Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 163

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 163

Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity that supports early-stage clinical research projects exploring how technology can measurably improve patient outcomes and help prevent illness. The focus is on developing, testing, or implementing technology-enabled approaches that make healthcare more effective, more accessible, and easier for patients to follow over time. The announcement is intentionally broad, welcoming a range of clinical areas and patient populations, as long as the work is tied to clear, specific outcomes that are expected to improve because of the technology being proposed.

The FOA emphasizes technologies that can extend care beyond traditional clinic walls and improve the way patients and providers make decisions. Examples named in the announcement include telehealth and other forms of remote care delivery, robotics or automated tools that help with medication adherence, and care delivery models that work in on-site environments such as clinics, homes, or community settings. It also highlights mobile health approaches that can expand access and improve adherence (such as smartphone-based monitoring, reminders, or symptom tracking), and web-based decision support tools that help clinicians and patients choose appropriate actions based on data. The opportunity is not limited to these examples; it also encourages other relevant technologies, particularly those that are emerging or cutting-edge.

In terms of the research scope, projects may address multiple stages of the clinical pathway. That can include assessment and measurement tools, diagnostic supports, the development of technology-enabled interventions, or the implementation of interventions in real-world settings. A key priority is work that uses advanced technology to explain and predict patient trajectories, meaning the research should aim to understand how patients change over time and use that information to anticipate risk, worsening symptoms, or treatment response. The FOA is also looking for approaches that inform interventions (helping tailor what is delivered and when), support real-time clinical decision making (delivering actionable guidance at the point of care), and strengthen long-term management of chronic illness (supporting sustained behavior change, monitoring, adherence, and coordination across settings).

One of the most important expectations in this announcement is that applicants clearly identify which patient outcomes they intend to improve and why the proposed technology is likely to move those outcomes in a meaningful way. It is not enough to describe a novel tool; the application should connect the tool to concrete patient benefits and show how the technology will be used in practice. The FOA specifically calls for clarity on how the technology enhances patient benefits in clinical settings and/or in home and community environments, recognizing that many of the most impactful solutions will operate across these locations.

This is an R21 mechanism, which typically supports exploratory or developmental research rather than large, definitive trials. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants can propose studies that do or do not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial, depending on what best fits the research aims. The source information lists an award ceiling of $200,000, indicating the program is designed to fund smaller, focused projects that generate evidence, feasibility data, prototypes, or early clinical insights that could later support larger-scale studies or implementation efforts.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants across the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, and special district governments; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and additional entities categorized as "other." The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects NIH's interest in practical, scalable healthcare technologies that may be developed and tested by diverse organizations embedded in the communities they serve.

The opportunity is identified as PA 18 163, categorized as a discretionary grant in the Education and Health activity areas, with CFDA numbers 93.173 and 93.361. The source data shows a creation date of 2017-11-07 and an original closing date of 2020-01-07. Overall, the grant is aimed at accelerating clinically relevant technology research that can demonstrate a clear link between a technology-enabled approach and improved patient outcomes, especially for chronic disease management, adherence, access, and better decision making in real-world care settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173, 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-07. (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 $200,000.00 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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