NEI Vision Research Epidemiology Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 18 864

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 864

The NEI Vision Research Epidemiology Grant (UG1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the National Eye Institute (NEI) designed to support large, complex, and often multi-center epidemiologic studies focused on vision and eye health. The program is intended for investigator-initiated projects that are considered high resource and potentially higher risk due to their scale, complexity, and coordination needs. Its central goal is to fund new and innovative research in ocular epidemiology, meaning studies that look at the distribution, determinants, and risk factors of eye conditions across populations, with an emphasis on generating broadly useful, real-world evidence rather than testing clinical interventions in a trial format.

This opportunity uses the UG1 activity code, which is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. In practical terms, a cooperative agreement typically implies substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from NEI staff during the life of the project. Applicants should generally expect more active collaboration with the agency compared to mechanisms where the project is primarily directed by the grantee with minimal federal involvement. This mechanism is commonly used when the work requires coordinated oversight, harmonized methods across multiple sites, complex data systems, or other features where close federal partnership helps ensure the study is executed successfully and yields high-quality, generalizable findings.

A key restriction is that clinical trials are not allowed under this FOA. That means projects cannot be designed to prospectively assign human participants to an intervention or treatment to evaluate health outcomes. Instead, the emphasis is on epidemiologic research approaches such as population-based cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, surveillance efforts, and other observational or data-driven designs that aim to understand patterns of disease, identify risk or protective factors, refine phenotyping, or evaluate associations and outcomes in real-world settings. The funded work is meant to advance knowledge about eye diseases and vision impairment at the population level, which can later inform prevention strategies, clinical guidelines, and future research priorities.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations. Domestic applicants can include state, county, city/township, and special district governments, as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are eligible across the spectrum, including public and state-controlled institutions and private institutions. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations (both those with 501(c)(3) status and those without), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. In addition, the announcement explicitly highlights a wide range of other eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized; eligible federal agencies; faith-based or community-based organizations; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth signals NEI interest in supporting research capacity and population-focused vision research across diverse communities and settings, including studies that may involve international partners or non-U.S. populations when scientifically justified.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument type. It falls under the NIH health funding activity area and is associated with CFDA number 93.867. The funding opportunity number is PAR-18-864, and the original posting (creation) date is July 19, 2018, with an original closing date listed as June 28, 2021. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided details, UG1 projects are generally understood to be substantial undertakings given the program description emphasizing multi-center and other high-resource epidemiologic efforts.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as support for ambitious ocular epidemiology projects that require significant infrastructure, coordination, and rigorous population-based methods, with NEI playing an active partner role. The program is geared toward generating impactful evidence about eye health and disease in populations, while clearly excluding interventional clinical trial designs.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Vision Research Epidemiology Grant (UG1 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): 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-07-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 18 864

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