Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Background:

The health and preventive benefits of treatment for HIV are now unequivocal. Additionally, there are now a growing number of efficacious HIV prevention strategies. In the United States (U.S.) and globally, ambitious goals have been targeted for HIV prevention and treatment. The U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022-2025 articulates bold objectives and strategies to prevent new HIV infections, improve the health of people living with HIV, and reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities. Globally, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS aims for HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression rates to be 95%--95%--95% by 2025. Current evidence indicates that if 95% of all persons living with HIV knew their status, 95% of those diagnosed were receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 95% of those on treatment were virally suppressed, then incident HIV infections would decline, and an end to the HIV pandemic would be achievable. In some settings, there is evidence that with necessary resources, a comprehensive strategy, and effective approaches for HIV testing, linkage to care, adherence support, and retention in care, these 95-95-95 targets are feasible.

In each step of the HIV prevention and care continuum, there have been significant advances to optimize prevention and the likelihood of viral suppression for men, women, and children. For example, tools have been developed and tested to improve awareness regarding prevention and treatment strategies and increase uptake and persistence of use. Innovative approaches have been developed to increase rates of HIV testing, such as HIV self-testing (HIVST), secondary distribution of HIVST, integrated HIV/STI testing approaches, HIV testing in non-clinical settings, HIV screening in clinical settings, technology-based approaches, use of networks and community mobilization and implementation science approaches. Individuals who test HIV negative should receive risk screening and needs assessment to identify preferred HIV prevention options, followed by linkage to relevant prevention services. Behavioral HIV risk reduction approaches have been complemented by biomedical strategies such as antiretroviral-based prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and treatment as prevention (TasP). Novel long-acting HIV prevention modalities are advancing through research, development, and regulatory approval, including vaginal rings, long-acting injectable PrEP, subdermal implants, broadly neutralizing antibodies, and vaccine regimens. Of note, in December 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first long-acting injectable PrEP option. In addition, multipurpose prevention technologies that aim to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections, as well as HIV, are also under development. As the number of available biomedical HIV prevention options expands, research is needed to help patients make informed choices around these options. As PrEP implementation has advanced, the successful identification, engagement, and retention of individuals who may benefit from PrEP has proven challenging. Marked racial/ethnic, age, and gender-based disparities are evident in PrEP uptake and use. Proven interventions to support PrEP adherence and persistence remain scant, and while future long-acting formulations may assist with adherence, the challenges of engagement and retention in prevention services will remain.

To understand adherence to HIV treatment regimens, significant investment and advances have been made to develop objective measures for monitoring HIV medication use. To improve HIV treatment adherence, a range of efficacious treatment adherence interventions are available, including a growing number with demonstrated impact on viral suppression. More research is needed to successfully implement effective HIV treatment adherence monitoring and intervention approaches in the U.S. and global settings, particularly among groups that routinely experience challenges to maintaining adherence and optimal treatment outcomes. Paralleling advances in HIV prevention options, there have been similar advances in treatment options, with long-acting injectable ART having received regulatory approval in many countries. Research is needed to understand preferences for treatment options, interventions to sustain adherence and persistence on novel regimens, and strategies for equitable implementation. Delivery of long-acting HIV treatment regimens will also deepen the importance of continued research on HIV care retention. Progress has also been made in the development and testing of interventions designed to sustain retention in HIV care over longer periods of time. Relative to the range of efficacious approaches to optimally target and intervene to increase rates of HIV testing and adherence to HIV treatments, the evidence base is much smaller for efficacious interventions to prevent patients dropping out of HIV care and promoting sustained retention in HIV care. Similarly, there is a dearth of proven interventions available to locate and re-engage persons who dropped out of HIV care and who are not currently receiving HIV treatment.

