Tools to Mitigate and Understand the Mental Health Effects of National Disasters STTR R41/R42 | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the "Tools to Mitigate and Understand the Mental Health Effects of National Disasters" funding opportunity (PA-06-336)?

PA-06-336 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunity that supports U.S. small businesses developing practical, commercially viable tools to either (1) reduce (mitigate) or (2) help explain (understand) the mental health effects that can follow major national disasters.

What kinds of disasters is this program focused on?

The announcement is framed around events like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but its intent is broader. It targets mental health impacts associated with major national disasters generally, including psychological distress and psychiatric symptoms triggered or worsened by disaster exposure and its aftermath.

What is the main goal of this FOA?

The main goal is to speed the development and improvement of deployable, culturally informed tools that can be used in real-world settings and have a clear path toward commercialization, while remaining grounded in sound research and development.

What are the two main lanes of work supported by the FOA?

The FOA highlights two lanes: (1) mitigation tools and (2) understanding tools. Mitigation tools aim to assess, prevent, treat, or disseminate information to reduce harm. Understanding tools aim to support research that explains disaster-related mental health outcomes, including risk/resilience and recovery patterns.

What counts as a mitigation tool under this opportunity?

Mitigation tools include products used for assessment, prevention, treatment interventions, or information dissemination. Examples mentioned include screening and triage tools, intervention delivery platforms, training and decision-support systems for providers, and communication products that help communities recognize and respond to mental health needs.

What counts as an understanding tool under this opportunity?

Understanding tools are research tools that help investigators study mental health outcomes tied to disasters. The FOA emphasizes tools that help examine risk and resilience factors, trajectories of recovery, and the effectiveness of supports.

Who are the intended users of the tools developed under PA-06-336?

The intended users go beyond mental health researchers and clinicians. The FOA also points to other healthcare providers and community members such as educators, childcare providers, and family members who may identify distress and help connect people to care.

Does the FOA expect tools to be commercially viable?

Yes. A central emphasis is that proposed tools should be ready for real-world use and commercialization, not only academic exploration, while still being grounded in rigorous research and development.

Can applicants propose improving an existing product, or does it have to be brand-new?

The FOA encourages both brand-new products and projects that significantly enhance existing ones.

How important is cultural context in proposed tools?

Cultural context is a non-negotiable feature of this opportunity. Applicants are expected to design tools that fit the language, norms, values, and lived realities of the populations served, to improve effectiveness and the validity of measurement.

What cultural factors does the FOA expect applicants to consider?

The FOA expects applicants to address how culture and context influence help-seeking, symptom expression, trust in institutions, and the acceptability of intervention styles or messaging approaches. Cultural considerations should be built into design, testing, and validation.

Why does the FOA warn against ignoring cultural context?

Tools that ignore cultural factors risk being inaccurate, poorly adopted, or potentially harmful. The FOA explicitly pushes applicants to integrate cultural considerations to support adoption and valid measurement.

What is the funding structure for PA-06-336?

The opportunity follows the STTR phased structure: Phase I for feasibility-focused early R&D, Phase II for advanced development and testing toward a market-ready product, and an option to apply via Fast-Track when appropriate.

What are the Phase I budget and project period limits?

Phase I can request up to $250,000 total costs per year for up to two years.

What are the Phase II budget and project period limits?

Phase II can request up to $450,000 total costs per year for up to three years.

What is a Fast-Track application under this FOA?

Fast-Track allows applicants to combine Phase I and Phase II into a single submission when the project is sufficiently mature and the development plan is well justified.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA states that cost sharing or matching is not required.

Is there a fixed amount of money set aside for this program?

No. The FOA does not set aside a fixed pool of money. The number of awards and total dollars depend on the quality and volume of applications received and NIH funding availability.

How competitive is this opportunity?

It is competitive and merit-driven. The FOA indicates applicants should treat strong significance, technical rigor, and a clear commercialization path as essential.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to United States small business concerns (SBCs) applying under the STTR mechanism and meeting STTR eligibility requirements at the time of award for both Phase I and Phase II.

Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?

No. The FOA states that foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.

Does STTR require collaboration with a research institution?

Yes. As an STTR program, the mechanism is built around collaboration between the small business and a participating nonprofit research institution.

Can the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) be employed by the research institution instead of the small business?

Yes. The FOA states that the PD/PI may be primarily employed by either the small business or the partnering research institution, as long as there is a formal appointment with, or commitment to, the applicant small business establishing an official relationship.

Does the FOA encourage participation by underrepresented groups?

Yes. The FOA notes that individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to participate in NIH-funded research efforts, consistent with NIH-wide inclusion priorities.

Are there multiple receipt dates or a single deadline?

The FOA accepts multiple receipt dates rather than a single deadline.

Can a small business submit more than one application?

Yes. Small businesses may submit more than one application as long as each submission is scientifically distinct.

Is there a related funding opportunity using a different small business mechanism?

Yes. The FOA runs in parallel with a companion announcement of the same scientific scope that uses the SBIR mechanism: PA-06-335 (R43/R44).

What is the CFDA listing and funding instrument for this opportunity?

The CFDA listing is 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants), and the funding instrument is a discretionary grant.

When in the disaster timeline are these tools expected to be useful?

The FOA emphasizes tools that can be used before, during, and especially after disasters to lessen psychological harm and improve what can be measured and learned about disaster-related mental health outcomes.

Are disaster responders included in the population of concern?

Yes. The FOA frames the impact across affected survivors and the responders who support them.