Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 14 019
Apply for RFA RM 14 019
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Science of Behavior Change Assay Development and Validation for Stress Reactivity and Stress Resilience Targets (UH2/UH3)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 8, 2015 and posted on Jan 8, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 20, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments State governments Independent school districts Small businesses City or township governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than 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 NIH Common Fund opportunity "Science of Behavior Change Assay Development and Validation for Stress Reactivity and Stress Resilience Targets (UH2/UH3)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-14-019) is a cooperative agreement designed to push behavior change research toward an experimental medicine model. In practical terms, it is trying to move the field beyond broad, hard-to-replicate intervention packages and toward a more testable approach where researchers can name a specific behavior change target, deliberately engage it with an intervention or manipulation, confirm that the target was actually engaged using a solid measure (an "assay"), and then demonstrate that engaging the target causes meaningful change in real health behaviors. The focus of this particular FOA is on targets related to stress reactivity and stress resilience, and the work is framed as high-impact and potentially higher-risk, consistent with the Common Fund's mission to support cross-cutting science that can accelerate progress across many disease areas.
The research plan is organized around four required target validation steps. First, applicants must identify a set of plausible targets within stress reactivity and/or stress resilience that are implicated in medical regimen adherence and at least one additional health behavior (so the project cannot focus only on adherence; it must connect to another behavior such as diet, physical activity, sleep, substance use, or similar). Second, teams must leverage existing methods or create new experimental or intervention approaches that can engage those targets in a controlled and testable way. Third, they must identify or develop assays, meaning measures that can verify target engagement; these assays are expected to be rigorous enough to demonstrate whether the intervention actually changed the underlying target (for example, a physiological, neural, cognitive, affective, behavioral, or computational marker tied to stress processes). Fourth, teams must test whether engaging the target produces the intended improvement in medical regimen adherence and the other selected health behavior, establishing a clearer causal chain from target engagement to behavior change rather than simply reporting that an intervention "worked" overall.
A key design requirement is that, even if studies are conducted in a particular clinical sample, applicants should choose targets and behavioral outcomes with relevance to at least two clinical endpoints or disease conditions. The intent is to produce tools and evidence that generalize across health problems, rather than being useful only for one narrow population. This fits the broader SOBC goal of building a shared, reusable foundation for behavior change science, where validated targets and measures can be applied to multiple disorders and settings.
The funding uses the UH2/UH3 Phased Innovation Awards mechanism. The initial UH2 phase supports the early development work aligned with steps 1 through 3: selecting targets, developing or refining manipulations/interventions to engage them, and creating or validating assays to confirm engagement. Only projects that meet their pre-specified objectives and agreed-upon milestones are considered for administrative transition into the UH3 phase. The UH3 phase then supports the later-stage validation work aligned with step 4, where teams test whether engaging the target actually changes adherence and the additional health behavior. Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH staff are expected to have substantial involvement, and the program is structured to promote coordination, milestone-driven progress, and shared infrastructure rather than independent, siloed projects.
The FOA is explicitly multidisciplinary and requires applicant teams to include both basic and clinical science expertise, reflecting the need to connect mechanistic understanding of stress processes with real-world clinical behavior change outcomes. Projects are also designed to be part of a larger coordinated effort supported by a separately funded Resource and Coordinating Center (RCC) under a companion announcement (RFA-RM-14-017). The RCC is meant to help harmonize efforts across projects, facilitate collaboration, and support development of shared resources.
The expected deliverable across funded projects is a practical toolkit: validated and well-documented assays for specific stress reactivity and stress resilience targets, along with experimental manipulations or interventions that reliably engage those targets. In other words, the program is aiming to leave the field with reusable measurement and intervention components that other researchers can adopt, compare, and build on, improving reproducibility and accelerating progress in behavior change research tied to stress-related mechanisms.
Administratively, this is an NIH discretionary funding opportunity in the health category (CFDA 93.310) with no cost sharing requirement. Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of U.S. and non-U.S. entities, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, U.S. territories, and foreign organizations, along with a range of designated serving institutions (for example HBCUs, HSIs, AANAPISIs, TCCUs). The FOA was posted January 8, 2015, with an original and current closing date of March 20, 2015, and an archive date of April 20, 2015. Applicants were directed to the SOBC program website and FAQ pages for updates and guidance, reflecting the program's emphasis on coordination and shared standards across the funded network.
FAQs: NIH Common Fund - Science of Behavior Change Assay Development and Validation for Stress Reactivity and Stress Resilience Targets (UH2/UH3) (RFA-RM-14-019)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH Common Fund cooperative agreement focused on developing and validating assays (rigorous measures) and experimental/intervention approaches to test behavior change targets related to stress reactivity and stress resilience. The overall aim is to move behavior change research toward an experimental medicine model where targets are named, deliberately engaged, verified with an assay, and then linked causally to meaningful changes in real health behaviors.
What is the main scientific goal of the FOA?
The FOA is designed to move the field away from broad, hard-to-replicate intervention packages and toward a more testable, reproducible approach. Projects are expected to show a clear chain: identify a stress-related target, engage it using a manipulation or intervention, confirm the target was engaged using an assay, and demonstrate that engaging the target causes improvements in medical regimen adherence and at least one other health behavior.
