Targeted basic behavioral and social science and intervention development for HIV prevention and care (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 273

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 273

The grant opportunity "Targeted basic behavioral and social science and intervention development for HIV prevention and care (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-273) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary funding announcement that supports health-related research aimed at reducing new (incident) HIV infections and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV. The emphasis is on innovative, targeted behavioral and social science work that can directly strengthen HIV prevention and HIV care efforts. It uses the NIH R01 grant mechanism, meaning it is intended for well-developed projects with a clear research plan and a scope that is generally larger and more mature than exploratory mechanisms. The notice also points out that a related announcement, PA-18-272, uses the R21 mechanism, which is typically more exploratory and smaller in scale than an R01.

The FOA is organized around a research pipeline that moves from foundational science into real-world intervention development and testing. First, it encourages basic behavioral and social science research that fills specific gaps needed to design better HIV prevention and care interventions. In practice, this can include research on behaviors, decision-making, social relationships, stigma, structural barriers, health communication, service access, adherence, engagement in care, risk perception, and other psychosocial or contextual factors that drive HIV acquisition risk or affect outcomes along the HIV care continuum. The key idea is that basic research should not be generic or disconnected; it should be targeted to questions that, once answered, can meaningfully inform intervention strategies.

Second, the FOA encourages investigators to translate and operationalize findings from those basic studies into intervention concepts and prototypes. Translation here means taking what was learned about behavioral or social mechanisms and turning it into practical intervention components (for example, counseling approaches, peer or family-based supports, clinic workflow changes, digital tools, outreach models, or multilevel strategies that address individual behavior and social or structural constraints). As part of this stage, the FOA explicitly calls for assessing acceptability and feasibility, which usually involves determining whether the intended users and settings will actually engage with the intervention, whether it fits within real service environments, whether delivery is practical, and whether preliminary implementation processes function as intended.

Third, the FOA supports efficacy testing of HIV prevention and care interventions. This reflects an interest in moving beyond concept development to rigorous evaluation of whether an intervention works under controlled or optimized conditions. The "Clinical Trial Optional" label indicates that applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials, but they are not required to do so; applicants can propose either clinical trial or non-clinical trial designs depending on the aims. Overall, the announcement is meant to promote a coherent line of work: identify actionable behavioral and social mechanisms, build interventions grounded in that evidence, then test whether those interventions improve prevention and care outcomes.

In terms of eligibility, the FOA is broadly open to a wide range of applicant organizations. Eligible applicants include federal, state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments. The FOA also highlights additional categories of eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility is consistent with the goal of encouraging research that is responsive to diverse communities and settings impacted by HIV.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.242 and is offered as a grant funding instrument. The original closing date provided in the source data is January 7, 2020, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of November 29, 2017. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided excerpt, which usually means applicants would need to consult the full FOA text or NIH institute-specific guidance to understand typical budget ranges, project periods, and anticipated funding levels.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Targeted basic behavioral and social science and intervention development for HIV prevention and care (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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-07. (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.

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