Diversity Program Consortium Dissemination and Translation Awards (U01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 19 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 19 003

The Diversity Program Consortium Dissemination and Translation Awards (U01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity (RFA-RM-19-003) designed to broaden the reach of the NIH Common Fund initiative called Enhancing Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce, commonly referred to as the Diversity Program Consortium (DPC). The central idea is to bring institutions and organizations that have not previously been part of the DPC into the effort, so that proven or promising DPC-informed approaches can be implemented in new settings and have a wider national footprint. Rather than funding brand-new clinical studies, the opportunity focuses on the dissemination, translation, and practical implementation of scientific approaches that help institutions understand what works in biomedical research training, mentoring, and research capacity-building interventions aimed at improving diversity in the biomedical research workforce. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this announcement.

This program is framed around taking what the DPC has learned (including methods for evaluating training and mentoring interventions and approaches to building capacity) and applying those approaches in additional sites. In practice, applicants are expected to implement DPC-aligned strategies and, importantly, to use rigorous, science-based ways of assessing their effectiveness. The emphasis on "scientific approaches to understanding effectiveness" signals that NIH is looking for projects that do more than simply run a program; they should also generate credible evidence about outcomes, implementation processes, and lessons that can be used by other institutions trying to strengthen and diversify the biomedical research pipeline.

The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement, which typically means the project will involve substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant. While applicants still lead the work, a cooperative agreement often includes active coordination with NIH staff, alignment with consortium goals, and shared expectations around milestones, data sharing, or harmonized evaluation approaches. The activity category is Health, and the CFDA (assistance listing) number associated with this opportunity is 93.310. The funding instrument and framing suggest NIH wants funded sites to contribute to broader, generalizable knowledge about effective diversity-focused training and mentoring interventions, not only local program delivery.

A wide range of applicant types are eligible. Eligible applicants include many public-sector entities (state, county, city or township governments, and special district governments), education entities (independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education), and tribal entities (federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments). Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status, and both for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed as eligible. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are included as eligible applicants as well. In addition, the announcement highlights categories of organizations particularly relevant to workforce diversity efforts, 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 (AANAPISI). Faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions are also called out as eligible.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. In other words, projects must be fully domestic in terms of the applicant organization and the components carrying out the work.

Key administrative details in the source information include an original application closing date of October 8, 2019, and an award ceiling of $250,000. The opportunity was created on June 5, 2019. While the number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data, the ceiling indicates the maximum budget level NIH was willing to support per award under this FOA. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH support for scaling and adapting DPC-informed, evidence-oriented training, mentoring, and capacity-building interventions into new environments, with the goal of strengthening knowledge about what improves diversity in the biomedical research workforce and accelerating uptake of approaches that demonstrate real impact.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Diversity Program Consortium Dissemination and Translation Awards (U01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-06-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-10-08. (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 $250,000.00 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 RM 19 003

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