Pediatric Critical Care Conferences (R13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HD 21 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 21 015

The Pediatric Critical Care Conferences (R13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-HD-21-015) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) conference grant aimed at supporting multidisciplinary, national-level meetings that can strengthen both clinical care and research in pediatric critical care medicine. The program recognizes that pediatric critical care is still developing as a field and faces several built-in challenges: patient populations are relatively small and highly diverse, conditions can be complex and fast-changing, and the specialty has been expanding quickly. Because of these realities, it can be difficult to generate strong evidence, compare findings across sites, and consistently translate research into best practices. This FOA is designed to use well-organized national conferences as a practical way to bring experts together and build shared foundations that make future research and care improvement easier and more coordinated.

A central goal of the initiative is to convene leaders and stakeholders from multiple clinical disciplines and from a wide range of institutions, including geographically and culturally diverse medical centers and professional organizations, along with collaboration across NIH Institutes. These conferences are intended to do more than share information; they are expected to produce the kinds of field-wide agreements that enable progress. In particular, the FOA highlights the need to develop and gain broad acceptance of uniform definitions (so that clinicians and researchers are speaking the same language), establish or refine common data elements (so that studies can be compared, combined, or replicated more reliably), and identify the most important knowledge gaps that should guide the next wave of research. Another key emphasis is on bridging the research-to-practice divide by creating space for serious discussion about how research findings should be interpreted and applied in clinical guidelines and day-to-day patient care.

Administratively, this opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through NIH, and it uses the R13 conference grant mechanism. The listing indicates it is a discretionary grant in the broad area of health and related social services, with CFDA number 93.865. Clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA, meaning the supported activities are focused on conference planning and convening rather than running interventional human-subject trials.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations that could credibly organize a national conference. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; 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; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as clarified in the FOA. In practice, this wide eligibility is meant to encourage strong convening proposals from academic centers, professional societies, research networks, and other organizations positioned to assemble national expertise and produce outputs that move the field forward.

The FOA record shows it was created on November 25, 2019, with an original application closing date of March 31, 2020, and it anticipated making two awards. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which typically signals that applicants need to refer to the full announcement for budget guidance rather than relying on a single stated maximum. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted support for high-impact national conferences that can align the pediatric critical care community around shared definitions, shared data standards, prioritized research questions, and clearer pathways for translating evidence into consistent, high-quality care.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pediatric Critical Care Conferences (R13 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): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 25, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 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 2 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).

Apply for RFA HD 21 015

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