Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HD 25 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 25 001

The Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (RFA HD 25 001) is an NIH center-level grant that supports the creation of a Medical Rehabilitation Research Center built around a clearly defined rehabilitation research theme. The intent is to strengthen the national medical rehabilitation research infrastructure by funding institutions to develop, organize, and share high-value resources that help investigators better understand how functional recovery happens, design and test therapeutic strategies, identify gaps in clinical care, and ultimately improve outcomes and quality of life for people living with disabilities. While the mechanism is a P50 specialized center award, the NOFO emphasizes that these centers are not just local programs; they are expected to produce tools, approaches, and expertise that can be used broadly by the rehabilitation research community.

Structurally, each proposed center must include one main research project supported by three required “cores.” These cores are meant to operate in two directions at once: they provide essential support to the center’s internal scientific agenda, and they also deliver services and resources that reach beyond the host institution to benefit investigators nationwide. Across the three cores, the center is expected to cover key functions including (1) administration and overall coordination (with an optional pilot program component, which can be used to seed early-stage ideas, recruit new investigators, or accelerate innovation tied to the center theme), (2) resource sharing to make methods, data, and other research assets accessible and usable by others, and (3) community engagement and outreach to ensure the work is grounded in real-world needs and connected to the people and communities most affected by disability and rehabilitation challenges.

A major required element is meaningful inclusion of People with Lived Experience. Applications must include a formal plan for incorporating people who have direct lived experience relevant to the center’s theme, submitted as a required “Other Attachment.” This is more than a general statement of support; it is positioned as a core driver of impact, pushing applicants to show how lived experience will shape priorities, design decisions, dissemination, and relevance. In practice, this often means describing concrete roles for lived-experience partners (for example, advisory roles, co-design of resources, participation in outreach, feedback loops for usability and acceptability, or involvement in pilot selection), and explaining how their involvement will improve the center’s reach and usefulness.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based applicants: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The NOFO also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, “foreign components” as defined under NIH policy may be permitted, meaning certain internationally based elements can be included if they meet NIH’s definition and are justified within policy constraints.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant under NIH with activity areas spanning education, health, and social services, and it is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.173, 93.213, 93.279, 93.286, 93.865). The original closing date listed is July 30, 2024, and the opportunity was created April 3, 2024. The NOFO notes that clinical trials are optional, which generally signals that a center may include clinical trial activity if it fits the theme and aims, but it is not required as a condition of applying.

In short, NIH is looking to fund theme-driven rehabilitation research centers that combine a focused scientific program with three core capabilities that (a) keep the center running effectively, (b) generate and distribute shared resources that the broader field can use, and (c) build strong two-way engagement with communities and people with disabilities. The overall expectation is that awardees will produce tangible, disseminated advances in methods, data, theory, and practical research capacity that raise the effectiveness and reach of medical rehabilitation research nationwide.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.213, 93.279, 93.286, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-30. (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 RFA HD 25 001

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