Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 274

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 274

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-19-274) supports research that helps close the gap between what is known to work in health and what is actually used in real-world settings. The core focus is on dissemination and implementation (D and I) science, meaning studies that examine how to spread, adopt, integrate, sustain, and scale up evidence-based practices across public health systems, clinical care, and community environments. Rather than funding the discovery of entirely new interventions, this program is centered on improving how proven interventions, programs, guidelines, and quality improvement approaches are successfully put into practice in the places where people receive care and services.

Projects funded under this announcement are expected to identify, develop, test, evaluate, and/or refine strategies that improve the uptake of evidence-based practices. The announcement explicitly mentions a wide range of target practices, including behavioral interventions, prevention approaches, early detection and screening, diagnostic practices, treatment interventions, disease management strategies, and quality improvement programs. In practical terms, this could include studying different implementation strategies (such as training and technical assistance models, audit and feedback, clinical decision support tools, workflow redesign, practice facilitation, incentives, policy levers, or community-engaged approaches) and evaluating which strategies work best, for whom, in which settings, and under what conditions. The "clinical trial optional" label means applicants may propose studies that include clinical trial elements if appropriate, but they are not required to do so.

In addition to applied implementation studies, the FOA encourages work that strengthens the field itself by advancing D and I research methods and measures. That includes developing or improving frameworks, study designs, measurement tools, and analytic approaches that better capture implementation outcomes such as adoption, fidelity, acceptability, feasibility, cost, reach, sustainability, and equity impacts. This emphasis reflects a recognition that many promising interventions fail to achieve population-level impact because organizations face real barriers such as limited staffing, competing priorities, resource constraints, misaligned incentives, or contextual and cultural mismatches. Strong applications typically account for these complexities by grounding projects in real-world settings, partnering with the organizations expected to use the evidence-based practice, and measuring both implementation processes and downstream health or service outcomes.

The funding mechanism is the NIH R01 research project grant, which generally supports mature, hypothesis-driven research with clear aims, rigorous methods, and the potential for meaningful scientific and practical impact. The FOA is categorized as a discretionary grant opportunity and aligns with multiple activity areas, including education, environment, health, income security, and social services, reflecting the broad range of contexts where implementation science can improve outcomes. The listing includes many CFDA numbers, indicating that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers may participate or support projects depending on the topic area and mission alignment.

Eligibility is broad. Applicants can include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled higher education institutions; private higher education institutions; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), 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, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility is consistent with the field of D and I research, which often requires partnerships across academic, healthcare, public health, education, and community systems, and benefits from participation by organizations serving populations that are frequently underserved or disproportionately affected by health inequities.

Key administrative details from the source information include an NIH creation date of May 8, 2019, and an original closing date listed as May 7, 2022. The opportunity category is discretionary, the instrument is a grant, and the agency is the National Institutes of Health. Award ceiling and expected awards are not specified in the provided excerpt, which is common for NIH FOAs because budgets are often determined by project scope, institute policies, and standard NIH budget justification and review processes rather than a single fixed ceiling in the public summary.

Overall, this FOA is designed for investigators who want to solve the practical, high-impact problem of how to get evidence-based health practices routinely used in everyday care and community settings. Successful projects generally demonstrate a strong understanding of the setting and stakeholders, use rigorous D and I theories and methods, define clear implementation outcomes, and generate findings that can be generalized or adapted to improve real-world adoption, quality, and sustainability of proven health interventions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 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, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.865, 93.866.
• 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.)
• 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 19 274

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: