NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Research (R01) | PAR 18 769

FAQs: NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Research (R01) - PAR 18 769

What is the NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Research (R01) opportunity?

It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program from NIOSH designed to support full-scale research projects that improve worker safety and health. The emphasis is on building scientific understanding of workplace risks and using that evidence to drive practical prevention.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The central aim is to strengthen the evidence base around occupational risks, exposures, and workplace conditions that contribute to injuries and diseases, and to translate that knowledge into interventions, practices, tools, guidance, or products that measurably reduce work-related illness and injury.

Is the program focused only on describing occupational health problems?

No. While understanding hazards and risks is important, the opportunity explicitly emphasizes prevention impact. Proposals are expected to generate evidence that can be translated into real-world prevention outcomes (for example, interventions, tools, guidance, or products).

What does the opportunity mean by occupational health "burden"?

The "burden" is the specific occupational safety or health problem your project is addressing, described concisely and convincingly. The burden could be a particular injury type, disease outcome, hazardous exposure, high-risk job task, or a vulnerable worker population.

What does a strong burden statement need to do?

Applications are expected to connect: (1) the burden and why it matters, (2) the proposed research activities and why they are needed, and (3) the outputs expected from the work and how those outputs will help reduce or alleviate the burden.

What kinds of outputs does NIOSH expect from funded projects?

The opportunity highlights outputs that can drive prevention, including interventions, prevention practices, tools, guidance, or products. The key expectation is that outputs are practical and tied to measurable reductions in work-related illness and injury.

How important is impact beyond the project period?

Impact is a major theme. Proposals should clearly describe expected results during the project period and explain how the work will continue influencing prevention, policy, workplace practice, or product development after the grant ends.

What type of grant mechanism is this?

The funding instrument is an R01 research project grant, typically used to support hypothesis-driven or problem-driven research at a scale large enough to produce meaningful findings, validated methods, or implementable solutions.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PAR 18 769.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.262.

What funding activity category does this opportunity fall under?

It falls under the health funding activity category.

What is the listed award ceiling?

The listed award ceiling in the provided source data is $400,000.

What was the closing date shown in the provided record?

The original closing date shown is 2018-05-30.

What does the record creation date suggest about timing?

The record creation date is 2018-05-07, suggesting the provided posting reflects that cycle. Applicants are expected to verify whether the announcement is still active, has been reissued, or has updated due dates under NIH posting systems.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many applicant types across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities and 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.

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible applicants?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly included among the additional eligible applicant categories listed in the announcement.

Are federally recognized tribal governments eligible?

Yes. Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) are listed as eligible.

Are tribal organizations eligible even if they are not federally recognized tribal governments?

Yes. The eligible applicant list includes tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), and it also calls out Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized among additional eligible categories.

Are nonprofits eligible, including those without 501(c)(3) status?

Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) are listed as eligible.

Are for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) are listed as eligible, and small businesses are also listed separately as eligible.

Are colleges and universities eligible?

Yes. Both public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible. The announcement also explicitly references several institution categories (for example, HBCUs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, TCCUs, and others) as eligible.

Are government entities eligible?

Yes. State, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts are listed as eligible. The announcement also mentions eligible federal government agencies among additional eligible applicant categories.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly called out among additional eligible applicant categories.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) institutions eligible to apply as the primary applicant?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations.

Can a U.S.-based applicant include foreign components or collaborations?

Yes. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply, and foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In practice, a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign activities or collaborations as components of the project, subject to NIH definitions and requirements.

What types of research topics fit this opportunity?

The opportunity supports research that identifies and characterizes occupational hazards and risk factors, develops and evaluates methods to reduce exposure or risk, and moves findings into actionable prevention practices or products.

What makes a proposal competitive under this announcement?

Competitive proposals are expected to present a clear burden statement, a well-justified research plan, concrete and credible outputs, and a realistic explanation of how the work will make a difference for worker health and safety during the award and well beyond it.

What is the overall emphasis of the program in plain terms?

The program is aimed at research that is both scientifically strong and clearly tied to prevention. It is not just about generating knowledge, but about generating knowledge that leads to practical, real-world reductions in occupational illness and injury.