Administrative Supplement for Research on Sex/Gender Influences (Admin Supp) | PA 17 078

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 078

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Office of Research on Womens Health (ORWH), is offering administrative supplement funding to add or strengthen research on how sex and gender influence health and disease. This opportunity, titled "Administrative Supplement for Research on Sex/Gender Influences (Admin Supp)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-17-078), is designed to support additional work that can be integrated into an existing NIH-funded grant rather than launching an entirely new, stand-alone project. The goal is to encourage researchers to explicitly examine sex as a biological variable and, when appropriate, gender-related factors that can shape exposures, behaviors, access to care, and health outcomes.

The supplement emphasizes research that clarifies how biological sex affects health and illness across the full spectrum of science, including basic, preclinical, clinical, and behavioral studies. Priority areas include studies that investigate sex differences at the cellular level and in tissue explants, as well as comparative studies using male and female tissues. The announcement also highlights comparative work across organ systems and broader physiological systems, encouraging investigators to examine where and how sex-based differences emerge in normal function and in disease processes. Another major focus is direct sex-based comparisons in pathophysiology and disease mechanisms, including differences in biomarkers, gene expression patterns, clinical presentation, and responses to prevention strategies and treatments. In short, the supplement is meant to move beyond treating sex as a demographic detail and instead make it a meaningful part of the scientific question and experimental design.

A central theme is that the strongest applications will incorporate both sex and gender considerations when scientifically justified. ORWH notes that the most robust experimental designs consider both, because biological factors (sex) and social or cultural factors (gender) can independently influence risk, diagnosis, progression, and treatment response. Applications that propose to investigate the influence of both sex and gender factors are therefore strongly encouraged, especially when they can be addressed with clear, well-powered comparisons and appropriate measures.

To fit the purpose of ORWH, the proposed supplement research must address at least one objective under Goals 1 through 3 of the NIH Strategic Plan for Womens Health Research. While the specific goal text is not included in the provided listing, this requirement signals that the work should align with NIH priorities for advancing womens health research and improving the rigor and relevance of research that accounts for sex and gender influences.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant types that can hold NIH awards, such as state, county, and city governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled colleges and universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The opportunity also explicitly notes interest in participation by a range of institution types and community-connected organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is limited in a way that is typical for many NIH opportunities. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply directly, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, foreign components are allowed when they meet NIH definitions and policies (as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement), meaning a U.S.-based applicant may be able to include certain internationally based elements if they are justified and structured as an allowable foreign component.

From the source data, this is a discretionary grant mechanism under NIH, with activity areas spanning health-related domains and associated CFDA numbers, reflecting that administrative supplements can attach to many different NIH institute and center funding streams. The original closing date listed is February 13, 2017, and the record does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided fields, which is common for supplement announcements where funding depends on availability, institute priorities, and the parent award context.

Overall, this administrative supplement opportunity is aimed at improving the quality and impact of NIH-funded research by ensuring that sex and gender influences are thoughtfully integrated into study questions, design, and analysis. Successful supplement projects are likely to be those that add clear, testable aims to an existing funded project, use strong comparative approaches (often including both sexes and, when relevant, gender measures), and generate findings that can sharpen understanding of disease mechanisms and improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for everyone.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Administrative Supplement for Research on Sex/Gender Influences (Admin Supp)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.307, 93.313, 93.351, 93.361, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-12-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-02-13. (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.

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