Centers in Self-Management of Symptoms: Building Research Teams for the Future (P20) | RFA NR 16 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NR 16 001

Centers in Self-Management of Symptoms: Building Research Teams for the Future (P20) is an NIH National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) funding opportunity (RFA-NR-16-001; CFDA 93.361) designed to help schools of nursing lay the groundwork for stronger, sustainable research centers focused on the self-management of symptoms. It uses the NIH P20 planning grant mechanism, which is specifically meant to support early-stage center development work such as planning new programs, expanding or reshaping existing resources, and running feasibility or pilot efforts that test different ways to build an interdisciplinary program. The core idea is not to fund a fully mature center immediately, but to invest in the steps that make a future center viable, competitive, and positioned to secure larger or more specialized NIH center or program funding later on.

The scientific focus is self-management of symptoms, with a clear emphasis on interdisciplinary, biobehavioral research. In practical terms, the FOA is aimed at developing research teams that can study and improve how individuals manage symptoms associated with acute or chronic conditions, treatments, or life situations. It is also aimed at building the kind of research environment that makes this work scalable and durable: shared infrastructure, centralized resources, and coordinated supports that help multiple investigators collaborate, generate preliminary data, and move promising ideas toward larger studies. The “building research teams for the future” language signals workforce and pipeline development as a major theme, meaning the award is intended to strengthen the capacity of investigators and collaborative groups rather than only supporting a single isolated project.

A major deliverable under this P20 concept is planning and capacity-building for a center-like structure. That typically includes developing the organizational framework for an interdisciplinary program, identifying and connecting scientific leadership across relevant disciplines, establishing shared methods or measurement resources, and creating coordinated supports that help investigators do symptom self-management research more efficiently. The intent is to create a foundation that can support multiple studies over time, including pilot or feasibility work that demonstrates readiness for larger NIH applications. The FOA explicitly notes that this P20 “may lead to center sustainability and/or the ability to be funded through other specialized or comprehensive grants,” which frames the award as a stepping-stone toward longer-term funding and a more mature research enterprise.

Eligibility is broad across many domestic U.S. organization types, but with an important restriction: the applicant organization must be a School of Nursing. Eligible applicant categories listed for the opportunity 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 Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American tribal governments (other than federally recognized), regional organizations, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions. Even with that wide list, the school-of-nursing requirement is central and effectively sets the institutional home for the proposed center planning activities.

There are strict limits regarding foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined in NIH policy) are not allowed. The result is that all proposed activities, infrastructure development, and supported work must be domestic and structured without foreign components.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from the National Institutes of Health in the education and health activity category. The original closing date listed is 2015-11-30, the record creation date is 2015-09-24, and the award ceiling shown is $250,000. While the notice includes an “ExpectedAwards” field, it does not provide a number in the source text you supplied, so the specific count of anticipated awards is not stated there. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted planning grant intended to help nursing-led institutions assemble interdisciplinary biobehavioral symptom self-management teams, create shared research supports, generate feasibility evidence, and position themselves for larger-scale NIH center or program funding in the future.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers in Self-Management of Symptoms: Building Research Teams for the Future (P20)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-11-30. (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 $250,000.00 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.

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