Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations To Ensure Equity (BRITE) in Maternal and Child Health (R15)

Notice Number: NOT-HD-11-011

Release Date: May 27, 2011

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development intends to promote a new research initiative by publishing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to encourage applications for maternal and child health equity research. The purpose of the Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity (BRITE) Program is to stimulate research in educational institutions that have not been highly competitive in obtaining NIH support.
This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. 

The FOA is expected to be published in Summer, 2011 with an expected receipt date in Fall, 2011.

The FOA will utilize the R15 activity code. Details of the planned Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) are provided below.

This Notice encourages investigators interested in contributing to the Nation's biomedical and behavioral maternal and child health research to begin to consider applying for this new FOA.

The BRITE Program will provide support for investigators to conduct independent research with the aim of enhancing investigator and institution competitiveness in obtaining greater research support. Further, investigators are strongly encouraged to actively engage students in the proposed research to ensure that students will benefit from exposure to and participation in biomedical and behavioral research. Program priorities include non-research intensive institutions that educate students from either health disparity populations or populations underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research.

The research areas of emphasis for this award are: infant mortality; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); child, adolescent, and/or adult obesity; uterine fibroids; pediatric and maternal HIV/AIDS prevention; violence prevention; health literacy; and outreach and information dissemination.

The FOA will encourage research projects seeking to investigate the role of biological factors, individual-level health behaviors, environmental determinants (e.g., social, physical, contextual), and interactions among these factors in disparate maternal and child health outcomes.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Please direct all inquiries to:

Regina Smith James, M.D.
Director, Division of Special Populations
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 5E03A, MSC 7510
Bethesda, Maryland  20892-7510
Rockville, Maryland 20852 (for express/courier service)
Telephone: 301-435-2692
Email: rjames@mail.nih.gov