Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Resource and Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 20 024

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 20 024

The Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Resource and Coordinating Center (RCC) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-20-024) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24) designed to continue and extend the central coordinating hub for the SOBC program. SOBC was originally supported for about a decade by the NIH Common Fund, and this announcement seeks to keep that momentum going by funding an RCC that serves as the program's backbone. The core purpose is not to run clinical trials (the FOA explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed"), but to provide coordination, resources, and leadership that strengthen behavior change science and accelerate the use and visibility of SOBC-developed tools, methods, and products.

Functionally, the RCC is expected to lead, participate in, and support a range of program-wide activities that raise the overall quality and impact of SOBC work. The FOA emphasizes maximizing creativity and productivity across the SOBC community, improving scientific rigor, and ensuring broad dissemination of SOBC approaches so they meaningfully influence health behaviors. In practice, this kind of center typically plays a convening and enabling role: organizing collaboration among investigators and stakeholders, standardizing or harmonizing shared methods and measures, promoting open and reusable resources, supporting data or knowledge-sharing infrastructure, and helping the field translate behavioral science advances into more consistent and effective health behavior interventions. Because it is a cooperative agreement, NIH staff are usually expected to have substantial involvement in the program's direction and coordination, meaning the awardee is not operating in isolation but in active partnership with NIH.

The opportunity sits within NIH's broader mission areas tied to health, behavior, and social science and is categorized under Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services. Multiple CFDA numbers are listed (93.121, 93.213, 93.279, 93.350, 93.865, 93.866), reflecting the cross-cutting nature of SOBC across NIH institutes and centers. The original posting date was June 27, 2019, with an original closing date of October 23, 2019. The source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, but the mechanism and the coordinating-center scope signal that it is intended to support a central, program-level resource rather than a collection of small independent projects.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories 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 federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in a way that is typical for many NIH opportunities. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. At the same time, "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant can include certain types of foreign involvement when scientifically justified and consistent with NIH policy, even though a foreign institution cannot be the primary applicant.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as support for an organizing center that advances the science of behavior change by providing shared structure, tools, and coordination for the SOBC program. The success metric is less about producing one specific experiment and more about strengthening the ecosystem: improving rigor and reproducibility, enabling collaboration and standardization, and making SOBC-developed resources easier for the wider research and practice communities to find, trust, and use in ways that improve health-related behaviors.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Resource and Coordinating Center (U24 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): 93.121, 93.213, 93.279, 93.350, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-06-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-10-23. (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 AG 20 024

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