What stress-related areas does this FOA focus on?
The focus is on behavior change targets tied to stress reactivity and stress resilience, framed as high-impact and potentially higher-risk research consistent with the NIH Common Fund mission to support cross-cutting science that can accelerate progress across disease areas.
What is meant by an "experimental medicine model" in this FOA?
In this context, an experimental medicine model means researchers do more than test whether an intervention works overall. They must specify a hypothesized target, deliberately engage it, verify engagement with a credible measure (an assay), and then test whether target engagement produces the intended behavior change outcomes.
What are the required target validation steps?
The research plan is organized around four required steps:
- Identify plausible targets within stress reactivity and/or stress resilience implicated in medical regimen adherence and at least one additional health behavior.
- Use existing methods or develop new experimental/intervention approaches that can engage those targets in a controlled, testable way.
- Identify or develop assays (measures) that can verify target engagement rigorously.
- Test whether engaging the target improves medical regimen adherence and the additional selected health behavior, supporting a causal link from target engagement to behavior change.
Do projects have to address more than medical regimen adherence?
Yes. Projects must connect targets to medical regimen adherence and at least one additional health behavior. The FOA states projects cannot focus only on adherence; they must include another behavior such as diet, physical activity, sleep, substance use, or a similar health behavior.
What kinds of targets are expected under this FOA?
Applicants must propose plausible targets within stress reactivity and/or stress resilience that are implicated in medical regimen adherence and another health behavior. The FOA emphasizes that targets should be testable within the experimental medicine framework and suitable for verification through a rigorous assay.
What does NIH mean by an "assay" in this program?
An assay is a measure used to verify that the intervention or manipulation actually engaged (changed) the intended underlying target. The FOA anticipates assays could be physiological, neural, cognitive, affective, behavioral, or computational markers tied to stress processes, as long as they are rigorous enough to demonstrate target engagement.
What is the expectation for causality in the proposed studies?
The FOA prioritizes showing that engaging the target causes meaningful improvement in medical regimen adherence and the additional health behavior. The intent is to build a clearer causal chain (target engagement -> behavior change) rather than simply reporting that an intervention worked as a package.
Are projects expected to generalize across conditions or populations?
Yes. Even if studies are conducted in a particular clinical sample, applicants are expected to choose targets and behavioral outcomes with relevance to at least two clinical endpoints or disease conditions. The program is designed to generate tools and evidence that are useful across health problems rather than narrowly tied to one population or condition.
What is the UH2/UH3 Phased Innovation Awards mechanism?
This FOA uses the UH2/UH3 phased mechanism. UH2 supports early development work (steps 1 through 3), and UH3 supports later-stage validation work (step 4). Transition from UH2 to UH3 is not automatic; it depends on meeting pre-specified objectives and agreed-upon milestones and being approved for administrative transition.
What happens during the UH2 phase?
UH2 supports early development work aligned with steps 1-3: selecting stress-related targets, developing or refining manipulations/interventions to engage them, and creating or validating assays to confirm target engagement.
What happens during the UH3 phase?
UH3 supports the later-stage validation aligned with step 4: testing whether engaging the target produces the intended improvements in medical regimen adherence and the additional health behavior.
Is transition from UH2 to UH3 guaranteed?
No. The FOA specifies that only projects that meet their pre-specified objectives and agreed-upon milestones are considered for administrative transition into the UH3 phase.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
As a cooperative agreement, NIH staff are expected to have substantial involvement in the project. The program is structured to promote coordination, milestone-driven progress, and shared infrastructure rather than independent, siloed projects.
Is this FOA multidisciplinary?
Yes. The FOA is explicitly multidisciplinary and requires teams to include both basic and clinical science expertise to connect mechanistic understanding of stress processes with real-world clinical behavior change outcomes.
What is the Resource and Coordinating Center (RCC) and how does it relate to this FOA?
Funded projects under this FOA are designed to be part of a larger coordinated effort supported by a separately funded Resource and Coordinating Center (RCC) under a companion announcement (RFA-RM-14-017). The RCC is intended to help harmonize efforts across projects, facilitate collaboration, and support shared resource development.
What deliverables are expected from funded projects?
The expected deliverable is a practical toolkit: validated and well-documented assays for specific stress reactivity and stress resilience targets, along with experimental manipulations or interventions that reliably engage those targets. The intent is to leave reusable measurement and intervention components that other researchers can adopt, compare, and build on.
What is the funding category and CFDA number?
This is an NIH discretionary funding opportunity in the health category with CFDA number 93.310.
Is cost sharing required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing requirement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. and non-U.S. entities. Examples listed include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, U.S. territories, and foreign organizations. The FOA also references designated serving institutions such as HBCUs, HSIs, AANAPISIs, and TCCUs.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign organizations are included in the eligible applicant types described in the FOA summary provided.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-RM-14-019.
When was the FOA posted and when did it close?
The FOA was posted on January 8, 2015. The original and current closing date was March 20, 2015. The archive date was April 20, 2015.
Where were applicants directed for updates and guidance?
Applicants were directed to the SOBC program website and FAQ pages for updates and guidance, reflecting the program emphasis on coordination and shared standards across the funded network.
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