Scope and Objectives

As the research expands and a cadre of evidence-based HIV prevention and care interventions is developed, additional research will be needed to determine how to best implement and scale up these interventions. Implementation science studies are needed to better understand the process at multiple levels, for example, context, culture, systems, organizations, providers, support staff, consumers and family members, and policy makers. Each of these factors and stakeholders can influence the adoption, adaptation, integration, scale-up and sustainability of effective tools and interventions.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Strategy: Vision 2025 underscores the importance of doing the right things, in the right places to curb the HIV epidemic. NIMH encourages studies that examine multi-level factors that can optimize prevention and care continua success, including individual, contextual, and structural factors. In particular, understanding and addressing factors such as mental health, trauma, violence, HIV-related intersectional stigma and discrimination, mobility, communication, and other social and structural determinants of health (e.g., insecurities such as housing, food, water, health care and financial) are likely critical to preventing new HIV infections and ensuring optimal HIV treatment outcomes for people living with HIV. Additional tools are needed to inform the gaps and strategies that are unique to people living with HIV or high-incidence populations, cities, regions, or countries to scale-up services that will achieve epidemic control. There is a need for innovative and rigorous HIV implementation science, data science and communication science to develop strategies to increase uptake and sustained use of existing evidence-based interventions, adapt to new contexts and scale-up, and improve the quality of implementation.

Applications encouraged by this FOA could include, but are not limited to:

• novel basic or applied behavioral and social science to better understand a step or steps in the prevention or care continua, and/or preliminary research to identify and advance innovative intervention approaches. Non-intervention research applications should clearly indicate how this is the first step in a planned program of research that would inform future interventions to improve HIV outcomes.
• large-scale efficacy or effectiveness tests of innovative approaches for intervention, data science approaches to forecast the potential impact of evidence-based interventions, or research to better understand the implementation of evidence-based approaches.

The NIMH strongly encourages the inclusion of individuals from relevant communities or community-based or HIV service organizations as members of the research team and study advisory groups, including involvement in the conceptualization, conduct, and interpretation of the research. Where appropriate, research teams are encouraged to have academic and Department of Health (DOH) partnerships for the proposed research (or academic and Ministry of Health partnerships for proposed research outside of the U.S.) to optimize the match of the research directions with local needs, and to optimize the public health impact of the research implementation and findings. Project teams are also expected to collaborate with any relevant organizations, including but not limited to, health service providers and systems, state and local public health agencies, other governmental agencies such as housing or transportation, criminal justice systems, school systems, and faith-based organizations. Additionally, given the complexity of advancing HIV prevention and care research, multidisciplinary research approaches are encouraged that draw appropriately from multiple disciplines to reach solutions based on novel understandings of these complex problems. Applications from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the United States are also strongly encouraged. The involvement of community members and key partnering organizations is recommended to be reflected in the budget.

It is strongly recommended that applicants review the NIMH Division of AIDS Research (DAR) current Notice of Special Interests (NOSIs) to understand the breadth of research priorities within the division and consult with a Program Officer before application submission, and to cite one of these NOSIs when responding to this FOA. The strategic integration of mixed methodologies is strongly encouraged, as well as the utilization of a developmental perspective (e.g., addressing the substantial changes that occur during adolescence and young adulthood) wherever appropriate to optimize HIV outcomes.

Areas of Research Interest

Research topics for this FOA may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Non-intervention research to better understand mechanisms and pathways, and relationship to intervention targets:

