Notice Number: NOT-MD-17-001

Key Dates
Release Date: December 21, 2016

Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: February 2017
First Estimated Application Due Date: April 2017
Earliest Estimated Award Date: September 2017
Earliest Estimated Start Date: September 2017

Issued by
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Purpose

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) intends to continue support for the Centers of Excellence (COE) program by publishing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for specialized center cooperative agreement awards to conduct research, research education, and community engagement research activities focused on minority health or reducing health disparities.

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 February 2017 with an expected application due date in April 2017.

This FOA will utilize the U54 activity code. Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number or NIH IPF number) will be allowed.

There are specific eligibility criteria established by statute that must be satisfied in order to receive an award under this FOA. Pursuant to Public Law 106-525, awards under this program may only be made to institutions of higher education that meet the following criteria:

• Had a significant number of members of health disparity populations enrolled as students in the institution, including individuals accepted for enrollment in the institution.  NIH-designated health disparity populations are Blacks or African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities.

• Been effective in assisting students from health disparity populations to complete a program of study or training and receive the advanced degree(s) offered.
• Made significant efforts to recruit and enroll health disparity population students into and graduate from the institution, which may include providing means-tested scholarships and other financial assistance as appropriate.
• Made significant recruitment efforts to increase the number of members of health disparity populations serving in full-time faculty or administrative positions at the institutions

Details of the planned FOA’s research are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into the science of health disparities, particularly the complex interplay between risk and protective factors acting at multiple levels across the life course, to begin to consider applying for this new FOA.

The FOA will encourage collaborative activities combining expertise in biomedical and behavioral research, research education, clinical and health services research, social science, environmental health science, population science, translational science, implementation science, and the science of community engagement. Each COE is expected to have a thematic focus in a specific scientific area that may include, but are not limited, to social determinants of health, men's health, women's health, maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, environmental health disparities, precision medicine, health services and policy research. The COEs will be expected to work closely with community partners to facilitate development of programs that can be implemented in real-world settings to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.

Projects must include a focus on one or more NIH-designated health disparity populations, which include Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Nathan Stinson, Jr., PhD, MD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Telephone: 301-594-8704
Email: [email protected]