Innovative Pilot Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funds available for innovative pilot research in mental health services research, focused on non-clinical trial service interventions in line with NIMH priorities.
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) | Additional cycles through November 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $450,000 direct costs over 3 years; no more than $225,000 in any single year
Summary: Supports innovative pilot research in mental health services that does not involve clinical trials, aligned with NIMH priorities to improve access, quality, and outcomes.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed; updated March 2025—review the full NOFO for recent changes.
Description
This opportunity from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports pilot research projects that advance the delivery, quality, and public health impact of mental health services, but do not involve clinical trials. The focus is on innovative, exploratory studies that address NIMH strategic priorities, particularly those that can inform future, larger-scale research or service delivery improvements.
Projects may include:
- Identifying mutable factors affecting access, continuity, utilization, quality, value, and outcomes of mental health services (including disparities).
- Developing and testing new research tools, technologies, measures, or methods.
- Testing the feasibility of integrating and analyzing large datasets to understand factors affecting mental health services outcomes.
- Leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships to maximize impact.
Research must not prospectively assign participants to interventions (i.e., no clinical trials). Instead, eligible designs include natural experiments, survey or mixed methods research, clinical epidemiology, and development/refinement of research methods or statistical approaches.
