Planning for the TMD Collaborative for IMproving PAtient-Centered Translational Research (TMD IMPACT) (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DE 23 014

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DE 23 014

The Planning for the TMD Collaborative for IMproving PAtient-Centered Translational Research (TMD IMPACT) funding opportunity (RFA-DE-23-014) is an NIH planning grant mechanism (R34) designed to help organizations lay the groundwork for a future national, interdisciplinary, patient-centered research collaborative focused on Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs). The central purpose is not to run a clinical trial or launch a fully powered research network immediately, but to support the early-stage planning work needed to design and implement a coordinated, multi-site effort that can move TMD science forward from basic discovery through clinical research and, ultimately, into evidence-based treatments and better routine care.

In practical terms, the award supports the kind of foundational activities that make a large collaborative feasible and competitive later on. Applicants are expected to use the planning period to build and formalize partnerships across disciplines and institutions, define how the future collaborative will function, and develop the infrastructure and shared capabilities needed to run coordinated studies. This includes establishing collaborative-wide research frameworks and strategies, thinking through how different studies and research projects would align under a unified vision, and developing approaches for coordinating across sites so data and methods can be harmonized. The opportunity also emphasizes patient-centered translational research, meaning the planned collaborative should be structured in a way that keeps patient needs, outcomes, and real-world clinical impact at the center of the research agenda, while also strengthening pathways for translation from research findings to clinical practice.

The scope explicitly includes advancing TMD basic and clinical research, research training, and translation to improved clinical care. That framing signals that the envisioned collaborative is meant to be more than a collection of separate studies; it is meant to be a coordinated national effort that can support interdisciplinary science, develop the next generation of researchers, and accelerate the movement of findings into clinical settings. The end goal of the planning grant is to enhance institutional readiness and competitiveness for future participation in the broader TMD IMPACT collaborative once subsequent funding opportunities are released.

This is a discretionary federal grant in the health category administered by the National Institutes of Health, with activity tied to multiple CFDA program listings (93.103, 93.121, 93.213, 93.286, 93.313, 93.846, 93.853). The award ceiling listed for the planning grant is $200,000. The opportunity originally closed on April 14, 2023, and was created on January 10, 2023.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based applicants such as state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign participation is limited 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. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant may include a clearly justified foreign component as part of the project when it is necessary for the research objectives, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

Finally, the funding opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which means applicants should not propose a clinical trial within this R34 planning grant. The intended use is planning, partnership development, governance and coordination design, and other preparatory work that positions a future TMD IMPACT network to launch aligned research efforts under later, implementation-focused funding.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Planning for the TMD Collaborative for IMproving PAtient-Centered Translational Research (TMD IMPACT) (R34 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): 93.103, 93.121, 93.213, 93.286, 93.313, 93.846, 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-01-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-14. (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 RFA DE 23 014

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