tools, measures, or methods relevant to mental health services research. In practice, that can include creating or refining instruments that capture service quality, continuity of care, patient experience, provider behavior, implementation context, or system performance, as well as methodological innovations that make services research more rigorous, timely, or scalable. This category is meant to strengthen the measurement and analytic foundations of the field, since better tools and methods can improve the quality of future studies across many settings.
Third, the FOA supports feasibility work for integrating existing data sets to better understand factors affecting access, quality, or outcomes of mental health care. This recognizes that many important services research questions can be answered more efficiently by linking administrative, clinical, claims, educational, social service, justice, or other data sources, but that data integration raises practical barriers (such as harmonization, governance, data quality, variable comparability, privacy, and linkage accuracy). Pilot funding under this FOA can be used to test whether those integrations are possible and informative before launching larger, more definitive research efforts.
In terms of basic award structure, this is an R34 grant mechanism categorized under Health with CFDA number 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants). The maximum award amount listed is 225,000, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on August 6, 2015, and the final closing date was September 7, 2018, with an archive date of October 8, 2018. While the archived status means it is not currently accepting applications under that specific announcement, the summary is still useful as a guide to how NIMH has defined and prioritized non intervention services research pilot work.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can carry out mental health services research. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non 501(c)(3) entities), for profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, as well as a wide range of government entities (state, county, city or township, special districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities). The FOA also explicitly includes tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized) and tribal organizations, independent school districts, and U.S. territories or possessions. Additional eligible applicants include many mission focused institution types and community rooted organizations, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith based or community based organizations, federal government agencies, regional organizations, and non U.S. entities (foreign organizations). In other words, the FOA was structured to encourage participation from both traditional academic research settings and real world service systems and community anchored institutions.
Applicants looking for the full archived announcement were directed to the NIH Grants Guide page for PAR 15 323, and technical access issues were routed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster. Overall, the opportunity reflects a deliberate NIMH effort to fund the early groundwork that makes later, more targeted intervention and implementation research possible, while also supporting stand alone services research questions that can directly inform policy, system improvement, and equity in mental health care without requiring an immediate intervention trial.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34) opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 15 323) aligned with National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) priorities. It supports small, early stage, pilot mental health services research projects that are designed to move the field forward even when the work is not yet ready to develop or test a specific services intervention.
What does "not involving interventions" mean in this FOA?
It means the funded studies are not required to develop, deliver, or experimentally test a specific services intervention. The FOA was created to support high value mental health services research questions that do not fit an intervention framework but can still inform policy, system improvement, quality, reach, effectiveness, and equity in real-world care.
How does this relate to NIMH's experimental therapeutics expectations?
NIMH has increasingly required intervention studies to follow an experimental therapeutics model, but this FOA recognizes that many important questions in real-world mental health service delivery do not fit that model. This R34 supports pilot work that can improve services research and mental health care without requiring an intervention trial.
What kinds of projects does the FOA prioritize?
The FOA targets three main categories: (1) studies that identify mutable factors affecting mental health service access, utilization, quality, financing, outcomes, disparities, or scalability; (2) development and initial testing of new research tools, measures, or methods for mental health services research; and (3) feasibility work to integrate existing data sets to better understand factors affecting access, quality, or outcomes of mental health care.
What are "mutable factors" and why are they emphasized?
Mutable factors are changeable drivers that influence mental health service delivery and results. The FOA emphasizes them to encourage applicants to focus on factors that can realistically be changed through levers such as policy, system redesign, financing mechanisms, workforce practices, technology, or organizational processes, even if the proposed study does not test an intervention.
What types of outcomes or domains can mutable-factor studies address?
These pilot studies can focus on factors that affect service access, utilization, quality, financing, outcomes, disparities in outcomes, or the scalability of services.
Does a project in the mutable-factors category need to test a policy change or system redesign?
No. The FOA supports studies that identify and clarify actionable targets (the drivers that could later be changed). The project itself is not required to implement or test an intervention, policy, or redesign.
What counts as "new research tools, measures, or methods" under this FOA?
This includes developing or refining instruments and approaches that strengthen services research, such as tools to capture service quality, continuity of care, patient experience, provider behavior, implementation context, or system performance, as well as methodological innovations that improve rigor, timeliness, or scalability of services research.
Why does the FOA support tool and method development?
Because better measures and methods can strengthen the measurement and analytic foundations of mental health services research, improving the quality and usefulness of future studies across many settings.
What is meant by "feasibility work for integrating existing data sets"?
It refers to pilot research that tests whether linking different existing data sources is practical and informative for answering mental health services research questions about access, quality, or outcomes before pursuing larger studies.
What types of data sources might be integrated under the data-linkage feasibility category?
The FOA describes potential linkages across administrative, clinical, claims, educational, social service, justice, or other data sources.
What challenges in data integration does this FOA recognize?
It recognizes barriers such as harmonization, governance, data quality, variable comparability, privacy, and linkage accuracy, which may need pilot work to assess feasibility.
What grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?
The opportunity uses the NIH R34 grant mechanism and is categorized under Health.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number listed is 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants).
What is the maximum award amount listed for this FOA?
The maximum award amount listed is 225,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
It was posted on August 6, 2015.
What was the final closing date for applications?
The final closing date was September 7, 2018.
Is this FOA currently accepting applications?
No. The FOA is archived. The archive date was October 8, 2018, and the archived status indicates it is not currently accepting applications under that specific announcement.
If the FOA is archived, why is it still useful?
The summary remains useful as a guide to how NIMH has defined and prioritized non-intervention pilot services research, including studies that inform policy, system improvement, and equity without requiring an intervention trial.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and many government entities (state, county, city or township, special districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities).
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized) and tribal organizations.
Are school districts eligible?
Yes. Independent school districts are listed as eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are included in the eligibility list.
Does the FOA encourage participation from minority-serving or community-rooted institutions?
Yes. It explicitly includes institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are federal agencies or regional organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA includes federal government agencies and regional organizations as eligible applicants.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA lists non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) among eligible applicants.
Where can applicants find the full (archived) announcement?
Applicants were directed to the NIH Grants Guide page for PAR 15 323.
Where were technical access issues directed?
Technical access issues were routed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.
What is the overall purpose of this FOA in the NIMH portfolio?
It reflects an NIMH effort to fund early groundwork that makes later intervention and implementation research possible, while also supporting stand-alone services research questions that can directly inform policy, system improvement, quality, reach, effectiveness, and equity in mental health care without requiring an immediate intervention trial.
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