Building Population Health Research Capacity in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 048

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 048

Building Population Health Research Capacity in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity designed to strengthen the long-term ability of organizations in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands to carry out ongoing population health research. The intent is capacity building rather than supporting a single, one-off study. In practice, this type of initiative typically focuses on developing the people, systems, partnerships, and infrastructure needed to consistently generate high-quality evidence on health conditions and drivers of health in the region, and to use that evidence to guide future research and public health decision-making. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which generally means NIH expects to have substantial involvement in the project through collaboration, technical input, and oversight compared with a standard research grant.

The funding opportunity number is PAR-20-048 and it falls under the Health funding activity category with CFDA number 93.307. The instrument is listed as a discretionary cooperative agreement. The award ceiling shown is $400,000, indicating the maximum funding level per award under the announcement (actual budgets can vary based on the approved scope). The original closing date provided is July 15, 2022, and the opportunity record indicates it was created on November 6, 2019.

A key limitation is that clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement. Applicants must structure their proposals so they do not include clinical trial activities as defined by NIH, meaning the work should focus on research capacity development and population health research activities that do not meet the NIH clinical trial definition. If organizations plan to collect data, build cohorts, develop surveillance systems, create research networks, or improve analytic and community-engagement capacity, they need to ensure those activities remain outside clinical trial parameters.

Eligibility is broad across government, education, nonprofit, and private-sector entities, provided the applicant is an eligible U.S.-based organization. Eligible applicants explicitly include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, regional organizations, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are important restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. Likewise, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign elements or collaborations when justified and consistent with NIH policy, even though the primary applicant must be eligible and U.S.-based.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at establishing or strengthening durable population health research capacity in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands through an NIH cooperative agreement framework, with a funding cap of $400,000 and an explicit prohibition on clinical trials. The emphasis on a wide range of eligible applicants, including community-based organizations, minority-serving institutions, tribal entities, regional organizations, and territorial governments, signals an interest in locally grounded, partnership-driven capacity building that can support sustained research activity in this geographic and cultural context.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Population Health Research Capacity in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.307.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 20 048

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