Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 510

Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity from the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), listed under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-20-510 (CFDA 93.242). The central goal is to fund innovative research projects that can measurably improve digital mental health interventions by expanding who they reach, improving how efficiently they can be delivered, strengthening their clinical effectiveness, and raising the overall quality of these tools when used in real-world settings.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on building and using "digital health test beds." In practical terms, NIMH is looking for applicants to create research environments that rely on well-established digital mental health platforms (for example, mature apps, web-based programs, messaging platforms, or other proven digital delivery systems) so that investigators can rapidly refine and optimize interventions that already have an evidence base. Rather than starting from scratch with a brand-new platform or a purely exploratory prototype, the intent is to leverage existing, credible digital infrastructure to speed up iteration, evaluation, and deployment-relevant learning. The expectation is that these test beds will support continuous improvement and rigorous testing workflows, allowing research teams to evaluate strategies that make digital interventions more scalable and impactful.

The funding announcement also requires clinical trials, and it places particular weight on trials that are statistically powered to deliver a definitive answer about whether a digital mental health intervention works. That means the research design should be strong enough, and the sample size large enough, to test effectiveness with confidence rather than producing only preliminary or suggestive findings. The overall direction is toward higher-certainty evidence that can guide practice, implementation, and future dissemination, including understanding what changes or optimization strategies actually improve outcomes.

Eligible applicants are broad and include many types of organizations that can support large-scale, rigorous health research. This includes state, county, city, township, and 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; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized as governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education under those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional entities as clarified in the funding announcement's eligibility details. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that digital mental health research and implementation often involve cross-sector partnerships, such as collaborations among universities, health systems, community organizations, schools, and technology partners.

From an administrative perspective, the opportunity was created on November 25, 2019, and the original closing date was November 2, 2020. NIMH anticipated making about three awards under this announcement. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically signals that a specific maximum dollar cap is not provided in the summary field and that applicants should refer to the full announcement and NIH budget policy guidance for allowable costs, scope-appropriate budgeting, and any institute-specific expectations.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as an effort by NIMH to accelerate the maturation of digital mental health care by funding robust, platform-based research laboratories that can quickly optimize existing evidence-based interventions and then validate their impact through well-powered clinical trials. The focus is not just on whether a digital program can work in ideal conditions, but on developing scalable approaches that increase reach, improve delivery efficiency, and produce reliable effectiveness results that can inform real-world mental health service improvements.

  • The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Nov 25, 2019.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 02, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
  • 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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