Centers of Excellence in Self-Management of Symptoms (P30) | RFA NR 16 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NR 16 002

The Centers of Excellence in Self-Management of Symptoms (P30) funding opportunity (RFA-NR-16-002) is a discretionary NIH grant administered through the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). It invites proposals to create P30 Centers of Excellence focused on self-management of symptoms, with the central aim of strengthening and sustaining interdisciplinary, biobehavioral nursing research. In practical terms, NINR is looking to fund institutions that can build an organized center structure that makes symptom self-management research easier to conduct, more collaborative across disciplines, and more likely to produce strong pilot findings that turn into larger research programs and competitive independent grant applications.

At the core of the announcement is the idea that a Center of Excellence should do more than support individual projects. The center is expected to create durable research capacity by putting shared infrastructure and centralized resources in place. That can include things like common methods support, shared measurement tools, data management and analytic support, participant recruitment resources, intervention development expertise, training or mentoring structures, or other coordinated services that multiple investigators can use. The emphasis on “interdisciplinary” and “biobehavioral” signals that NINR expects collaboration across fields (for example, nursing, psychology, behavioral science, neuroscience, informatics, public health, and related areas) and research that connects behavior, biology, and health outcomes in the context of symptom experience and symptom management.

The FOA lays out three main objectives that funded centers are expected to accomplish. First, they must develop sustainable interdisciplinary, biobehavioral research capacity for scientists conducting nursing research, specifically by establishing centralized resources and a supportive research infrastructure. Second, they must advance the center’s thematic science area through complementary and synergistic research activities, meaning the center should be organized around a coherent scientific theme in symptom self-management where different projects, investigators, and cores reinforce one another rather than operating as isolated efforts. Third, they must enable feasibility research that can grow into new programs of research and lead to independent investigator-initiated applications, essentially using the center as a launchpad for pilot studies and early-stage work that can mature into larger NIH-funded projects.

Eligibility is broad in terms of organizational types, spanning state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, among others. The opportunity also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants 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, and U.S. territories or possessions. However, there is a key constraint: applications must come from a School of Nursing, making the nursing school the required applicant home for the center.

The FOA also clearly restricts foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. This makes the program fully domestically anchored and focused on strengthening U.S.-based nursing research infrastructure and collaboration.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a grant under the P30 center mechanism, with the activity category listed under education and health and the CFDA number 93.361. The announcement lists an award ceiling of $350,000, indicating the maximum amount anticipated under the terms summarized here. The original closing date was 2015-11-30, and the FOA creation date is 2015-09-24, which places this as a specific-time NIH solicitation rather than an always-open mechanism.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for Schools of Nursing that can credibly organize a center around symptom self-management science, demonstrate the ability to run shared research infrastructure, and foster a pipeline of interdisciplinary projects and investigators. The expected end result is a stronger, more connected research environment that accelerates biobehavioral discoveries and practical self-management interventions for symptoms, while also helping investigators generate the preliminary data and collaborative momentum needed to compete successfully for future independent NIH funding.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers of Excellence in Self-Management of Symptoms (P30)" 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 $350,000.00 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.

Apply for RFA NR 16 002

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