Mechanisms of Disparities in Chronic Liver Diseases and Cancer (R21- Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 081

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 081

Mechanisms of Disparities in Chronic Liver Diseases and Cancer (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed), Funding Opportunity Number PAR-20-081, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to fund innovative, early-stage research that digs into why chronic liver diseases and liver cancer do not affect all populations in the United States equally. The core aim is to support multidisciplinary exploratory and developmental projects that move beyond describing disparities and instead identify the underlying causes and biological, environmental, behavioral, and social mechanisms that drive these unequal outcomes. The opportunity is intended for projects that are high-impact and hypothesis-generating, with an emphasis on novel ideas and approaches that can later be scaled into larger, more definitive studies.

This announcement uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which typically supports shorter-term, exploratory research rather than large, long-running programs. Under this opportunity, clinical trials are not allowed, meaning applicants should not propose studies that prospectively assign human participants to interventions to evaluate health outcomes. Research can still involve human populations and human data, but it must stay within the boundaries of non-trial study designs (for example, observational studies, analyses of existing cohorts or biorepositories, mechanistic studies using human specimens, or secondary data analyses), as long as the proposed work does not meet NIH definitions of a clinical trial.

The funding information provided lists an award ceiling of $200,000, indicating the maximum amount available per award under the terms summarized here. The opportunity is categorized under Education and Health funding activities and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.307, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399), reflecting NIH program alignment across relevant institutes and disease areas connected to liver disease, cancer, and health disparities research.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights 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 government agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. This broad eligibility reflects the program’s emphasis on reaching institutions and communities that are often central to disparities-focused research and community-engaged scientific work.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign participation. 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 are allowed when they meet the NIH definition in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant organization may include specific foreign elements in the project when scientifically justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

The opportunity was created on January 14, 2020, and the original closing date listed is April 1, 2022. While that closing date suggests the specific cycle summarized here may have ended, the program title and PAR format indicate it may have had multiple receipt dates or related reissued announcements over time, so applicants typically need to confirm the current status and active due dates in NIH systems before preparing an application.

Overall, PAR-20-081 is geared toward generating new mechanistic insights into liver disease and liver cancer disparities in the U.S. by supporting cross-disciplinary, exploratory research that can identify causal pathways and actionable targets for future interventions, without conducting clinical trials within the R21 project itself.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mechanisms of Disparities in Chronic Liver Diseases and Cancer (R21- 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): 93.307, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-01-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-01. (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.

Apply for PAR 20 081

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