Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity (R36 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 325

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 325

The Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity (R36 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed), funding opportunity number PAR-21-325, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program administered within the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). It is a reissue of an earlier announcement (PAR-18-894) and is designed specifically to strengthen and broaden the mental health research pipeline by supporting doctoral students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research. The core aim is workforce diversity: the program is meant to help talented predoctoral researchers reach the finish line on their dissertations and continue toward research careers that align with NIMH priorities.

This award is a dissertation-focused mechanism, meaning the funding is intended to support the completion of a clearly defined doctoral research project rather than a broader lab or multi-project program. Projects can fall anywhere within NIMH strategic research priorities, which generally encompass a wide range of topics in mental health-related science, including (depending on NIMH priorities at the time) basic and translational neuroscience, behavioral science, clinical and services research, intervention development, mental health disparities, and other areas relevant to understanding, preventing, and treating mental illnesses. A key restriction is embedded in the title: independent clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, so applicants must ensure their proposed dissertation research does not propose an independent clinical trial as defined by NIH policy.

Eligibility for applicants is broad on the institutional side, reflecting NIH’s standard categories for grant submissions while also explicitly naming institution types that commonly serve underrepresented communities. Eligible applicant organizations include public and private institutions of higher education, including public/state-controlled and private universities; state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education where relevant); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. These inclusions underscore the program’s intent to reach diverse training environments and support trainees connected to a wide array of institutions and community settings.

At the same time, the opportunity places clear limits on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. In practice, that means the applicant organization must be U.S.-based and the proposed work must be structured so that it does not rely on foreign components as part of the grant-supported project.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses the grant funding instrument. The activity category is health, and the listed CFDA (assistance listing) number is 93.242, which corresponds to NIMH research support. The source information provided lists an original closing date of 2022-05-07 and a creation date of 2021-09-15. No award ceiling or expected number of awards is specified in the provided data, which often means those details are either not fixed, are described elsewhere in the full FOA, or depend on annual appropriations and program priorities.

In plain terms, this R36 FOA is best understood as targeted dissertation completion support for promising doctoral candidates who contribute to diversifying the mental health research workforce. It funds a student’s dissertation research within NIMH priority areas, with the important constraint that the dissertation project cannot be an independent clinical trial, and it must be proposed and conducted entirely within eligible U.S.-based organizational structures without foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity (R36 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-09-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for PAR 21 325

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