• Research to identify gaps and targets in the prevention and care continua and associated determinants to inform intervention development
• Research to develop or simulate multi-level interventions that address multi-level factors and common barriers such as mental health comorbidities, violence or trauma, or HIV-related intersectional stigma and discrimination to improve HIV outcomes
• Studies of novel determinants, interventions, or implementation strategies to support biomedical HIV prevention or treatment uptake, adherence, and persistence, to improve HIV prevention and treatment outcomes
• Studies to strengthen retention in HIV prevention services or care, or to re-engage persons who dropped out of HIV care
• Research to understand and address the needs of age, gender, sexual orientation, racial/ethnic or geographic disparities in prevention or treatment strategy use
• Research to better understand and overcome the challenges faced by mobile populations, such as migrants, displaced people, and individuals who are homeless or marginally housed, in accessing and benefitting from HIV prevention or care services
• Studies to develop new or utilize existing methods to better characterize and measure mechanisms and pathways that are posited to underlie intersectional stigma and discrimination or other social determinants that drive HIV-related outcomes
• Research to understand the social and structural determinants of health related to mobility which affect mental health and HIV outcomes
• Research to explore ways to improve public understanding of HIV through targeted messaging, community engagement, social marketing campaigns and other forms of strategic health communication to support individual, organizational and community-level understanding of HIV prevention, treatment, and cure efforts
• Studies to develop novel approaches for valid and reliable assessments, measures, or estimation of psychological, behavioral, or structural factors that contribute to HIV in cohorts or other large data sources of people living with HIV or high-incidence populations
• Research using statistical, mathematical, or computational approaches such as machine learning and causal inference to integrate and harmonize diverse datasets for the discovery of underlying latent factors in complex behavioral, neurological, and biomedical data related to HIV acquisition, care, and comorbidities that may lead to the identification of new intervention approaches
• Studies to integrate behavioral and social science research into development and testing of next generation HIV prevention, treatment, or cure products to facilitate effective future implementation
• Studies of cost and cost-effectiveness of intervention delivery in real-world settings
• Research to understand provider, clinic, and systems-level factors that may impact biomedical prevention or treatment adherence or patient retention, for the purpose of informing provider training, clinic practice, and healthcare policy

Large-scale efficacy or effectiveness tests of innovative approaches for intervention, data science approaches to forecast the potential impact of evidence-based interventions, or research to better understand the implementation of evidence-based approaches:

• Studies of innovative HIV testing and linkage (to prevention or treatment) strategies to expedite earlier prevention for high-incidence settings or earlier treatment initiation for people diagnosed with HIV
• Studies to test the impact of novel adherence interventions on both behavioral adherence and biological outcomes
• Research to test interventions to address individual level and/or structural factors (e.g., mental health, trauma, violence, stigma, social determinants, mobility) that may impact HIV prevention and treatment outcomes
• Research to evaluate multi-level interventions that address multi-level factors and common barriers such as mental health comorbidities, violence or trauma, or HIV-related intersectional stigma and discrimination to improve HIV outcomes
• Studies assessing the impact of varying models of differentiated HIV care on retention in care
• Studies of interventions to prevent discontinuation of HIV care, and/or to address significant barriers to retention in care
• Studies of innovative, alternative strategies to re-engage people in prevention strategy use or people living with HIV into HIV care
• Studies of targeted multilevel interventions designed to reduce documented HIV disparities in prevention or treatment among HIV disparity populations
• Studies using implementation science to understand how to best implement evidence-based interventions for HIV prevention and treatment
• Studies that inform product development or that complement an ongoing efficacy or effectiveness trial of an experimental biomedical strategy or intervention
• Research using statistical, mathematical, and computational approaches to identify optimal intervention strategies to strengthen HIV prevention and treatment outcomes.

Applications Not Responsive to the FOA

The applications that are deemed non-responsive to this FOA and will not be reviewed include:

• Studies that do not identify HIV prevention or treatment-related outcomes as primary outcomes

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with NIH staff as early as possible when developing plans for an application. This contact will provide an opportunity to clarify NIH policies and guidelines and help to identify whether the proposed project is consistent with NIMH program priorities and the goals of this FOA.

The NIMH has published updated policies and guidance for investigators regarding human research protection and clinical research data and safety monitoring (NOT-MH-19-027). The application’s Protection of Human Subjects section and data and safety monitoring plan should reflect the policies and guidance in this notice. Plans for the protection of research subjects and data and safety monitoring will be reviewed by the NIMH for consistency with NIMH and NIH policies and federal regulations.

