Early-Stage Dissemination and Implementation Research in Communication Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

Updated Oct 20, 2026

Grant from the National Institutes of Health, open to small businesses. Closes Jun 17, 2027, 240 days left.

Opportunity number	RFA-DC-26-001
Agency	National Institutes of Health
Funding type	Grant
Field	Health
Total program funding	$1.0 million
Cost sharing or matching	Not required
Assistance listing	93.173
Posted	Feb 5, 2026
Closes	Jun 17, 2027 (240 days left)
Add the deadline to	Google Calendar

Who can apply

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 and Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Others (see the eligibility notes)

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International CollaborationsNon-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. This new requirement was effective, May 1, 2025.Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Description

The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) intends to re-issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO, prior funding opportunity RFA-DC-24-008 to solicit applications for research on early-stage dissemination and implementation (D&I) in the NIDCD mission areas of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Much research is devoted to developing evidence-based innovations (EBIs) that improve a person"s health and quality of life.

To impact people"s lives, EBIs need to be adopted in clinical practice and everyday life. Unfortunately, wide-scale adoption of EBIs is lengthy and rare. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) science is the field of research that seeks to close the gap between research and practice.

Dissemination research is defined as the scientific study of the targeted distribution of information and materials about EBI to a specific audience (e.g., practitioners, patients, policymakers). The intent is to understand how best to communicate and integrate knowledge associated with a given EBI. Implementation Science refers to a broader array of active and planned efforts to integrate evidence into practice.

Implementation research focuses on understanding why clinical and community settings are not adopting and sustaining a particular EBI. In turn, implementation research uses this understanding of barriers and facilitators to develop and evaluate different strategies (or collections of strategies) to increase adoption and integration of an EBI into practice. Many fields have applied D&I research theories, approaches, and outcome measures to improve adoption and sustainment of EBIs.

This funding opportunity aims to support early-stage D&I research in NIDCD mission areas of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Resulting findings should set a sufficient foundation for a high-quality, D&I focused R01 in NIDCD mission areas. Applications are not being solicited at this time.

Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the R21 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into D&I research in NIDCD mission areas are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO.

In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in D&I and NIDCD mission areas will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.

Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov

Health grants right now

There are 350 open federal grants in health that small businesses may apply for; 33 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $500,000. The agencies offering the most are National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA and Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD. Grants in this field stay open a median of 1031 days; this one is open for 497 days.

Who has won this program before

Yale Univ $67.5 million · from Jul 1, 2015
NEW York University $64.3 million · from Jul 7, 2010
University Of North Carolina AT Chapel Hill $49.7 million · from Jul 1, 2007
Baylor College Of Medicine $47.8 million · from Sep 28, 2011
Jackson Laboratory $47.2 million · from Sep 16, 2011

The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 93.173 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.