Secondary Analyses in Obesity, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 052

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 052

The NIH funding opportunity "Secondary Analyses in Obesity, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-052) supports short, exploratory research projects that use data that already exist, rather than generating entirely new datasets. The core idea is to help researchers test new, creative, and potentially high-impact hypotheses by reanalyzing previously collected information such as cohort studies, clinical trial datasets, disease registries, epidemiologic surveys, biobanks with linked clinical data, electronic health record-derived datasets, or other well-characterized sources. Because it uses the R21 mechanism, the emphasis is on innovation and feasibility for an early-stage research question, with the understanding that results can lay the groundwork for larger, future studies.

Scientifically, the FOA is centered on conditions within the mission space of obesity, diabetes, and a broad range of digestive and kidney diseases, while also explicitly including selected endocrine and metabolic disorders. On the diabetes and endocrine side, it highlights diabetes and related metabolic disease areas, along with thyroid and parathyroid diseases, Cushing's disease, and acromegaly. It also calls out genetic and inherited metabolic diseases, naming cystic fibrosis, lysosomal storage diseases, and disorders involving the urea cycle, amino acid metabolism, and metal transport, particularly when the research focus connects to peripheral metabolism or organ function. On the digestive and nutrition side, it includes obesity, liver diseases, diseases of the alimentary gastrointestinal tract, and nutrition-related topics. On the renal and related side, it includes kidney diseases as well as urologic and hematologic diseases, reflecting an intent to encourage analyses that can connect organ systems, comorbidities, and shared biological pathways.

The program is specifically about secondary analysis, meaning applicants should already have access to an existing dataset or have a clear, realistic plan to obtain access. Projects are expected to go beyond simple descriptive summaries and instead address a focused question that could change how people think about risk, mechanisms, prognosis, subtypes of disease, treatment response, health disparities, or prevention. Competitive applications typically make a strong case that the dataset is well suited to the proposed hypothesis (appropriate sample size, measures, timing, and outcomes), that the analytic plan is rigorous and transparent (including attention to confounding, missing data, multiple comparisons, and reproducibility), and that the findings would be meaningful even though the work is exploratory in nature.

The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," which in NIH terms means the applicant may propose work that meets NIH's definition of a clinical trial, but it is not required. Many secondary analyses will not be clinical trials, but the flexibility is there for projects that might involve prospective assignment in some way or meet that definition. In all cases, the central expectation remains that the main contribution is an innovative analysis of existing data rather than the creation of a large new data collection effort.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the National Institutes of Health under the Health and Food and Nutrition activity category (CFDA 93.847). The award ceiling listed is $200,000, which aligns with the R21's role as a smaller, early-phase mechanism designed to generate preliminary evidence quickly. The original closing date shown in the source information is 2018-04-03, and the posting creation date is 2017-11-15, which signals that this specific listing reflects that cycle; applicants would typically confirm the current status, reissues, or active receipt dates on NIH/Grants.gov before planning a submission.

Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive. In addition to common applicant types such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, the FOA also welcomes a wide array of government and community-based entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and a variety of mission-driven institutional categories. The FOA explicitly highlights eligibility for 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), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) entities. This breadth is meant to broaden participation and encourage diverse perspectives and populations in analyses, which can be particularly important in diseases like diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease where burden and outcomes vary across communities.

In practical terms, an applicant responding to this FOA would frame a sharp, testable question, identify and justify the existing dataset that can answer it, and propose an analysis strategy that is both methodologically sound and appropriate for an R21 scope. The best fit projects are those where the data are already rich, but the scientific insight has not yet been fully extracted, whether that involves discovering new associations, clarifying mechanisms, identifying clinically meaningful subgroups, or generating evidence that can inform prevention, diagnosis, or management across the listed disease areas.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Secondary Analyses in Obesity, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-03. (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 $200,000.00 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.

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