NIH Grant Opportunities

In alignment with the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is issuing this Notice of Special Interest to highlight interest in receiving research applications focused on diseases and health conditions that predominantly affect women (e.g., autoimmune diseases; depressive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD), gender-based-violence), present and progress differently in women (e.g., cardiovascular disease; HIV; reproductive aging and its implications), or are female-specific (e.g., uterine fibroids; endometriosis; menopause).

For consideration under this NOSI, applications must have a central focus on the health of women, as demonstrated through specific aims that EITHER explicitly address a particular condition in women OR focus on one of the high priority topics below. In either approach, intersectional and/or multidimensional approaches that consider the health of women in context (e.g., projects accounting for social and structural variables—including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status , and State and Federal policies— that affect women’s health) are strongly encouraged. For consideration under this NOSI, projects are not required to exclusively focus on women. However, studies that include more than one sex or gender should be designed and powered to make generalizable conclusions about women and enable sex or gender difference comparison.

High priority topics across NIH include but are not limited to:

• Projects that investigate the influence of sex-linked biology, gender-related factors, or their intersections on health.
• Projects that investigate how physical, mental, and psychological health outcomes interact with structural factors to either mitigate or exacerbate health disparities, and aim to create behavioral interventions to address these issues.
• Projects that advance the translation of research advancements and evidence in women’s health into practical benefits for patients and providers
• Projects to inform and develop multi-sector partnerships to advance innovation in women’s health research
• Research to increase public awareness of the need for greater investment in and attention to women’s health research, as well as women’s health outcomes across the lifespan
• Projects that advance research to reduce health disparities and inequities affecting women’s health, including those related to race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, disability, and exposure to environmental factors and contaminants that can directly affect health
• Dissemination and implementation research to increase uptake of evidence-based interventions that advance women’s health
• Projects addressing topics identified in the Women’s Health Innovation Opportunity Map

Investigators must carefully review the specific research interests of NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) that are participating in this NOSI.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials are encouraged to visit the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs. For more information about conducting group randomized trials (GRTs), please visit the Pragmatic and Group-Randomized Trials in Public Health and Medicine website.  

The following Institutes/Centers only accept mechanistic studies that meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial. See Related Notices section below.

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Note:  Not all NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) participate in Parent Announcements. Applicants should carefully note which ICs participate in this announcement and view their respective areas of research interest at the R01 Clinical Trial Required IC-Specific Scientific Interests and Contact website. Applicants should also carefully note which ICs accept only mechanistic trials. ICs that do not participate in this announcement will not consider applications for funding.

IC Specific Application and Submission Information

NIH ICs have separately advanced notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) relevant to this NOSI. These NOFOs might be specific to each IC mission area. Applicants must select the IC and associated NOFO to use for submission of an application in response to the NOSI. The selection must align with the IC requirements listed in order to be considered responsive to that NOFO.   

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

• Research to identify potential sex differences in dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases/conditions, especially those that contribute to susceptibility and disparate treatment outcomes for women
• Research on the prenatal environmental and physical stressors experienced by women during pregnancy that affect their child’s dental, oral, and craniofacial tissues through altered maternal physiology
• Research on salivary disorders, Sjögren’s disease, and other oral manifestations of autoimmune/rheumatologic conditions
• Research on temporomandibular muscular and joint disorders (TMD) and other acute and chronic dental and orofacial pain conditions
• Oral health disparities in women across lifespan, including pregnant women and menopausal women.
• Oral health measures and data science approaches that focus on dental, oral, and craniofacial outcomes to understand multi-morbidities and whole person health of women.
• Impact of innate (hormonal) and social factors (violence, trauma) on oral and craniofacial structures.