Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 267
The Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity, listed as PAR 18 267, is a discretionary grant program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aligned with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) priorities in mental health services research. Its central aim is to fund early-stage, pilot research projects that can move the field forward even when those projects are not directly leading into the immediate development or experimental testing of a specific services intervention. NIMH has increasingly emphasized intervention studies that follow an experimental therapeutics approach, but this FOA is designed to support important services research questions that sit outside that framework while still offering strong potential to improve how mental health care is accessed, delivered, financed, and evaluated.
The FOA highlights three main categories of work it wants to support. First, it encourages studies that identify mutable (changeable) factors influencing mental health service access, service use, quality of care, financing, patient outcomes, disparities in outcomes, and the scalability of services. In practice, this could include pinpointing system-level, organizational, workforce, policy, or patient-facing factors that can realistically be changed and later become targets for future intervention development. Second, it supports the development and testing of new research tools, measures, or methods that strengthen the ability of researchers and systems to study services and outcomes with better precision, reliability, or practicality in real-world settings. Third, it invites feasibility studies focused on combining or integrating existing data sources (for example, linking administrative claims, electronic health records, registry data, or other large datasets) to better understand what drives access, quality, and outcomes in mental health care. Overall, the emphasis is on generating foundational evidence, methods, and infrastructure that can enable more effective future research and, ultimately, better service systems.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant mechanism under the R34 activity code, with the funding activity category listed as Health and the CFDA number 93.242. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $225,000. The original closing date shown is 2019-02-21, and the creation date is 2017-11-17, which indicates this specific posting is not current for new submissions under that closing date, though it can still be useful as a reference for understanding the scope and intent of the program or for tracking successor announcements. The “Clinical Trial Optional” label signals that applicants may propose certain types of clinical trial-related work if appropriate, but the core purpose remains pilot services research that is not positioned as an immediate precursor to intervention development and testing.
Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive, spanning many types of organizations that might conduct or support services research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American 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, U.S. territories or possessions, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that meaningful services research often requires partnerships across academic, community, healthcare system, governmental, and cross-jurisdictional settings.
In short, this FOA is geared toward strengthening the evidence base and research capacity for mental health services by funding pilot work that clarifies what can be changed in service systems, improves the measurement and methods needed to study those systems, and tests whether existing datasets can be integrated to answer high-value questions about access, quality, outcomes, disparities, and scalability. It is meant to fill a gap by supporting high-impact services research that contributes to NIMH objectives without requiring the project to be framed as an intervention study under an experimental therapeutics model.Apply for PAR 18 267
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-17.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-02-21. (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 $225,000.00 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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FAQs: Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) - PAR 18-267
What is PAR 18-267?
PAR 18-267 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions program. It uses the R34 activity code and is aligned with National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) priorities in mental health services research.
What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The central aim is to fund early-stage, pilot mental health services research projects that can move the field forward even when the work is not directly leading into the immediate development or experimental testing of a specific services intervention.
How does this FOA relate to NIMH's experimental therapeutics emphasis?
NIMH has increasingly emphasized intervention studies that follow an experimental therapeutics approach. This FOA is designed to support important services research questions that sit outside that framework, while still offering strong potential to improve how mental health care is accessed, delivered, financed, and evaluated.
What kinds of projects does the FOA encourage?
The FOA highlights three main categories of work: (1) studies identifying mutable factors affecting mental health services and outcomes, (2) development and testing of new research tools/measures/methods for services research, and (3) feasibility studies that integrate existing data sources to answer key services questions.
What does "pilot services research not involving interventions" mean in this context?
It refers to foundational or early-stage services research that can inform improvements in service systems without being positioned as an immediate precursor to intervention development and testing. The focus is on generating evidence, methods, and infrastructure that enable future work and system improvement.
What are "mutable factors" and why are they important here?
Mutable factors are changeable influences on mental health service access, use, quality, financing, outcomes, disparities, and scalability. The FOA encourages identifying system-level, organizational, workforce, policy, or patient-facing factors that can realistically be changed and could become targets for future intervention development.
What topics can mutable-factor studies cover?
Based on the FOA description, mutable-factor studies can focus on determinants of access, service use, quality of care, financing, patient outcomes, disparities in outcomes, and the scalability of mental health services.
What types of tools, measures, or methods are supported?
The FOA supports developing and testing new research tools, measures, or methods that strengthen the ability to study services and outcomes with better precision, reliability, or practicality in real-world settings.
Does this FOA support work involving data linkage or integration?
Yes. It invites feasibility studies focused on combining or integrating existing data sources, such as linking administrative claims, electronic health records, registry data, or other large datasets to better understand drivers of access, quality, and outcomes in mental health care.
What is the intended impact of the research funded under this FOA?
The emphasis is on generating foundational evidence, methods, and infrastructure that can enable more effective future research and, ultimately, better mental health service systems, including improvements in access, delivery, financing, evaluation, and disparities.
What funding mechanism does this opportunity use?
This FOA uses the NIH R34 activity code.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $225,000.
What is the funding activity category and CFDA number listed?
The funding activity category is listed as Health, and the CFDA number is 93.242.
What does "Clinical Trial Optional" mean for this FOA?
"Clinical Trial Optional" indicates that applicants may propose certain types of clinical trial-related work if appropriate. However, the core purpose remains pilot services research that is not positioned as an immediate precursor to intervention development and testing.
Is this opportunity still open for applications?
The original closing date shown is 2019-02-21, and the creation date is 2017-11-17. Based on those dates, this specific posting is not current for new submissions under that closing date, though it may still be useful as a reference for understanding the program's scope and intent or for tracking successor announcements.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types, including: state/county/city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (not federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities.
Are minority-serving institutions and community organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes eligibility for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, and also faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are U.S. territories or regional organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA lists regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions as eligible applicant types.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes non-U.S. (foreign) organizations among eligible applicants.
Why is the eligibility so broad?
The FOA reflects that meaningful services research often requires partnerships across academic, community, healthcare system, governmental, and cross-jurisdictional settings, so eligibility is intentionally inclusive.
What kinds of mental health system improvements does the FOA aim to support?
It is geared toward improving how mental health care is accessed, delivered, financed, and evaluated, and toward improving outcomes, reducing disparities, and increasing scalability of effective service approaches by strengthening the evidence base and research capacity.
Does the FOA require that projects lead directly to an intervention trial?
No. A defining feature of this FOA is that it supports high-impact services research without requiring the project to be framed as an intervention study designed for immediate development and testing under an experimental therapeutics model.
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