Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R21) | PA 17 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 009

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity "Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-17-009) supports clinical research projects that develop, test, or implement health-related technologies with a clear and measurable link to improved patient outcomes. The central idea is not simply to build or deploy a new tool, but to demonstrate how a technology-driven approach can prevent illness, improve health status, or meaningfully strengthen care delivery in real-world settings such as clinics, homes, and community environments. This is an R21 mechanism, which generally aligns with exploratory or early-stage studies that generate proof-of-concept data, refine methods, or establish feasibility for larger future trials.

The FOA emphasizes a broad definition of "technology" and encourages proposals across multiple modalities. Examples explicitly highlighted include telehealth and other forms of remote healthcare delivery, mobile health approaches designed to increase access to care and improve adherence, robotics or automated systems that support tasks like medication adherence, and web-based decision support tools that assist patients and clinicians. It also welcomes technologies that enable on-site care delivery either in clinical settings or in the home, reflecting an interest in extending healthcare beyond traditional facilities. In practice, this could include remote monitoring systems, interactive patient-facing apps, sensor-based assessments, algorithm-driven care prompts, or platforms that connect patients with care teams more efficiently. The opportunity is intentionally flexible about the specific tool, as long as the proposed technology is tied to a credible clinical research question and patient benefit.

NIH is open to projects spanning different points in the clinical research pipeline. Proposed studies may focus on assessment or diagnosis (for instance, technology-enabled screening or detection methods), the development of new interventions (designing or adapting a tech-based intervention to address a clinical need), or intervention implementation (integrating a technology into care workflows and evaluating uptake, usability, and outcomes). A consistent requirement across these possibilities is that applicants must identify the specific patient outcomes expected to improve, rather than relying on general claims about innovation. Outcomes could include clinical endpoints (such as disease control measures), behavioral endpoints (like adherence or sustained engagement), utilization endpoints (such as reduced hospitalizations), or patient-centered endpoints (quality of life, symptom burden, functional status), provided they are explicitly defined and logically connected to the technology.

A particularly strong fit for this FOA involves emerging or cutting-edge technologies used to explain and predict patient trajectories, inform or personalize interventions, support real-time clinical decision making, and enable effective long-term management of chronic illness. This focus signals interest in systems that do more than collect data; NIH is looking for approaches that translate data into actionable insights at the point of care or in daily life. Examples of the type of work that aligns with these priorities include predictive models that anticipate deterioration and trigger early interventions, adaptive interventions that change based on patient responses, decision-support features integrated into clinical practice, and technology-enabled care strategies that are sustainable for chronic disease management over time.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by NIH, with activity categories listed as Education and Health and CFDA numbers 93.173 and 93.361. The listed award ceiling is $200,000. The source data also includes an original closing date of January 24, 2018, and a creation date of October 18, 2016, which indicates the specific posting is from a prior cycle; in practice, applicants would typically confirm whether the FOA remains active, has been reissued, or has updated submission dates and requirements before preparing an application.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, and township 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This breadth suggests NIH is seeking diverse institutional participation and solutions that can work across different populations and care contexts.

Overall, the opportunity is designed for clinical research that connects technology innovation to concrete health impact. Competitive applications under this FOA would typically make a clear case for the clinical need being addressed, define the technology and how it will be used, specify the setting and target population, and most importantly, lay out measurable patient outcomes that the technology is expected to improve. The strongest proposals are likely to be those that demonstrate not just novelty, but a realistic path to better care decisions, better adherence or engagement, improved management of chronic illness, and ultimately better patient health outcomes in everyday clinical and community environments.

• 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)" 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 2016-10-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (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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