Mental Health Research Grants

 

The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. In May 2020, NIMH released its new Strategic Plan for Research. The new Strategic Plan builds on the successes of previous NIMH strategic plans by providing a framework for scientific research and exploration, and addressing new challenges in mental health. The new Strategic Plan outlines four high-level Goals: Goal 1: Define the Brain Mechanisms Underlying Complex Behaviors Goal 2: Examine Mental Illness Trajectories Across the Lifespan Goal 3: Strive for Prevention and Cures Goal 4: Strengthen the Public Health Impact of NIMH-Supported Research These four Goals form a broad roadmap for the Institutes research priorities over the next five years, beginning with the fundamental science of the brain and behavior, and extending through evidence-based services that improve public health outcomes. The Institutes overall funding strategy is to support a broad spectrum of investigator-initiated research in fundamental science, with increasing use of Institute-solicited initiatives for applied research where public health impact is a short-term measure of success. The new Strategic Plan also addresses a number of cross-cutting themes that are relevant to all research supported by NIMH; these themes highlight areas where NIMH-funded science may have the greatest impact, bridge gaps, and offer novel approaches to accelerate advances in mental health research. For example, NIMH values a comprehensive research agenda that takes an inclusive approach that ensures research interests are varied, maintain diverse participation and partnerships, and achieve research goals across multiple timeframes. This includes diverse methodologies, tools, and models; research addressing complex basic, translational, and applied questions; research including both sexes and, as appropriate, genetic background; and, participants from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and across gender identities, geographical context, socioeconomic status, neurotype, and age offering the best possible representation, for the broadest number of individuals who may ultimately benefit from these scientific advances. To accomplish the Goals outlined in the new Strategic Plan, NIMH will support research that aims: To characterize the genomic, molecular, cellular, and circuit components contributing to brain organization and function; to identify the developmental, functional, and regulatory mechanisms relevant to cognitive, affective, and social domains, across units of analysis; and, to generate and validate novel tools, techniques, and measures to quantify changes in the activity of molecules, cells, circuits, and connectomes. To discover gene variants and other genomic elements that contribute to the development of mental illnesses in diverse populations; to advance our understanding of the complex etiology of mental illnesses using molecular epidemiologic approaches that incorporate individual genetic information in large cohorts; to elucidate how human genetic variation affects the coordination of molecular, cellular, and physiological networks supporting higher-order functions and emergent properties of neurobiological systems; and, to develop novel tools and techniques for the analysis of large-scale genetic, multi-omic data as it applies to mental health. To utilize connectomic approaches to identify brain networks and circuit components that contribute to various aspects of mental function and dysfunction; to determine through brain-wide analysis how changes in the physiological properties of molecules, cells, and circuits contribute to mental illnesses; to develop molecular, cellular, and circuit-level biomarkers of impaired neural function in humans; and, to develop innovative technologies, including new imaging, computational, pharmacological, and genetic tools to interrogate and modulate circuit activity and structure altered in mental illnesses. To elucidate the mechanisms contributing to the trajectories of brain development and behavior; and, to characterize the emergence and progression of mental illnesses, and identifying sensitive periods for optimal intervention. To determine early risk and protective factors, and related mechanisms, to serve as novel intervention groups; and, to develop reliable and robust biomarkers and assessment tools to predict illness onset, course, and across diverse populations. To develop novel interventions using a mechanism-informed, experimental therapeutics approach; and, to develop and implement measurement strategies to facilitate mechanism-based intervention development and testing. To investigate personalized intervention strategies across disease progression and development; and, to develop and refine computational approaches and research designs that can be used to inform and test personalized interventions. To develop and test approaches for adapting, combining, and sequencing interventions to achieve the greatest impact on the lives and functioning of persons seeking care; to conduct efficient pragmatic trials that employ new tools to rapidly identify, engage, assess, and follow participants in the context of routine care; and, to enhance the practical relevance of effectiveness research via deployment-focused, hybrid, effectiveness-implementation studies. To employ assessment platforms within healthcare systems to accurately assess the distribution and determinants of mental illnesses and to inform strategies for improved services; to optimize real-world data collection systems to identify strategies for improving access, quality, effectiveness, and continuity of mental health services; and, to compare alternative financing models to promote effective and efficient care for individuals with serious emotional disturbances and serious mental illnesses. To strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders to develop and validate strategies for implementing, sustaining, and continuously improve evidence-based practices; to build models to scale-up evidence-based practices for use in public and private primary care, specialty care and other settings; and, to develop decision-support tools and technologies that increase the effectiveness and continuous improvement of mental health interventions in public and private primary care, specialty care, and other settings. To adapt, validate, and scale-up programs currently in use that improve mental health services for underserved populations; to develop and validate service delivery models that provide evidence-based care for individuals throughout the course of mental illness; to develop and validate systems-level strategies using technology and other approaches, to identify, support, and monitor the effectiveness of evidence-based care throughout the course of illness; and, to develop and validate decision-making models that bridge mental health, medical, and other care settings to integrate the appropriate care for people with serious mental illnesses and comorbid medical conditions.

Active 93.242 National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services A - Formula Grants; B - Project Grants; M - Training Not applicable. Public Health Service Act, Title III, Section 301, Public Law 109-482, 42 U.S.C. 241
Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Section 401(a), Public Law -109-482, 42 U.S.C. 281
SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011, Public Law -106-554
Public Law 114-255
21st Century Cures Act Public, private, -profit, or nonprofit agencies (including State and local government agencies), eligible Federal agencies, universities, colleges, hospitals, and academic or research institutions may apply for research grants. SBIR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses, and STTR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses which "partner" with a research institution in cooperative research and development. An applicant for individual predoctoral fellowship support must be enrolled in a research doctoral degree program by the proposed activation date of the fellowship. A postdoctoral applicant must have received a Ph.D., Psy.D., M.D., D.D.S., Sc.D., D.N.S., D.O., D.S.W., or equivalent degree from an accredited institution to be eligible for an individual postdoctoral fellowship. All research training awards are made to appropriate domestic research centers, medical schools, departments of psychiatry, non-medical academic departments, psychiatric hospitals or hospitals with psychiatric services, community mental health centers, and biomedical research institutes on behalf of individuals who need the opportunity to realize research potential. Except for the NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00), the individuals must be citizens or nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) is open to both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. Individuals must qualify by scholastic degree and previous training and/or experience. Individuals and public, private, profit, or nonprofit organizations. For-profit organizations' costs will be determined in accordance with 48 CFR, Subpart 31.2 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. For all other grantees, costs will be determined in accordance with HHS Regulations 45 CFR 75. For SBIR and STTR grants, applicant organization (small business concern) must present in a research plan an idea that has potential for commercialization and furnish evidence that scientific competence, experimental methods, facilities, equipment, and funds requested are appropriate to carry out the plan. Instructions for electronic submission may be found with the federal SF424 (R&R) form packages that are found in the SBIR/STTR funding opportunity announcements. Instructions are provided for SBIR Phase I and Phase II awards, respectively; as well as for STTR Phase I and Phase II awards, respectively. The cost principles for awards under this program are set forth in HHS regulations at 45 CFR 75, Subpart E and Appendix IX (hospitals) to Part 75. Commercial organizations are subject to the cost principles located at 48 CFR 31.2 Federal Acquisition Regulation. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for further guidance on the applicability of cost principals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/index.htm). Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Most applications must be prepared and submitted electronically. Most applicants use the SF 424 (Research & Related) for electronic submission. Information about the SF 424 form may be found on http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm, but application packages should be accessed through the appropriate funding opportunity announcement, found either on the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html) or through the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov/). Some institutions may submit the grant data directly (using what is called a system-to-system transfer). For further details, see grants.gov or eRA Commons. Application forms for SBIR and STTR grants may be obtained through the SBIR/STTR funding announcements posted on the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts and the Grants.gov sites (see URLs listed above). All SBIR and STTR applications must be submitted electronically. The timeline for transition to electronic applications and the new forms may be found at: http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov. Consultation on a proposed project may be obtained from the NIMH branch or office responsible for the research area of interest. Applications are reviewed by principally nonfederal consultants recruited nationwide from the mental health field. The amounts of the award and period of support are determined on the basis of merit of the project and the nature of the grant mechanism. Electronic applications are submitted through the Grants.gov website. Awards made under this program are subject to 2 CFR 200, as implemented by 45 CFR 75 "Public Welfare, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards". The policies and procedures generally applicable to NIH grants are set forth in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/index.htm). All applications are evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate scientific peer review panel. Applications other than fellowships must also be reviewed by the National Advisory Mental Health Council . All competitive applications compete for available funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit, program relevance, and program balance. All SBIR and STTR applications receiving a priority score compete for set-aside funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed research, program relevance, and program balance among the areas of research. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines More than 180 days. Applications: From 180 to 270 days from submission of application. SBIR/STTR applications: About 7- 1/2 months; AIDS-related research is expedited and a determination is made within 180 days. A principal investigator may question the substantive or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH homepage http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-11-064.html Support is recommended for a specified project period, not in excess of 5 years. Prior to termination of a project period, the grantee may apply for renewal of support for a new project period. An application for renewal is processed as a new competing request. Small grants, exploratory, and dissertation grants are for 1-3 years (depending on program) and are not renewable. By law an individual may receive no more than 6 years of support in the aggregate at the predoctoral level and no more than 3 years of support in the aggregate at the postdoctoral level under the NRSA program (through an individual and/or institutional award). Any exception to these limitations requires a waiver from the Director of the awarding Institute based on review of justification from the awardee and the program director for the institutional grant. K01, K08, K23, K25 awards are made for up to 5-year periods with no renewal. K02 and K24 awards are made for a 5-year period, renewable once (unless holder has held a previous K02 or K24 award). K99 awards are made for up to 2-year periods with