The NIMH has also published updated policies and guidance for all HIV-related grant applications and awards involving human research participants submitted on or after January 25, 2023, and it applies to all FOAs issued by the NIMH. NOT-MH-22-260 refers to the expectation to include a data sharing policy that covers a summary of the human subjects data to be deposited into the NIMH Data Archive (NDA), the data standards/data dictionaries that will be used to collect the data, and the scheduled to validate the data against standards/data dictionaries. NOT-MH-22-255 refers to the expectations for investigators of HIV-related research to collect Common Data Elements (CDEs) for human subjects research unless NIMH stipulates otherwise during the negotiation of the terms and conditions of an award. Applicants who do not plan to collect the expected CDEs should provide strong justification in the Data Management and Sharing Plan (see NOT-MH-22-260) included in the application. NIMH may seek further information regarding the collection of CDEs prior to an award.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website (https://researchmethodsresources.nih.gov/) for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

The NIMH has published updated policies and guidance for investigators regarding human research protection and clinical research data and safety monitoring (NOT-MH-19-027). The application’s PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information, including the Data and Safety Monitoring Plan, should reflect the policies and guidance in this notice. Plans for the protection of research participants and data and safety monitoring will be reviewed by the NIMH for consistency with NIMH and NIH policies and federal regulations.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

Section II. Award Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations
• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

• System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R or Modular Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Other Plan(s):

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

To advance the goal of advancing research through widespread data sharing among researchers, investigators funded under this FOA are expected to share those data via the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA; see NOT-MH-19-033). Established by the NIH, NDA is a secure informatics platform for scientific collaboration and data sharing that enables the effective communication of detailed research data, tools, and supporting documentation. NDA links data across research projects through its Global Unique Identifier (GUID) and Data Dictionary technology. Investigators funded under this FOA are expected to use these technologies to submit data to the NDA.

To accomplish this objective, it will be important to formulate a) an enrollment strategy that will obtain the information necessary to generate a GUID for each participant and b) a budget strategy that will cover the costs of data submission. The NDA website provides two tools to help investigators develop appropriate strategies: 1) the NDA Data Submission Cost Model which offers a customizable Excel worksheet that includes tasks and hours for the Program Director/Principal Investigator and Data Manager to budget for data sharing; and 2) plain language text to be considered in your informed consent available from the NDA's Data Contribution page. Investigators are expected to certify the quality of all data generated by grants funded under this FOA prior to submission to NDA and review their data for accuracy after submission. Submission of descriptive/raw data is expected semi-annually (every January 15 and July 15); submission of all other data is expected at the time of publication or prior to the end of the grant, whichever occurs first (see NDA Sharing Regimen for more information). Investigators are expected to share results, positive and negative, specific to the cohorts and outcome measures studied. The NDA Dating Sharing Plan is available for review on the NDA website. NDA staff will work with investigators to help them submit data types not yet defined in the NDA Data Dictionary.

Appendix:

Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Foreign Institutions

Foreign (non-U.S.) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

Use of Common Data Elements in NIH-funded Research

Many NIH ICs encourage the use of common data elements (CDEs) in basic, clinical, and applied research, patient registries, and other human subject research to facilitate broader and more effective use of data and advance research across studies. CDEs are data elements that have been identified and defined for use in multiple data sets across different studies. Use of CDEs can facilitate data sharing and standardization to improve data quality and enable data integration from multiple studies and sources, including electronic health records. NIH ICs have identified CDEs for many clinical domains (e.g., neurological disease), types of studies (e.g. genome-wide association studies (GWAS)), types of outcomes (e.g., patient-reported outcomes), and patient registries (e.g., the Global Rare Diseases Patient Registry and Data Repository). NIH has established a Common Data Element (CDE) Resource Portal" (http://cde.nih.gov/) to assist investigators in identifying NIH-supported CDEs when developing protocols, case report forms, and other instruments for data collection. The Portal provides guidance about and access to NIH-supported CDE initiatives and other tools and resources for the appropriate use of CDEs and data standards in NIH-funded research. Investigators are encouraged to consult the Portal and describe in their applications any use they will make of NIH-supported CDEs in their projects.

