Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 16, 2025 (New) | July 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | October 16, 2025 (New) | November 16, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | February 16, 2026 (New) | March 16, 2026 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | and similar dates through November 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 direct costs over 2 years; no more than $200,000 in any single year; project period max 2 years.
Summary: Supports translational and mechanistic research on mood and psychosis symptoms during the menopause transition to identify neurobiological, hormonal, and psychosocial treatment targets.
Key Information: Updated March 2025: Carefully review the full NOFO for recent changes and application requirements.
Description
This NIH funding opportunity (R21 mechanism) supports exploratory and developmental research to advance understanding of the emergence and worsening of mood and psychotic disorders—such as perimenopausal depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia—during the menopause transition (MT). The goal is to identify neurobiological, hormonal, and psychosocial mechanisms underlying these symptoms and to inform future development of novel interventions or prevention strategies.
The program encourages interdisciplinary, hypothesis-driven, and mechanistic studies, including those that use dimensional or Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approaches, and welcomes teams with diverse expertise (e.g., neuroscience, endocrinology, psychiatry, psychology, engineering, epidemiology, reproductive medicine, gerontology, gynecology, pharmacology). Projects led by or including individuals with lived experience of perimenopausal depression or psychosis are encouraged.
Areas of Interest
- Neurobiological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms underlying mood and psychosis during the menopause transition
- Risk factors (biological, genetic, psychosocial, environmental) for mood and psychosis during MT, including intersectionality frameworks
- Mechanistic role of reproductive steroids in mood and psychosis symptoms
- Identification and regulation of brain circuits or neurobiological systems as treatment targets
- Mechanisms linking mood/psychosis symptoms during MT to increased mortality or comorbidities
- Computational, neuroimaging, and digital phenotyping approaches
- Studies integrating multiple levels of analysis (e.g., genetic, cellular, brain circuit, physiological, behavioral, self-report)
Not Supported
- Studies not targeting populations in the menopause transition
- Projects focused solely on safety, efficacy, or implementation of new interventions
- Descriptive studies without mechanistic focus
- Studies using only a single level of analysis
- Stand-alone technology development
- Nonhuman animal studies
Due Dates
- 2025: June 16 (New), July 16 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision), October 16 (New), November 16 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision)
- 2026: February 16, March 16, June 16, July 16, October 16, November 16
- 2027: February 16, March 16, June 16, July 16, October 16, November 16
All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization. The opportunity expires January 8, 2028.
Funding Amount
- Direct Costs: Up to $275,000 total for the 2-year project period
- Annual Limit: No more than $200,000 in any single year
- Project Period: Maximum 2 years
- Number of Awards: Contingent on NIH appropriations and number of meritorious applications
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include:
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status)
- For-profit organizations (including small businesses)
- State, county, city, township, and special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal governments and organizations (federally recognized and other)
- Faith-based and community-based organizations
- Regional organizations
- U.S. territories and possessions
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign components of U.S. organizations
Individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research are invited to apply. Multiple applications from the same organization are allowed if scientifically distinct.
Application Process
- Mechanism: R21 Exploratory/Developmental Grant (Clinical Trial Optional)
- Submission: Use NIH ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system solutions
- Required Registrations: SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and (for foreign organizations) NCAGE
- Application Guide: Follow the NIH Research (R) Instructions and the How to Apply - Application Guide
- Data Sharing: All applicants must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan; NIMH expects data sharing via the NIMH Data Archive (NDA)
- Human Subjects: Complete the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form as required
- Budget: Use R&R or Modular Budget forms as appropriate; foreign organizations must use R&R Budget
Additional Information
- Review Criteria: Emphasis on mechanistic hypotheses, multidimensional analysis, and rigor/feasibility. See the full NOFO for detailed review criteria.
- Companion Opportunity: For longer-term or preliminary data-supported projects, see the companion R01 PAR-25-281.
- Policy Updates: The NOFO was updated in March 2025; applicants should review the latest version for changes.
- Non-Responsive Applications: See the NOFO for a list of non-responsive study types.
External Links
Contact Information