Dysregulation and Proximal Risk for Suicide (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 20 326

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 326

The NIH opportunity titled "Dysregulation and Proximal Risk for Suicide (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (RFA-MH-20-326) is focused on improving near-term, practical understanding of suicide risk by studying how and when people shift from suicidal thoughts to suicidal actions. The announcement emphasizes that suicide risk is not static. It changes over time, often rapidly, and suicide attempts are frequently preceded by acute stressors. Because of that, the FOA is especially interested in research that can capture time-varying, short-window (proximal) risk and clarify the best moments to intervene.

A central theme is "dysregulation," but in a broader sense than emotion alone. The FOA notes that many existing studies emphasize emotion dysregulation, while fewer examine arousal and regulation (for example, physiological or behavioral arousal systems and the ability to modulate them). The goal is to understand how these regulation problems dynamically influence or interact with key emotional and cognitive functions. Examples specifically highlighted include response to reward, frustrative non-reward (how people react when expected rewards do not occur), cognitive flexibility and cognitive control, and decision-making. In practical terms, the FOA is pushing the field to connect dysregulation to measurable changes in cognition and motivational systems (negative and positive valence processes) that may signal escalating risk in real time.

The research gap this announcement targets is that, within the NIMH suicide-risk portfolio, relatively little work has concentrated on proximal predictors and mechanisms. This FOA aims to fund projects that identify mechanisms explaining how dysregulation interacts with cognition and with positive and negative valence systems to produce fluctuating risk over short time scales. A major deliverable NIMH is seeking is the identification of modifiable targets, meaning factors that can realistically be changed and could serve as leverage points for timely interventions during high-risk periods. The emphasis is not just on correlates of suicide risk, but on mechanisms that can inform when and what to intervene on.

Mechanism-wise, this is an R21 funding opportunity, which is typically intended for exploratory, developmental, and potentially high-risk/high-reward projects. The FOA explicitly notes that projects without extensive preliminary data, or projects leveraging existing datasets in innovative ways, may be well suited for the R21. Applicants who already have substantial preliminary data are pointed toward an R01 alternative (referenced in the text as RFA-MH-19-327). The "Clinical Trial Optional" label means applicants may propose studies that include a clinical trial component, but they are not required to do so; non-trial mechanistic and observational designs are also consistent with the announcement if they address the scientific goals.

In terms of basic opportunity details, the agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the activity category is Health under CFDA 93.242. The listed award ceiling is $200,000 (as provided in the source information). The original closing date shown is 2020-02-13, and the FOA creation date is 2019-11-08. While the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided data, the overall structure indicates a targeted NIMH research investment meant to stimulate new directions on short-term risk processes.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city/township, 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 and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (foreign) entities.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a push toward next-generation suicide-risk science that can explain near-term transitions to suicidal behavior. It encourages applicants to go beyond broad, long-term risk factors and instead measure and model how dysregulation in arousal and regulation systems interacts with cognition and reward/punishment processing to create short windows of heightened danger, with the explicit aim of identifying actionable, modifiable intervention targets for those windows.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dysregulation and Proximal Risk for Suicide (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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-02-13. (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.

Apply for RFA MH 20 326

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: