Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 275

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 275

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-275) supports early-stage, exploratory research that focuses on closing the gap between what research has already shown to work and what is actually used in real-world health and community settings. Instead of funding the creation of brand-new clinical interventions from scratch, this announcement is aimed at helping investigators figure out how to get evidence-based practices adopted, delivered well, sustained over time, and scaled in places like health systems, public health programs, schools, and community organizations. The core theme is practical impact: improving how proven interventions and programs move from journals and guidelines into everyday use, especially when implementation is complicated by real-world constraints like staffing, workflow, cost, culture, and local infrastructure.

The projects this FOA encourages can include identifying barriers and facilitators to adoption, designing or refining strategies that increase uptake, and testing whether those strategies work under routine conditions. The evidence-based practices in scope are broad and can include behavioral interventions, prevention programs, early detection approaches, diagnostic practices, clinical treatments, disease management interventions, and quality improvement programs. In other words, the opportunity is not tied to a single disease area or setting; it is meant to support dissemination and implementation (D and I) science across many health topics and populations. Alongside applied studies, NIH also explicitly invites work that advances D and I research methods and measurement, such as developing stronger implementation outcome measures, improving study designs suited to real-world settings, and refining analytic approaches for understanding how and why implementation strategies succeed or fail.

This is an R21 mechanism, which typically signals a shorter-term, developmental or pilot-style award intended to generate foundational evidence, prove feasibility, or produce preliminary results that can justify a later, larger study. The clinical trial designation is "optional," meaning applicants may propose studies that do or do not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial, depending on whether they are prospectively assigning participants to an intervention to evaluate health-related outcomes. That flexibility is useful for D and I research because some projects focus on implementation strategies (for example, training, audit and feedback, facilitation, decision support, workflow redesign, or policy changes) and may or may not fit neatly into traditional clinical trial structures.

The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $200,000, reflecting the modest budget typical of an R21 designed for early-stage work. While the record does not specify the exact number of expected awards, the intent is to support multiple projects that can push the field forward by producing actionable knowledge about implementation and dissemination strategies. The activity category is listed under Education, Environment, and Health, and the opportunity includes numerous CFDA numbers, reflecting that it can align with different NIH institutes and centers depending on the health topic, population, or setting addressed.

Eligibility is intentionally broad. In addition to standard academic and nonprofit applicants, eligible organizations include state, county, city, and 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also highlights 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility list fits the nature of dissemination and implementation research, which often depends on partnerships with health departments, clinics, schools, tribal communities, community groups, and other nontraditional research settings.

The opportunity was created on May 8, 2019, and the original closing date shown is May 7, 2022. Even when a specific closing date has passed, FOAs like this often have multiple receipt dates over time or may be reissued in updated forms, so applicants typically verify the current status and active receipt dates in the official NIH listings. Overall, the practical takeaway is that PAR-19-275 is geared toward researchers and community or health-system partners who want to improve real-world delivery of proven health interventions by developing and testing the strategies that make evidence-based care and programs more likely to be adopted, implemented with quality, and sustained at scale.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (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): 93.113, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.361, 93.399, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.866, 93.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-08.
• 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.)
• 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.

Apply for PAR 19 275

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