Interaction of HIV and Neurodevelopment of Children in Resource-Limited Settings: Improving Assessments (R21) | RFA HD 18 020

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 18 020

The grant opportunity titled "Interaction of HIV and Neurodevelopment of Children in Resource-Limited Settings: Improving Assessments (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA HD 18 020) is a discretionary National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant designed to support early-stage, exploratory work under the R21 mechanism. Its central goal is to stimulate research that creates, adapts, improves, and validates tools or materials used to evaluate neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning in children, specifically in resource-limited settings where HIV rates are high. The emphasis is not simply on studying outcomes, but on strengthening the measurement side of the field, meaning better assessments that are practical, accurate, culturally appropriate, and implementable in real-world environments that may have limited clinical infrastructure, fewer specialists, and constraints such as time, cost, training, and access to standardized testing materials.

The opportunity focuses on the intersection of pediatric HIV and child neurodevelopment, recognizing that children in high-HIV-burden settings may experience a range of neurodevelopmental risks that are difficult to quantify with tools developed for different languages, cultures, educational backgrounds, or health systems. Applications are expected to concentrate on the development and/or improvement of neurodevelopmental assessment approaches, including the supporting materials needed to use those approaches in the field. This can include work to adapt existing cognitive or developmental tests for new contexts, develop new screening or assessment instruments, improve scoring methods or normative references, strengthen training protocols for assessors, or enhance feasibility for use in settings with limited specialized personnel. A key requirement embedded in the description is implementation in resource-limited settings, so proposals should be geared toward tools and procedures that can actually be deployed and sustained where they are most needed.

Administratively, this is a grant funding instrument in the Health, Income Security and Social Services category, associated with CFDA number 93.865. The award ceiling is listed as 200000, indicating the maximum budget amount expected per award under this announcement. The original closing date was 2017-06-29, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of 2017-02-21. While the dataset excerpt does not specify the number of expected awards, the mechanism and ceiling suggest smaller-scale, targeted projects typical of R21 announcements, often used to generate preliminary data, pilot an approach, or demonstrate proof of concept for assessment tools that may later be scaled or tested in larger studies.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants, reflecting NIH's interest in drawing expertise from academic, governmental, nonprofit, private, and community settings. 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible groups 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 agencies of the federal government; U.S. territories or possessions; regional organizations; Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations can apply. This explicit inclusion of foreign organizations and community-based entities is especially relevant given the setting focus, since many of the highest HIV-burden, resource-limited contexts are outside the continental U.S., and local partners are often essential for culturally valid assessment development and on-the-ground implementation.

In practical terms, a strong application under this opportunity would usually be expected to show a clear plan for producing an assessment tool or improving an existing one, demonstrate why current tools are insufficient in the target setting, and explain how the proposed approach will be feasible and reliable given local constraints. It would also typically address how the assessment will account for language, culture, educational exposure, and other factors that can distort cognitive testing results if not handled carefully. Because the focus is on assessment development and implementation, proposals that include thoughtful strategies for training, quality control, standardization, and usability in clinics, schools, or community settings are aligned with the intent of the announcement.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Interaction of HIV and Neurodevelopment of Children in Resource-Limited Settings: Improving Assessments (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-02-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-29. (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 RFA HD 18 020

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