Surgical Disparities Research (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 20 079

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 079

The Surgical Disparities Research (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (PAR-20-079) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program in the health domain (CFDA 93.307) designed to support investigative and collaborative research that helps explain and reduce disparities in surgical care and surgical outcomes. The central focus is on minority and other health disparity populations, with an emphasis on producing evidence that clarifies where inequities occur across the surgical care continuum and what can be done to improve access, quality, and outcomes. The FOA is structured to encourage rigorous research that not only describes disparities but also tests practical approaches to addressing them, including clinical interventions when appropriate, since clinical trials are allowed but not required under this announcement.

A major theme of the opportunity is moving beyond patient-level explanations and looking at the broader set of causes that drive unequal surgical outcomes. Projects are expected to examine multi-level factors, which can include patient, clinician, hospital, community, and health system influences, as well as institutional policies and structural or operational barriers that contribute to inequitable care. In addition to studying the effectiveness of clinical or care-delivery interventions, the FOA explicitly signals interest in institutional and systems-level strategies, meaning proposals can focus on changes to workflows, referral pathways, perioperative processes, care coordination models, decision-making supports, quality improvement approaches, or other system redesign efforts that could reduce disparities. Overall, the intent is to generate actionable knowledge that health systems and surgical care settings can use to close gaps in outcomes for populations that have been historically underserved or disproportionately burdened.

The mechanism is an NIH R01 research project grant, which generally supports substantial, hypothesis-driven research programs and multi-investigator collaborations. The "clinical trial optional" designation means applicants may submit either observational and analytic studies (for example, studies identifying drivers of disparities, evaluating existing programs, or analyzing outcomes) or interventional studies, including clinical trials, as long as the project aligns with the FOA purpose of understanding and addressing surgical disparities. The announcement does not list an award ceiling or the number of expected awards in the provided source data, so applicants would typically consult the full NIH posting for current budget guidance and institute-specific considerations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories that are often central to disparity-focused research and community engagement, 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, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA is clear about restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. In practical terms, the applicant organization and the funded work must be structured to comply with these constraints, keeping the project’s organizational and operational footprint within allowable U.S. contexts.

Key administrative details from the source data include an original closing date of July 5, 2022, and a creation date of December 30, 2019. The sponsoring agency is NIH, the funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is health. Taken together, this opportunity is aimed at building strong scientific evidence and implementable strategies to reduce inequities in surgical care, with room for both discovery-oriented and intervention-oriented projects, provided they directly address disparities affecting minority and health disparity populations and consider system and institutional levers for change.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Surgical Disparities Research (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): 93.307.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-12-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-05. (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 20 079

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