Research to Improve the Care of Persons at Clinical High Risk for Psychotic Disorders (R01) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity, titled "Research to Improve the Care of Persons at Clinical High Risk for Psychotic Disorders (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-14-211), supports research focused on early intervention for people who are considered at clinical high risk for developing psychotic disorders. The central idea behind the announcement is that psychotic illnesses can be profoundly disruptive and disabling, and that intervening earlier, before a first full psychotic episode, may help prevent or delay the onset of psychosis while also reducing other common and damaging outcomes. These broader outcomes include mood problems, substance use disorders, and declines in real-world functioning such as social relationships, school performance, and employment or vocational progress. In other words, the opportunity is not only about stopping psychosis, but also about improving day-to-day functioning and quality of life for individuals who are already showing clinically meaningful warning signs.

A major emphasis of the announcement is building evidence that can guide a stepwise, or "stepped care," approach to early psychosis intervention in the United States. Stepped care generally means matching people to the least intensive, most appropriate intervention first, then adjusting and intensifying care as needed based on response, symptom progression, and functional impairment. To move that model forward, NIH is seeking rigorous studies that test whether specific interventions actually help with both symptoms and functioning in clinical risk states. The FOA encourages applications that evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at the kinds of difficulties that often appear during the high-risk period, including attenuated psychotic symptoms, distress, cognitive or social challenges, and problems maintaining roles in school or work.

Beyond testing whether an intervention works, the announcement also explicitly calls for studies that examine how and why an intervention works. That means proposals are encouraged to test hypotheses about mediators and mechanisms of action, such as whether an intervention reduces stress sensitivity, improves coping, strengthens social cognition, alters sleep patterns, reduces substance use, or changes other measurable processes that could explain improvements in symptoms or functioning. By identifying mechanisms, the research can do more than produce a single positive trial; it can help refine treatments, identify who is most likely to benefit, and inform smarter, more personalized stepped care pathways.

Another key goal is practicality and real-world impact. NIH highlights the importance of determining whether these approaches can be implemented in community-based treatment settings, not just in highly specialized academic clinics. This includes studying feasibility issues such as recruitment and retention of high-risk youth and young adults, clinician training demands, acceptability to participants and families, costs and staffing constraints, and whether community programs can deliver interventions with fidelity. The underlying aim is to generate evidence that can translate into routine practice, making early intervention more accessible and scalable.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity using the NIH R01 research project grant mechanism, falling under the health funding activity category and associated with CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants). The announcement was posted August 7, 2013, with an original and current closing date of January 6, 2014, and an archive date of February 6, 2014. NIH listed an estimated total funding amount of $5,000,000 for this opportunity and specified that cost sharing or matching is not required. While the announcement itself is archived, the details illustrate NIH priorities in early psychosis prevention research and the kind of evidence base NIH has sought to build for stepped care models.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and several non-U.S. applicants as well. Eligible applicants include private and public institutions of higher education, state and local governments (including counties, cities/townships, special districts, and independent school districts), small businesses, other for-profit organizations (excluding small businesses where noted), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (with distinctions depending on whether they are institutions of higher education). The FOA also explicitly includes a wide range of special categories 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 and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Faith-based and community-based organizations are eligible, as are eligible federal agencies. Importantly, non-domestic entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) may apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to push the field toward evidence-driven early intervention for clinical high risk states by funding studies that (1) evaluate interventions for symptom and functional problems, (2) clarify mechanisms and mediators, (3) produce results that can inform stepped care systems, and (4) test whether these strategies are feasible and workable in community settings where most people actually receive care.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Institutes of Health

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health

Next opportunity: Research to Improve the Care of Persons at Clinical High Risk for Psychotic Disorders (R34)

Previous opportunity: Research to Improve the Care of Persons at Clinical High Risk for Psychotic Disorders (Collaborative R01)

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for RFA MH 14 211

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA MH 14 211) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA MH 14 211", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.