HEAL Initiative: Development and validation of virtual assessments to study children and caregivers in their natural environment (R01- Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) | RFA DA 23 055

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 23 055

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released this HEAL Initiative funding opportunity (RFA-DA-23-055) to support research projects that develop and validate virtual assessment tools for studying children and their caregivers in real-world, everyday settings. The core goal is to create reliable and scientifically validated remote measures that can capture sociocultural, biobehavioral, and environmental factors that help explain how substance use risk, substance use exposure, and substance use disorders emerge and change over time. In practice, this means building and testing assessment approaches that work outside the clinic or lab, allowing researchers to observe and measure relevant mechanisms as families go about their normal routines, rather than relying only on in-person visits or retrospective self-reports.

The focus on "virtual assessments" signals an emphasis on remote, technology-enabled measurement strategies, such as smartphone-based surveys, ecological momentary assessment, wearable or sensor-informed measures, video-based observations, passive data capture, or other telehealth-compatible approaches that can be deployed in participants' natural environments. The intent is not simply to digitize existing questionnaires, but to establish measures that are demonstrably valid for the constructs they claim to assess and feasible for repeated use with children and caregivers. The FOA highlights mechanisms across multiple levels, including sociocultural influences (for example, stressors, family and community context, cultural factors, and social determinants), biobehavioral processes (such as affect, stress physiology proxies, sleep, behavior patterns, and caregiver-child interactions), and environmental conditions (including household and neighborhood-level exposures). By validating these measures, the program aims to strengthen research on developmental trajectories and pathways related to substance use and related outcomes.

This opportunity uses the R01 grant mechanism and is categorized as "Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required," which indicates that applications may include studies where humans are prospectively assigned to conditions to examine fundamental mechanisms, measurement performance, or behavioral processes, even if the work is not a clinical efficacy trial. Applicants should expect that rigorous study designs, careful attention to ethics and participant protections (especially because children are involved), and strong evidence plans for reliability, validity, and generalizability will be central to competitiveness. Because the purpose is measure development and validation, projects would typically be expected to demonstrate that the virtual tools can produce consistent results, reflect real underlying constructs, and function well across relevant populations and settings.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities: 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 Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, where relevant); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types, including 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, although "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning certain project activities may occur outside the U.S. under NIH rules even though the applicant organization must be domestic.

The opportunity falls under NIH and relates to health and education activity areas, with CFDA numbers listed as 93.213, 93.273, and 93.279. The original closing date shown for the FOA was February 7, 2023, and the record lists an award ceiling of $500,000. Overall, the program is aimed at improving the quality and reach of research methods used to study substance use-related developmental processes in children and caregivers by enabling robust, validated, real-world measurement that can better capture day-to-day influences and mechanisms that traditional approaches can miss.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Development and validation of virtual assessments to study children and caregivers in their natural environment (R01- Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.273, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-07. (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 $500,000.00 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 DA 23 055

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