Innovations to Foster Healthy Longevity in Low-Income Settings (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 20 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 20 027

Innovations to Foster Healthy Longevity in Low-Income Settings (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AG-20-027; CFDA 93.866) that supports early-stage research and development projects aimed at improving day-to-day functioning and quality of life for older adults who face resource constraints. The program is especially focused on disabled older adults living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It also welcomes projects that address the needs of low-income, disabled, and socially isolated older adults living in high-income countries. The central idea is to stimulate practical, scalable innovations that help older people maintain independence, safety, participation in community life, and overall well-being in settings where health and social support systems may be limited.

The FOA encourages applicants to think beyond traditional medical care and to propose solutions that can work in real-world environments with constrained infrastructure, staffing, or funding. Projects may intervene directly with older adults, for example by developing or adapting low-cost tools, service delivery models, assistive technologies, community-based supports, or strategies that reduce disability-related barriers. The announcement also explicitly allows indirect approaches that strengthen the ecosystem around the older person, such as interventions that train, support, or reduce burden on family members and other informal caregivers, or that improve the effectiveness of local service providers. A consistent priority is the likelihood of large-scale impact, meaning proposals that can be adopted broadly, sustained over time, and delivered at a cost and complexity that fits low-resource contexts.

This is an R03 mechanism, which typically emphasizes small, focused projects that can generate foundational evidence, prototypes, feasibility data, or early implementation insights that position an innovation for later expansion. The opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that applicants should not propose NIH-defined clinical trials. In practice, this generally steers applications toward formative research, design and development work, pilot testing that does not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial, needs assessments, optimization of delivery strategies, usability testing, and other early-stage studies that build the case for future, larger research efforts.

The maximum award amount listed is $50,000 (award ceiling). The original closing date shown in the source information is February 3, 2020, and the FOA creation date is October 23, 2019. While those dates indicate this particular posting is historical, the scope and structure remain useful for understanding what NIH sought to fund under this call: practical innovations for healthy longevity and improved functioning among disadvantaged older populations.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments as well as other (non-federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and additional categories listed as "Others." The FOA also highlights additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations. This broad eligibility aligns with the FOA's emphasis on solutions that can be developed and implemented by the kinds of institutions that directly serve older adults in diverse settings.

Overall, this grant opportunity targets practical, scalable innovations that help older adults in low-income settings live better and function longer, with a strong emphasis on disability, isolation, and caregiver or service-provider support. It is designed for small, development-oriented projects that lay the groundwork for broader implementation and future research without conducting clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovations to Foster Healthy Longevity in Low-Income Settings (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-10-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-02-03. (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 $50,000.00 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 AG 20 027

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