Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in the United States (R34 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 18 232

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 232

This NIH funding opportunity (PAR-18-232) is a discretionary grant in the health area (CFDA 93.242) focused on shortening the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) for adolescents and young adults experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP) in the United States. The program is built around a widely accepted idea in early psychosis care: the first months after psychotic symptoms begin represent a critical window where effective treatment can prevent or reduce long-term disability. While team-based Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) programs that combine medication management, psychotherapy, family support, and rehabilitation services have shown better clinical and functional outcomes than traditional approaches, those benefits depend heavily on how quickly people get connected to care after symptoms start.

A central problem this FOA targets is the long delay that often occurs between the onset of psychosis and entry into appropriate FEP services. Studies commonly find treatment delays of one to three years in the U.S., which can allow symptoms, social disruption, and functional decline to become more entrenched. The World Health Organization has advocated for reducing DUP to three months or less, and this opportunity is designed to help communities move toward that benchmark by improving early identification, referral speed, and engagement in CSC.

The mechanism is an R34 planning grant with a clinical trial required, meaning applicants are expected not only to plan but also to pilot test an intervention strategy in a way that meets NIH’s definition of a clinical trial. The FOA asks applicants to do four main things: first, establish a baseline DUP rate in real-world community settings that include CSC programs; second, map how referrals currently flow into CSC (for example, from schools, emergency departments, primary care, community mental health clinics, law enforcement, or family-initiated contacts); third, identify bottlenecks and gaps that slow or block the pathway into specialized early psychosis services; and fourth, develop and pilot feasible strategies that can substantially reduce DUP for people experiencing FEP. In practice, this is about understanding the local system as it actually functions, then testing practical fixes that make it easier and faster for someone with emerging psychosis to be recognized and connected to evidence-based care.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and governments: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as faith-based and community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, as well as U.S. territories or possessions and certain regional organizations. Federal agencies are listed as eligible as well.

On the other hand, foreign institutions and non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. However, foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means limited, well-justified parts of a project can occur abroad under a U.S.-led application, as long as they comply with NIH policy and the core applicant organization remains eligible and domestic.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the original closing date was March 19, 2019, and the listed award ceiling was $225,000. Overall, the FOA is best understood as support for communities to measure their current treatment delays, diagnose why those delays happen, and then run a pilot clinical trial of realistic, scalable approaches to get young people into CSC much sooner after psychosis begins.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in the United States (R34 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-03-19. (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 $225,000.00 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 18 232

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