Laboratories to Optimize Digital Health (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
Research grant funds projects to enhance digital mental health interventions by optimizing existing platforms and conducting clinical trials for effectiveness.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 5, 2026 (Renewal/resubmission/revision) | February 5, 2027 (New) | March 5, 2027 (Renewal/resubmission/revision) | June 5, 2027 (New) | July 5, 2027 (Renewal/resubmission/revision) | October 5, 2027 (New) | November 5, 2027 (Renewal/resubmission/revision) | January 7, 2028 (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: No budget cap; requests must reflect actual project needs; maximum duration 4 years; no cost sharing required
Summary: NIMH supports partnerships using established digital mental health platforms to optimize evidence-based interventions and conduct definitive effectiveness trials.
Key Information: Partnerships with digital health developers and established delivery platforms are required, with at least 1,000 active users.
Description
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports innovative R01 research to increase the reach, efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of digital mental health interventions. The program develops digital health test beds using established platforms and infrastructure to rapidly refine evidence-based interventions and conduct adequately powered clinical trials that provide definitive evidence of effectiveness.
The program promotes partnerships between software developers and academic researchers, with deployment-focused studies informed by stakeholders and service settings. Research must extend beyond a primary effectiveness trial to exploit the platform’s unique features, such as treatment-matching algorithms, adaptive interventions, or analyses of intervention dose and sequence. Priorities include serious mental illness, suicide-related outcomes, health disparities, and vulnerable populations. Translating face-to-face treatments into digital applications is outside the program’s scope.
