Ending the HIV Epidemic: Resource Center to Engage Justice-Involved Populations (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 24 022

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 24 022

This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-DA-24-022) supports a cooperative agreement (U24, clinical trial optional) to build a patient-centered research resource center aimed at advancing the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic effort for people who are involved in the criminal legal system. The central purpose is to create a Patient Engagement Resource Center (PERC) that strengthens and accelerates the work of the HIV/Justice Regional Research Hubs (referenced as being funded under RFA-DA-24-105) by supplying practical, scalable ways to bring the perspectives of affected communities directly into research planning and implementation. The emphasis is not just on producing research outputs, but on creating durable infrastructure, tools, and consultation capacity that multiple hub projects can use.

At the core of the project is a partnership model grounded in lived experience. The PERC is expected to collaborate with patients and other stakeholders who have direct experience with HIV, substance use disorders (SUD), and the criminal legal system. In practice, that means setting up a research advisory and consultation approach that can guide hub investigators on how to design studies, interventions, recruitment strategies, consent processes, retention plans, and dissemination activities in ways that are credible and usable for justice-involved populations. The opportunity highlights user-centered design as the overarching philosophy, signaling that the resource center should rely on structured feedback loops, co-design methods, and iterative testing rather than top-down program design.

Beyond consultation and engagement infrastructure, the awardee is also expected to carry out original research. That research component focuses on identifying major barriers that prevent justice-involved individuals from accessing and using HIV and SUD prevention and treatment services, and then pilot testing potential solutions to address those barriers. The intent is applied: identify what blocks care in real settings (during incarceration, at reentry, while on probation/parole, or in community supervision contexts) and test practical strategies that could improve uptake and continuity of HIV and SUD services. The combined center-and-research structure is meant to inform both research and practice, so findings and tools can be translated into how the hubs run their projects and, ideally, how systems deliver care.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH opportunity under CFDA 93.279, using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically means substantial NIH involvement in program stewardship compared to a standard grant. The listed award ceiling is $350,000, and the original closing date shown is August 16, 2023. While the opportunity references clinical trials as optional, applicants would still need to align any proposed human subjects activities with NIH policies and the specific requirements associated with U24 awards.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations: state, county, and local governments; special districts; public housing authorities; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, tribally controlled colleges and universities, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components are allowed as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means limited foreign involvement can be included when it is well-justified and compliant with NIH policy.

Overall, the grant is designed for an applicant that can function as a national-level support and coordination resource for multiple regional hub projects, while also generating new evidence about how to reduce real-world barriers to HIV and SUD services for people impacted by incarceration and related legal system involvement. The throughline is meaningful patient and lived-experience engagement, structured in a way that consistently improves how research and interventions are designed, tested, and ultimately adopted in justice-related settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ending the HIV Epidemic: Resource Center to Engage Justice-Involved Populations (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-16. (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 $350,000.00 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 24 022

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