Detecting Cognitive Impairment, Including Dementia, in Primary Care and Other Everyday Clinical Settings for the General Public and Health Equity, Pragmatic Clinical Trials (U01 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA NS 22 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 22 009

This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-NS-22-009) supports pragmatic clinical trials designed to improve how cognitive impairment, including dementia, is detected in real-world primary care and other everyday clinical settings across the United States. The central problem it targets is that many people with early cognitive changes are not identified in routine care, especially in large, diverse patient populations and in communities that face health disparities. The grant is focused on what happens when a concern is raised in practice, meaning a patient, a family member, or a care provider expresses worry about memory, thinking, or day-to-day functioning and the clinic needs a quick, reliable way to respond.

The projects NIH wants to fund should test practical, scalable clinical approaches (called clinical paradigms) that can be used during typical clinic workflows rather than under idealized research conditions. A major expectation is that the detection tools used in the trial are simple, standardized, and fast, ideally taking five minutes or less to administer in a primary care visit. In plain terms, this FOA is not mainly looking for long, specialized neuropsychological batteries that require extensive training or extra staffing. It is looking for approaches that fit the time and staffing constraints of frontline care while still improving the ability to recognize cognitive impairment early and consistently.

A key emphasis is health equity. NIH is explicitly calling for studies that work in large and diverse populations, including groups that are often underdiagnosed or diagnosed later, such as certain racial and ethnic minority groups, rural populations, people with lower access to specialty care, and other health disparities populations. Applicants are expected to design their studies so the results are meaningful for these communities, not just as an afterthought but as a core design feature. That typically means recruiting diverse participants, using culturally and linguistically appropriate tools and processes, and making sure the detection approach does not accidentally widen inequities by being harder to access, less accurate, or less acceptable in certain settings.

The award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement, which usually means NIH staff will have substantial involvement with the research team during the project. This is different from a standard research grant where the investigators have more independence. The FOA also states "Clinical Trial Required," meaning applicants must propose and conduct a clinical trial, specifically a pragmatic one grounded in routine care. Pragmatic trials generally aim to test effectiveness in the messy reality of actual clinics, using broad eligibility criteria, practical outcomes, and implementation approaches that could be sustained if proven successful.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations: state, county, and local governments; public and private colleges and universities; 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; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. While foreign components as defined by NIH policy are allowed, non-U.S. organizations (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.

Administratively, the funding comes from the National Institutes of Health under CFDA numbers 93.853 and 93.866, and it is categorized as a discretionary health funding opportunity. The original closing date listed is 2021-11-10, and the FOA was created on 2021-09-08. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text, which often means applicants need to consult the full FOA or NIH communications for budget and award count expectations.

For the general public, the practical takeaway is that this opportunity is aimed at making it easier for everyday clinics to spot concerning changes in thinking and memory earlier and more fairly, so people can get appropriate follow-up, support, and care planning sooner. For health equity, the focus is on ensuring these improvements work well for everyone, including communities that have historically faced barriers to timely diagnosis and high-quality cognitive care.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Detecting Cognitive Impairment, Including Dementia, in Primary Care and Other Everyday Clinical Settings for the General Public and Health Equity, Pragmatic Clinical Trials (U01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-09-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-10. (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 RFA NS 22 009

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