Interventions on Health and Healthcare Disparities on Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Improving Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 23 304

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 304

This NIH grant opportunity (PAR-23-304) is an R01 funding mechanism that supports clinical trial-required research focused on reducing health and healthcare disparities tied to non-communicable and chronic diseases (NCDs) that drive the highest burden and mortality in Latin America and in U.S. Hispanic/Latino populations. The core aim is to fund intervention research that can measurably improve health outcomes by testing approaches in real clinical, health system, and community settings. The emphasis is on innovative, interdisciplinary projects that do more than describe disparities; applicants are expected to design and evaluate solutions that address them.

A central feature of the NOFO is the expectation of genuine multinational and multidisciplinary collaboration. Research teams must meaningfully partner with key stakeholders, and the application must include at least one Principal Investigator (PI) or Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) based at an institution in Latin America. That requirement signals that projects should be grounded in local context, capacity, and priorities, rather than being led solely from the United States with limited regional engagement. In practice, that typically means shared leadership, clear roles for Latin American investigators, and study plans that reflect local healthcare delivery realities, cultural factors, and implementation constraints.

The interventions supported under this opportunity can span clinical interventions (for example, patient-level or provider-level strategies delivered in healthcare settings), health services interventions (such as care delivery redesign, quality improvement models, or system-level changes that affect access, continuity, or quality of care), and community-based interventions (including public health and community-partnered strategies that influence prevention, detection, adherence, self-management, or risk factor reduction). While the specific diseases are not listed in the provided excerpt, the framing is explicitly about NCDs and chronic diseases with the greatest burden and mortality, which generally includes areas like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory conditions, cancer, and related chronic comorbidities that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. The disparity focus also implies attention to structural, social, geographic, and healthcare-access drivers that lead to unequal outcomes.

Because this is labeled “Clinical Trial Required,” applicants should plan for a study design that meets NIH’s definition of a clinical trial, meaning the project prospectively assigns human participants (or groups) to an intervention to evaluate effects on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes. That requirement matters for everything from study design and outcomes selection to participant protections, trial registration, data and safety monitoring, and the overall rigor expected for an R01-level trial. In other words, this opportunity is geared toward testing interventions with clear evaluation plans rather than purely observational or descriptive research.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types, reflecting NIH’s intent to reach universities, health systems, governments, nonprofits, and other entities that can run complex intervention studies. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other entities. The NOFO also highlights interest in a range of mission-driven institutions and organizations that often serve historically underserved populations or have deep community reach, such as Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are specific restrictions related to foreign eligibility that applicants need to read carefully. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, “foreign components,” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. Practically, this means the applicant organization must be eligible under NIH rules (typically U.S.-based), but the research can include work performed abroad through an approved foreign component, consistent with NIH policy. This structure fits the collaborative intent: a U.S.-eligible applicant can submit the grant while integrating substantive Latin America-based leadership and research activities through allowable foreign components and through the required inclusion of a Latin America-based PI or MPI.

Administrative details in the source indicate the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the funding instrument is a grant, and the opportunity is categorized under education and health with CFDA numbers 93.307, 93.313, and 93.361. The opportunity was created on October 12, 2023, and the original closing date listed is January 6, 2027. The excerpt does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for budget expectations, project period limits, institute/center participation, review criteria, and any specific requirements about study populations, outcomes, dissemination, or implementation planning.

Overall, the opportunity is designed for teams that can run rigorous intervention trials and also navigate the on-the-ground realities of healthcare inequities across Latin America and within U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities. Successful applications are likely to be those that pair strong clinical trial methods with credible, shared leadership across borders, meaningful community and health system partnerships, and interventions that are feasible, scalable, and directly aimed at reducing inequities in chronic disease outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Interventions on Health and Healthcare Disparities on Non-Communicable and Chronic Diseases in Latin America: Improving Health Outcomes Across the Hemisphere (R01 - Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.307, 93.313, 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-01-06.
• 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 23 304

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