Secondary Analysis of Existing Datasets for Advancing Infectious Disease Research (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 19 068

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 068

The grant opportunity "Secondary Analysis of Existing Datasets for Advancing Infectious Disease Research (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA 19-068) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to fund short, exploratory research projects that rely on analyzing existing data rather than generating new clinical trial data. The central goal is to encourage investigators to use open-access datasets, either on their own or merged with other compatible data sources, to answer important unanswered questions in basic and clinical infectious disease research. In practice, this means the program is aimed at projects where the main scientific contribution comes from creative, rigorous secondary analysis, such as reanalyzing publicly available genomic, epidemiologic, surveillance, immunology, microbiology, or clinical datasets to uncover new patterns, test new hypotheses, validate prior findings, or identify novel associations that can move the field forward.

Because this is an R21 mechanism, the emphasis is typically on early-stage, high-impact ideas that can be completed with a limited budget and within a shorter project scope than larger NIH awards. The announcement explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that applications must not propose prospective interventional studies in humans. Instead, proposed work should center on retrospective or secondary analyses of already collected data. Projects may also involve combining open datasets with additional datasets the team already has access to (for example, institutional or consortium data), as long as the core activity remains secondary analysis and the work fits within the non-clinical-trial requirement.

The FOA sits within NIH's health research mission area and is listed under CFDA 93.855. The award ceiling is stated as 200,000 (as provided in the source information), reinforcing the small, exploratory nature of the R21. The opportunity was created on 2018-11-13, and the original closing date shown is 2021-03-26 (meaning that, based on the provided record, the listed cycle is no longer open, though similar NIH program announcements are sometimes reissued or updated under new numbers).

A wide range of applicant types are eligible. In addition to standard public and private institutions of higher education, the eligibility list includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The FOA also highlights an expanded set of "other eligible applicants," including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility signals an intent to encourage diverse institutions and research settings to contribute, particularly those that may be well positioned to ask locally relevant infectious disease questions using existing data resources.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIH support for analytically driven infectious disease research that extracts new scientific value from data that already exist, especially publicly available data, with the aim of quickly addressing specific knowledge gaps without the cost, time, and regulatory complexity of launching new interventional human studies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Secondary Analysis of Existing Datasets for Advancing Infectious Disease Research (R21 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): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-11-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-26. (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 $200,000.00 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 PA 19 068

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: