Recovery Act Limited Competition Research to Address the Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders (Collaborative R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity RFA-MH-09-171?

RFA-MH-09-171 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Recovery Act (ARRA) funding opportunity focused on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It targets one central challenge in autism research: ASD is not a single uniform condition, and progress depends on understanding and addressing differences across individuals in biology, clinical presentation, and service needs.

What is the main goal of this opportunity?

The goal is to fund collaborative research projects that can better characterize ASD heterogeneity by identifying meaningful subtypes or dimensions, clarifying underlying mechanisms, and translating those insights into better-targeted interventions and service approaches.

What kinds of research topics are encouraged under this FOA?

The FOA encourages research addressing ASD heterogeneity across major areas including improved measurements and assessment tools, biomarkers or other biological signatures, immune system and central nervous system interactions, genetics and genomics, environmental risk factors, creation and refinement of research models, development and testing of treatments and interventions, and services research on how care is delivered and how outcomes vary across settings and populations.

What grant mechanism is used for RFA-MH-09-171?

This FOA uses the NIH Collaborative Research Project Grant mechanism, also described as a Collaborative R01. It is intended for multi-project or multi-team efforts where collaboration is essential to accomplish the scientific aims.

What makes a project a good fit for a Collaborative R01 under this announcement?

A good fit is a project where meaningful coordination across investigators or sites is required, such as coordinating shared samples, harmonizing measures across sites, integrating different data types (for example, clinical phenotyping plus genomics plus immune profiling), or running linked studies that depend on each other.

How does this FOA relate to other NIH autism heterogeneity announcements?

RFA-MH-09-171 is part of a coordinated set of closely aligned NIH solicitations with essentially the same scientific scope but different grant mechanisms depending on project maturity and purpose.

What are the companion announcements and how do they differ?

The companion announcements include: a standard R01 (RFA-MH-09-170) for typical single-project research; an R21 (RFA-MH-09-172) for exploratory or early-stage studies (more preliminary or proof-of-concept); and an R34/Collaborative R34 (RFA-MH-09-173) for early phases of treatment development where preparatory clinical work is needed before a larger trial.

How should applicants choose among the different mechanisms (R01, Collaborative R01, R21, R34)?

Applicants were expected to select the mechanism that best matched the readiness and purpose of their research. The Collaborative R01 emphasizes coordinated work across investigators or sites, while the other mechanisms support different stages or structures of research (single-project R01, exploratory R21, or preparatory treatment development R34).

What is meant by "ASD heterogeneity" in the context of this FOA?

In this FOA, ASD heterogeneity refers to the biological, developmental, clinical, and service-related differences across individuals with ASD. The intent is to move beyond treating ASD as a single category and instead identify more precise subgroups or dimensions that explain variation in mechanisms, outcomes, and response to interventions.

Does this FOA emphasize translation to interventions and services?

Yes. In addition to mechanistic and measurement advances, the FOA explicitly includes development and testing of treatments and interventions and services research that examines how care is delivered and how outcomes vary across settings and populations.

What is services research in the context of this opportunity?

Services research here refers to studies aimed at understanding how ASD-related care is delivered and how outcomes vary across different settings and populations, with the goal of informing better service approaches.

Where did the funding for this initiative come from?

Funding came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), reflecting a federal effort at the time to accelerate high-impact biomedical research.

How much funding did NIH plan to commit across this FOA and the companion announcements?

NIH planned to commit about $57 million total across this FOA and the related companion announcements.

How many total awards were anticipated?

The initiative anticipated approximately 40 to 50 total awards across this FOA and the companion announcements.

Was this a time-limited opportunity?

Yes. It had a posted date of March 23, 2009, a single closing date of May 12, 2009, and it was archived on June 12, 2009, consistent with the Recovery Act emphasis on rapid deployment of funds.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included many U.S.-based organizations that commonly apply for NIH funding. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and various government entities.

What types of government entities were eligible?

Eligible government entities included state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and tribal governments and organizations (both federally recognized and other than federally recognized).

Did the eligibility language include specific institution types such as minority-serving institutions?

Yes. The eligibility language explicitly referenced Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Were organizations required to provide cost sharing or matching funds?

No. The FOA stated that no cost sharing or matching was required.

What is the practical impact NIH aimed to achieve with this program?

Practically, NIH aimed to support collaborative, data-rich research that can explain why individuals with ASD differ widely in biology, development, response to treatment, and service needs, and use those insights to improve measurement, stratification, and targeting of interventions and services.

Where was the full funding announcement hosted?

The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants website under the RFA link referenced in the source information for RFA-MH-09-171.

Who provided technical help for access or linking problems related to the announcement?

NIH offered technical contact support through the Office of Extramural Research (OER) web team for access or linking problems.