Development and Optimization of Tasks and Measures for Functional Domains of Behavior (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 930

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 930

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Development and Optimization of Tasks and Measures for Functional Domains of Behavior (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 18 930) is a discretionary grant mechanism that supports research aimed at creating, refining, and improving behavioral tasks and measurement tools. The central goal is methodological: to produce well-validated, high-performing measures of specific behavioral constructs related to functional aspects of behavior, and to make those tools suitable for use in both controlled laboratory settings and broader population-based research. Importantly, as indicated by "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," the scope is focused on measure and task development/optimization rather than testing clinical interventions through a clinical trial design.

This opportunity emphasizes three core outcomes for the tasks and measures that are developed. First, the resulting tools should demonstrate strong validity, meaning they should accurately measure a clearly defined construct rather than loosely related behaviors or general performance. Second, the measures should show robust measurement properties, which typically includes strong reliability, sensitivity, and reproducibility, along with well-characterized psychometric performance. Third, the tasks and measures should be suitable for use across diverse participants, reflecting an expectation that researchers will consider variation in age, culture, language, education, socioeconomic background, and other factors that can affect performance or interpretation. In practice, this means NIH is looking for tools that are not only scientifically sound in a narrow sample, but that can generalize and remain interpretable across different populations and study contexts.

The program sits within NIH health research funding categories (Funding Activity Category: Health) and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.242 and 93.273. The instrument is an R01 research project grant, which generally supports substantial, multi-year research programs where teams can conduct iterative development, piloting, validation, and refinement of assessment methods. While the listing provided does not specify an award ceiling or number of expected awards, the overall intent is clear: to expand the availability of rigorously tested behavioral measurement approaches that can be adopted widely by the research community.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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 that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a wide range of nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status) as well as for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits). The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth signals an interest in encouraging participation from diverse institutions and settings, which aligns with the program goal of producing measures that work well across diverse participant groups.

Key administrative details from the source data include an NIH creation date of September 21, 2018, and an original closing date of January 7, 2022. Even though the original closing date listed has passed, the description captures the program’s overarching purpose and the kinds of research outputs NIH aims to support: carefully developed and optimized behavioral tasks and measures with strong validity, solid psychometrics, and demonstrated usability across varied populations, suitable for both lab-based experiments and large-scale studies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development and Optimization of Tasks and Measures for Functional Domains of Behavior (R01 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): 93.242, 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-09-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-07. (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 PAR 18 930

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