Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 25 233

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 233

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-25-233) is a discretionary grant program designed to support small, focused research projects that improve how evidence-based health interventions actually get used in real-world settings. The core idea is to move beyond proving that an intervention works under controlled conditions and instead study what it takes to get proven interventions adopted, adapted appropriately to local contexts, integrated into routine practice, scaled up to reach more people, and sustained over time. This includes examining practical barriers and facilitators at multiple levels, such as patients and communities, clinicians and frontline staff, organizational leadership and workflow, health systems infrastructure, payer and reimbursement environments, and broader policy contexts.

A major emphasis of this FOA is on developing and testing strategies that overcome implementation challenges. Applicants are encouraged to propose studies that identify why evidence-based practices stall in the field and then design or evaluate approaches to improve uptake and long-term use. This can include strategies like training and technical assistance models, audit and feedback, implementation facilitation, workflow redesign, decision-support tools, stakeholder engagement approaches, adaptations for cultural relevance, partnership models with community organizations, and policy or payment levers that influence practice change. The FOA also highlights the importance of equitable dissemination and implementation, meaning it actively encourages work that improves access and impact among underrepresented communities and settings that have historically been left out of research and under-resourced in health service delivery. In practice, that can mean focusing on rural communities, communities of color, tribal communities, low-income settings, safety-net systems, or other populations that experience disproportionate health burdens and structural barriers to care.

In addition to promoting uptake of effective interventions, the FOA recognizes the value of "de-implementation" research. That refers to studying when and how to stop, reduce, or replace practices that are ineffective, unproven, low-value, or harmful. De-implementation can be particularly challenging because it often involves entrenched habits, financial incentives, clinical norms, or organizational routines. Projects under this topic might examine what drives continued use of low-value care, what strategies help clinicians and organizations discontinue it, and how to do so safely while maintaining patient trust and quality outcomes.

The announcement also explicitly invites studies that advance dissemination and implementation (D and I) research methods and measures. That means applicants can focus not only on implementing a specific clinical or public health intervention, but also on improving the tools the field uses to study implementation. Examples could include developing better measures of implementation outcomes (like adoption, fidelity, reach, feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, cost, penetration, and sustainability), improving study designs for real-world contexts, refining approaches for adaptation tracking, strengthening methods for understanding mechanisms of implementation strategies, or building measurement approaches that work well across diverse settings and populations.

This is an R03 mechanism, which typically supports smaller, time-limited projects such as pilot studies, feasibility testing, secondary analyses, or early-stage strategy development and testing. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that proposed research should not meet NIH's definition of a clinical trial (for example, it should not prospectively assign human participants to an intervention with the intent to evaluate effects on health-related outcomes). That said, many types of implementation research can still be supported when the primary purpose is to study implementation processes and outcomes rather than testing clinical efficacy; applicants usually need to be careful in framing aims, outcomes, and study design to stay compliant with the "not allowed" designation.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of organizations capable of conducting health-related D and I research. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or 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 that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. Importantly, applications must fall within the mission and scientific scope of one of the participating NIH Institutes or Centers, so the specific health topic area should align with the relevant NIH component.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is issued by NIH under a grant funding instrument, with activity areas that relate broadly to education, environment, health, and social services. The opportunity lists multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.310, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.989), reflecting participation across NIH components and program areas. The original closing date shown is January 7, 2028, indicating a multi-year window in which NIH expects to accept applications across multiple receipt dates (applicants should still verify the specific due dates and cycles in the official announcement and any linked NIH submission schedule). The listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, so applicants typically would look to the full FOA and NIH budget guidance for R03 limits and institute-specific expectations.

Overall, PAR-25-233 is aimed at practical, real-world research that helps bridge the gap between what is known to work and what is routinely done in health and public health systems. It prioritizes implementation strategies that can be replicated, scaled, and sustained; it encourages a clear equity lens so that evidence-based practices reach communities that need them most; it supports studying how to discontinue low-value or harmful practices; and it welcomes method-focused work that strengthens the science of dissemination and implementation itself.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.310, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• 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 25 233

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