no renewal. The following consideration will be used in determining projects to be funded: (1) Technical merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review; (2) Availability of funds; and (3) Relevance to program priorities. Research project grants provide support for clearly defined projects by a named investigator in an area representing his/her specific interests and competencies. Exploratory/Development and Clinical Exploratory/Developmental Grants encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. Small Research Grants provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Collaborative Clinical Research Grants support evaluations of various methods of therapy and/or prevention. Program Project and Center grants support large-scale, broad-based programs of research, usually interdisciplinary, consisting of several projects with a common focus. Cooperative Agreements support single or a group of related research activities with greater involvement of federal staff. SBIR and STTR grants are awarded in two stages: Phase I grants are awarded to establish the technical merit and feasibility of a proposed research and development effort; only Phase I awardees are eligible to receive Phase II support. Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01, MRSDA), Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08, MCSDA), and Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) provide support for individuals with research potential who need additional mentored development and/or experience in a productive research environment. Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) supports the career development of individuals who have made commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research. The NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) provides up to 2 years of mentored support (K99) for a postdoctoral individual followed by up to 3 years of support after the awardee transitions to research independence (R00). K99/R00 awards are awards for up to 5 years of support. Salary support for all mentored awards may be supplemented by the sponsoring institution from nonfederal funds. The Independent Scientist Award (K02, ISA) is for independent scientists whose careers are developing rapidly; the Mid-career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) is for outstanding clinical scientists engaged in patient-oriented research. No specialized training costs are available; limited research costs for K24s and K02s in theoretical areas are available. NRSA awards: Individual fellowships are made to students seeking predoctoral or postdoctoral support for full-time research training or who are enrolled in an formal Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. program. An institutional allowance will be provided to the sponsoring institution for each awardee. In addition, any domestic public or nonprofit institution may apply for an institutional research training grant in a specified area of research from which a number of stipend awards will be made to individuals selected by the training program director at the institution. Support is available for both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and will include an amount for institutional expenses. Indirect costs may be requested at 8 percent of total direct costs, exclusive of tuition and related fees and expenditures for equipment, or actual indirect costs, whichever is less. Postdoctoral students receiving fellowships or stipend support under either individual or institutional grants for 12 months or less are obligated to pay back this support through an equivalent period of continued postdoctoral training or a period of health related research and/or teaching activities after the completion of their training. Postdoctoral individuals in their thirteenth and subsequent months of support will incur no further obligation, and such support will be considered acceptable postdoctoral payback service. Research training support may not be used for internships or other clinical training. Not applicable. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal government officials. Per the regulations, a for-profit (commercial) organization is subject to audit requirements for a non-Federal audit if, during its fiscal year, it expended $500,000 or more under HHS awards and at least one award is a HHS grant. For-profit organizations have two options regarding the type of audit that will satisfy the audit requirements either: (1) a financial related audit (as defined in the Government Auditing Standards, GPO Stock #020-000-00-265-4, http://www.gao.gov/govaud/ybk01.htm) of the HHS awards in accordance with Government Auditing Standards, or (2) an audit that meets the requirements contained in OMB Circular No. A-133(http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars/a133/a133.html). Awards made under this program are subject to the audit requirements of OMB 2 CFR 200, as implemented by 45 CFR 75, Subpart F, and in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/index.htm). Records must be retained at least 3 years; records shall be retained beyond the 3-year period if audit findings have not been resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Varies, with a project periods ranging from 1 to 5 years. Funding commitments are made annually. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. SBIR: Generally, Phase I awards are for 6 months, and Phase II awards are for 2 years. STTR: Generally, Phase I awards are for 1 year and Phase II awards are for 2 years. Information on how assistance is awarded/released: A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. By law an individual may receive no more than 6 years of support in the aggregate at the predoctoral level and no more than 3 years of support in the aggregate at the postdoctoral level under the NRSA program (through an individual and/or institutional award). For an M.D./Ph.D. fellowship, 6 years may be requested. In practice, recommendations of review committees are generally for 2 or 3 years. A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. None/Not specified. Tracy Waldeck, Ph.D.
6001 Executive Blvd
Rockville, MD 20892-9609 US
tracy.waldeck@nih.gov
Phone: 301-480-6833 http://www.nimh.nih.gov 75-0892-0-1-552 (Project Grants) FY 22$1,515,997,990.00; FY 23 est $1,566,085,360.00; FY 24 est $1,767,605,084.00; FY 21$1,685,693,328.00; FY 20$1,646,578,081.00; FY 19$1,501,464,726.00; FY 18$1,405,506,857.00; FY 17$1,274,043,961.00; - These figures represent total base dollars for Research Grants, SBIR/STTR, and NRSA training grants for both Direct and CURES appropriations(Formula Grants (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$271,361,491.00; FY 23 est $311,619,690.00; FY 24 est $302,319,678.00; - FY 2021 range: $1 to $25,320,000 Average Cost: $478,928 42 CFR 52. NIH Grant Policy Statement (Revised 12/2003). Grants will be available under the authority if and administered in accordance with the PHS Grants Policy Statement and federal regulations at 42 CFR 52 and 42 U.S.C. 241; Omnibus Solicitation of the Public Health Service for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Applications; and Omnibus Solicitation of the National Institutes of Health for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications. Not applicable.