Notice Number: NOT-MH-17-031
Key Dates
Release Date: June 14, 2017
Issued by
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Purpose
NIMH is issuing this Notice to highlight its interest in receiving grant applications focused on applied research that advances the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's “Zero Suicide” goal of preventing suicide events (attempts, deaths) among individuals receiving treatment within health care systems. Zero Suicide is a commitment to the prevention of suicide among individuals served by health care systems and is also a specific set of health care strategies and tools intended to eliminate suicide events. This Notice specifically encourages applications that leverage time-sensitive opportunities and clinical infrastructure, including collaborations with organizations supported through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) recently announced cooperative agreement initiative to implement Zero Suicide in health systems (https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-17-006).
Research is needed to implement effective and comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a variety of settings, including behavioral health and substance abuse outpatient clinics, emergency departments and crisis care programs and centers, hospitals, and integrated primary care programs. Research is needed to improve health care approaches for the following: systematic approaches to suicide risk detection (acute or long term); appropriate risk documentation and follow-up care that is practical and effective; interventions earlier in the course of suicide risk trajectories that reduce incident suicide events in care systems; identification of effective service delivery components that work as safety nets to prevent suicidal events; and identification of service delivery policies and practices that support and maintain “Zero Suicide” goals and reduce suicide events.
This Notice encourages applications that leverage existing health care networks with adequate infrastructure (e.g., electronic health records; networked health care systems) and services research expertise in quality improvement strategies, in order to improve the efficiency and relevance of research on suicide reduction approaches. The learning healthcare system envisioned by the Institute of Medicine would be an ideal platform for these ‘Zero Suicide’ efforts that improve patient care, and also allow for the process of scientific discovery. Analytic approaches used within learning health systems can include randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs with non-randomized comparison groups, time series designs, and other designs of equivalent rigor and relevance.
Applicants are encouraged to review the Prioritized Research Agenda for Suicide Prevention regarding the state of the science, research priorities, and potential research pathway (in particular, Key Questions 2, 3 and 4). Researchers are also encouraged to consider state collaborations in order to utilize morbidity and mortality surveillance systems (many supported by CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/ and http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/nvdrs.html). States implementing laws regarding provider training in suicide mitigation may offer opportunities to study implementation of improved provider skills and its benefits for suicide reduction in care systems. Leveraging federal investments that support behavioral health needs (SAMHSA funded services within states: http://www.samhsa.gov/grants-awards-by-state), and primary care (HRSA funded services within states: http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/Topics/HrsaInYour.aspx) are also important opportunities, as a number of these investments include suicide prevention as bench mark outcomes.
Examples of studies that are encouraged through this Notice include, but are not limited to those that:
All requirements of the relevant Funding Opportunity Announcement would need to be followed in any application (and award) that proposes to develop and conduct a study on one of these high priority areas. Possible funding opportunities that can be used to pursue these and other research activities include, but are not limited to:
Please note that investigators interested in pursuing clinical trial research should review the NIMH Clinical Trials Funding Opportunity Announcements website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/opportunities-announcements/clinical-trials-foas/index.shtml and NOT-MH-14-007 which announced that beginning with applications submitted for the June 5, 2014 submission date and all subsequent applicable deadlines, NIMH will not accept R01, R21, or R03 applications that include clinical trials of potential therapies for mental disorders, under the NIH parent R01 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) PA-13-302, NIH parent R21 FOA PA-13-303, and NIH Parent R03 FOA PA-13-304, and subsequent reissuances of these FOAs. Specific guidance on application submission procedures are described in the notice.
Applicants considering such an application are strongly encouraged to consult with NIMH Program Officials prior to submission.
Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Adam Haim, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-435-3593
Email: haima@mail.nih.gov