Key Dates
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National Eye Institute (NEI)
The National Eye Institute (NEI), with other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research on Advancing Vision Health Equity through Multi-level Interventions and Community-Engaged Research.
This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.
The NOFO is expected to be published in Winter 2025 with an expected application due date in early Spring 2025.
This NOFO will utilize the R01 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.
This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into this area of vision health equity research to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. This initiative intends to support research directed at preventing, reducing, or eliminating disparities in eye and vision health. Research must involve multilevel interventions that simultaneously address vision health conditions and social determinants of health (SDOH) at one or more levels of influence, such as individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community. Research must include a focus on improving vision health in one or more NIH-designated Populations with Health Disparities. Additionally, research must demonstrate meaningful community engagement in the research process. Evidence of community engagement would include but is not limited to community organizations holding key personnel roles (e.g., as Co-Investigator or co-leading multiple principal investigators) on research projects.
The areas of research encouraged in this initiative may include but are not limited to:
Implementing systems level and structural interventions (e.g., access to resources) to improve and integrate eye care and/or promote access to eye care at the clinical and community levels. Interventions should be based on conceptual models that propose mechanisms of action and pathways explaining vision health or vision health disparities and SDOH, as applicable.
Developing interventions that target the complex causes or consequences of disparities and address risk factors and promote protective factors of vision health. Interventions should extend beyond modifying individual-level health behavior (i.e., should include interpersonal, community, or societal levels). The proposed projects are encouraged to measure the multi-level and/or multi-domain SDOH addressed and affected by the intervention, as applicable.
Conducting tailored interventions in a variety of settings (e.g., clinics, schools, community centers, pharmacies, workplaces, churches, justice settings, fitness centers), disaggregated subpopulations, and include unique considerations of persons belonging to multiple populations experiencing health disparities through an intersectional approach, as appropriate.
Investigators proposing to evaluate the effect of an intervention on a health-related biomedical, behavioral, or clinical outcome are strongly encouraged to use appropriate intervention study designs.
In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise including but limited to public health, community engagement, health services, health disparities, education, health economics, behavioral science, implementation science, and social science research will be encouraged, and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.
Technical Assistance Webinars
NEI intends to convene a technical assistance workshop regarding application expectations and program goals after the NOFO is published. Information about the technical assistance webinar will be posted to the NEI website: https://www.nei.nih.gov/.
Funding Information
NEI and NIMHD intend to commit an estimated total of $7 million.
5-7 new awards
Application budgets are limited to $1,000,000 direct costs annually, not including Consortium F&A costs.
93.867
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
U.S. Territory or Possession
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entity (Foreign Organization)
Regional Organization
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
Applications are not being solicited at this time.
Inquiries
Jimmy Le, Sc.D., M.A.
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Phone: 301-318-3338
Email: [email protected]
Houmam Araj, Ph.D.
National Eye Institute (NEI)Phone: 301-435-8166
Email: [email protected]
Cheri Wiggs, Ph.D.
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Phone: 301-402-0276
Email: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