NIMH has released expectations for collecting common data elements when an application involves human research participants. Details can be found at NOT-MH-20-067 and the NIMH webpage on Data Sharing for Applicants and Awardees.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete or non-compliant will not be reviewed.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NIMH, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Requests of $500,000 or more for direct costs in any year

Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year (excluding consortium F&A) must contact a Scientific/ Research Contact at least 6 weeks before submitting the application and follow the Policy on the Acceptance for Review of Unsolicited Applications that Request $500,000 or More in Direct Costs as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS) will not be evaluated at time of review.

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a project that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by the Center for Scientific Review, in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient's business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

The NIMH has published policies and guidance for investigators regarding human research protection, data and safety monitoring, Independent Safety Monitors and Data and Safety Monitoring Boards, reportable events, and participant recruitment monitoring (NOT-MH-19-027). The application’s PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information should reflect the manner in which these policies will be implemented for each study record. These plans will be reviewed by the NIMH for consistency with NIMH and NIH policies and federal regulations. The NIMH will expect clinical trials to be conducted in accordance with these policies including, but not limited to: timely registration to ClinicalTrials.gov, submission of review determinations from the clinical trial’s data and safety monitoring entity (at least annually), timely submission of reportable events as prescribed, and establishment of recruitment milestones and progress reporting

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain applicable clinical trials on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

• Federalwide Research Terms and Conditions
• Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Should the applicant organization successfully compete for an award, recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS will be required to complete an HHS Assurance of Compliance form (HHS 690) in which the recipient agrees, as a term and condition of receiving the grant, to administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex and disability, and agreeing to comply with federal conscience laws, where applicable. This includes ensuring that entities take meaningful steps to provide meaningful access to persons with limited English proficiency; and ensuring effective communication with persons with disabilities. Where applicable, Title XI and Section 1557 prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and gender identity. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html

HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA.

• Recipients of FFA must ensure that their programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. For guidance on meeting the legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to programs or activities by limited English proficient individuals see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/fact-sheet-guidance/index.html and https://www.lep.gov.

• For information on an institution’s specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities, including providing program access, reasonable modifications, and to provide effective communication, see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html.

• HHS funded health and education programs must be administered in an environment free of sexual harassment, see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/sex-discrimination/index.html. For information about NIH's commitment to supporting a safe and respectful work environment, who to contact with questions or concerns, and what NIH's expectations are for institutions and the individuals supported on NIH-funded awards, please see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/harassment.htm.

• For guidance on administering programs in compliance with applicable federal religious nondiscrimination laws and applicable federal conscience protection and associated anti-discrimination laws see https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/conscience-protections/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/religious-freedom/index.html.

Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 and 2 CFR Part 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

Not Applicable

3. Data Management and Sharing

Note: The NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing is effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023.

Consistent with the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

4. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH FOAs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over the threshold. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-480-7075

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: [email protected]

Gregory Greenwood, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) HIV Testing and Social Determinants Program
Telephone: 240-669-5532
Email: [email protected]

Susannah Allison, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Infant, Child, and Adolescent HIV Prevention Program
Telephone: 240-627-3861
Email:[email protected]

Pim Brouwers, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Clinical Neuroscience of HIV Infection Program
Telephone: 301-640-6143
Email: [email protected]

Chris Gordon, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) HIV Prevention and Treatment Implementation Science Program
Telephone: 240-627-3867
Email: [email protected]

Suzy Pollard, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Implementation Science to Advance Health Equity for HIV
Telephone: 301-761-6869
Email: [email protected]

Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Science and Emerging Methodologies in HIV
Telephone: 301-792-2309
Email:[email protected]

Teri Senn, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Psychosocial Comorbidities of HIV Prevention and Treatment
Telephone: 301-605-4146
Email: [email protected]

Michael J. Stirratt, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Adherence to HIV Treatment and Prevention Program
Telephone: 240-627-3875
Email: [email protected]

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Rita Sisco
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH
Telephone: 301-443-2805
Email: [email protected]

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200.