Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in the United States (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 19 236

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 236

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in the United States (R01 Clinical Trial Required)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-236) supports research projects that can meaningfully shorten the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) for adolescents and young adults experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP) in the United States. The public health need is substantial: roughly 100,000 young people in the U.S. experience FEP each year, and research consistently shows that treatment commonly begins far too late, often one to three years after symptoms first appear. Because the early phase of psychotic illness is seen as a critical window where outcomes can be improved and long-term disability potentially reduced, the central goal of this FOA is to fund rigorous, real-world research that makes early identification, referral, and engagement in evidence-based care happen much faster.

The opportunity is centered on the idea that the U.S. care pathway for early psychosis has avoidable bottlenecks and gaps. The FOA highlights Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) as the evidence-based model of care for early psychosis and frames timely access to CSC as a key outcome. Applicants are expected to test practical and reproducible strategies that can substantially reduce DUP by improving how people move from symptom onset to appropriate treatment. In other words, the focus is not just on proving that CSC works, but on improving the systems, processes, and handoffs that determine whether someone gets into CSC quickly and stays engaged long enough to benefit. The World Health Organization benchmark of reducing DUP to three months or less is included as an aspirational standard, which signals that modest improvements are not the target; the FOA is looking for approaches that can produce major, measurable reductions in time-to-care.

This is an R01 research project grant and the title indicates that a clinical trial is required, meaning the funded studies are expected to involve a prospective evaluation of an intervention or strategy where outcomes are assessed in a structured way consistent with NIH definitions of clinical trials. The strategies supported under this FOA are intended to be practical and scalable, so competitive proposals would typically emphasize implementation in realistic U.S. settings (for example, schools, primary care, emergency departments, community mental health clinics, crisis services, juvenile justice touchpoints, or digital entry points) and would aim to show clear impact on time from symptom onset to first appropriate treatment, time from first clinical contact to CSC entry, and/or engagement and retention in CSC once referred. The underlying emphasis is on removing friction from the pathway to care, such as lack of recognition of psychosis, poor referral practices, unclear eligibility rules, long waitlists, limited service availability, transportation or scheduling barriers, and disengagement caused by stigma or distrust.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants listed for this FOA 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those specific nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other unspecified eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is limited in a way that often matters for collaborative teams. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain well-justified foreign involvement or elements within an otherwise U.S.-led project, as long as the arrangement fits NIH rules and the core applicant and project structure remain eligible.

From the administrative details provided, this is a discretionary grant in the health area, associated with CFDA number 93.242, and administered by the NIH. The opportunity was created on 2019-04-02, and the original closing date listed is 2022-05-07. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the supplied source text, which usually means applicants would need to consult the full NIH announcement and related institute guidance for budget expectations, project period norms, and the anticipated funding level.

Overall, the FOA is about changing the real-world trajectory of early psychosis by funding intervention research that makes early psychosis care reachable quickly, consistently, and equitably. The practical intent is to ensure that when psychosis begins, the system responds fast enough to prevent avoidable functional decline, reduce suffering for young people and families, and improve long-term outcomes by getting people into high-quality CSC services without the current multi-month or multi-year delays.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in the United States (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 2019-04-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-07. (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 19 236

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