Symptom Management in HIV Infected Individuals with Comorbid Conditions (R21) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title and funding opportunity number for this NIH grant?

The opportunity is titled "Symptom Management in HIV Infected Individuals with Comorbid Conditions (R21)" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is PA-13-211.

What kind of research was this grant meant to support?

This program supported early-stage, exploratory research focused on identifying and managing symptoms in people living with HIV who also have HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (HANA) comorbid conditions. The emphasis was on practical, testable interventions that go beyond describing symptoms and instead develop, adapt, or pilot-test strategies to reduce symptom burden and improve day-to-day functioning.

What was the main scientific focus of the program?

The main focus was symptom management interventions for people living with HIV plus comorbid conditions, particularly interventions addressing reduced functional capacity and frailty. The announcement also emphasized strengthening resilience through self-care strategies.

What does "HANA conditions" mean in the context of this opportunity?

In this opportunity, HANA refers to HIV-Associated Non-AIDS conditions. The grant was specifically interested in symptom management where HIV is accompanied by additional chronic, non-AIDS comorbidities that can contribute to multi-morbidity and symptom burden.

What symptoms or challenges were highlighted as relevant to this grant?

The summary notes that as people live longer with HIV, non-AIDS comorbidities and multi-morbidity become more common and may be accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, pain, cognitive complaints, sleep problems, depression or anxiety, mobility limitations, and declines in physical resilience.

Why did the announcement highlight functional capacity and frailty?

Functional capacity and frailty were highlighted because they are closely tied to independence and practical health outcomes, including fall risk, hospitalization, the ability to adhere to treatment plans, and long-term health outcomes. The program sought interventions that help individuals maintain or regain everyday functioning.

What does the "resilience" or "self-care" emphasis mean for proposed projects?

The resilience (self-care) emphasis indicates NIH interest in interventions that help people build skills and supports to manage symptoms in real life. Examples described in the summary include education, behavioral strategies, structured self-management programs, monitoring and feedback tools, care coordination approaches, or other patient-centered methods.

What grant mechanism was used and what does it imply?

This opportunity used the NIH R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory or developmental research. In practice, this typically supports projects generating preliminary data, testing feasibility and acceptability, trying out new approaches, or adapting interventions to new populations or settings before a larger trial.

What was the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The award ceiling listed for this opportunity was $200,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity specified that there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What was the activity area and CFDA association for this announcement?

The activity area was health. The opportunity was associated with CFDA 93.361 (Nursing Research), reflecting interest in symptom science, self-management, and clinically meaningful outcomes that improve quality of life for people living with HIV and comorbidities.

Who administered this grant program?

This was a discretionary grant program administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

When was the opportunity posted, and when did it close?

It was posted and created on April 24, 2013. The original and final closing date was September 7, 2016. It was archived on October 8, 2016.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The announcement is archived and is no longer open to applications.

Why might the archived announcement still be useful?

Even though it is closed, the summary is still useful for understanding NIH priorities during that period and for informing similar proposals under newer HIV symptom management, aging with HIV, or comorbidity-focused funding opportunities.

What types of organizations were eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad for U.S.-based applicants and included state and local governments (including counties, cities/townships, and special districts), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, and a range of nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). Tribal governments and tribal organizations were also eligible, along with U.S. territories or possessions and eligible federal agencies.

Were minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The announcement explicitly included various minority-serving institutions and community-based or faith-based organizations, including (as examples) HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISIs.

Were foreign institutions eligible to apply?

No. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible.

Could a U.S. applicant include any foreign activities or collaborations?

Yes, foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) were allowed. This typically means a U.S. applicant could include well-justified activities or collaborations abroad under NIH rules, even though a foreign institution could not apply as the primary applicant.

What kinds of projects would have fit the program goals?

Projects aligned with the program would move beyond symptom description and focus on developing, adapting, or pilot-testing interventions to reduce symptom burden and improve functioning for people living with HIV and comorbid HANA conditions. The summary emphasizes interventions that are clinically grounded and implementation-aware.

What did NIH appear to expect applicants to clearly define in their proposals?

Based on the summary, NIH was looking for projects that clearly define the symptom or symptom cluster being targeted, specify how functional capacity or frailty will be measured, and describe how the intervention builds self-care capability and resilience in real-world settings.

What type of evaluation plan was appropriate for an R21 under this announcement?

The summary indicates an evaluation plan appropriate to the R21 stage, often including feasibility metrics, pilot outcomes, recruitment and retention benchmarks, and early signals of clinical benefit sufficient to justify a later, larger study.

Where could applicants find the full archived announcement?

The archived announcement was available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-13-211.html.

Who could be contacted for access or linking issues related to the announcement?

NIH provided contact support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster for access or linking issues: FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.