Improving Outcomes for Disorders of Human Communication (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 288

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 288

The grant opportunity titled Improving Outcomes for Disorders of Human Communication (R21 Clinical Trial Optional), Funding Opportunity Number PA 18 288, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant designed to support early-stage, exploratory research aimed at improving real-world health outcomes for people affected by deafness and other human communication disorders. It sits within the mission areas of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), meaning it is focused on conditions and services related to hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. The emphasis is not simply on whether an intervention can work under ideal circumstances, but on effectiveness and health services research, which typically looks at how interventions, care models, or delivery systems perform in everyday clinical and community settings, how accessible they are, and how they can be implemented in ways that measurably improve patient outcomes.

This funding uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which generally supports novel, high-impact ideas and pilot work that can generate preliminary evidence, test approaches, or develop methods that could later be scaled into larger studies. The FOA is labeled “Clinical Trial Optional,” meaning applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials if appropriate, but they are not required to do so. In practice, this opens the door to a wide range of projects, including pragmatic trials, implementation studies, comparative effectiveness studies, evaluations of care pathways, or research that examines barriers and facilitators to adopting evidence-based practices in audiology, speech-language pathology, otolaryngology, vestibular care, and related service systems.

The opportunity is categorized under Health (Funding Activity Category) and is associated with CFDA number 93.173. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, which signals that the program is meant to fund smaller, targeted projects rather than large multi-site efforts. While the source information does not specify the number of expected awards, the R21 structure and the ceiling indicate the program is oriented toward focused, time-limited studies that can demonstrate feasibility, generate effect size estimates, validate measures, or provide actionable evidence to improve service delivery and outcomes in NIDCD-relevant populations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts. Higher education institutions are eligible, including public and state-controlled institutions and private institutions of higher education. Tribal entities are included both as federally recognized Native American tribal governments and as Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. Housing-related public authorities, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses are also listed as eligible. In addition, the FOA explicitly highlights other eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; and U.S. territories or possessions. This breadth is consistent with the FOA’s applied, outcomes-oriented focus, since improving communication health outcomes often depends on partnerships across clinical systems, schools, community organizations, and public programs.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in a specific way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply as primary applicants. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components,” as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. This typically means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain defined international elements in the project (for example, a specific collaborating site, population, or resource outside the U.S.) when justified scientifically, while still keeping the applicant organization and core project administration U.S.-based.

The FOA was created on 2017-11-02, and the original closing date listed is 2020-05-07. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted NIH/NIDCD funding route for practical, outcomes-driven research that can make care for communication disorders more effective, more accessible, and more implementable in real settings, with the flexibility to include clinical trials when that is the right tool for the research question.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Outcomes for Disorders of Human Communication (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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