Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 19 030
This funding opportunity, titled "Analytical Tools and Approaches for (Multidimensional) Scholarly Research Assessment and Decision Support in the Biomedical Enterprise (R41/R42 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DA-19-030), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant solicitation aimed at small businesses. It uses the SBIR phased mechanism (R41/R42), which generally supports early-stage development followed by a second phase that advances the project toward a more complete, validated product or service. The announcement is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning proposed work should not include clinical trials and should instead focus on analytics, modeling, metrics development, software/tool creation, and related validation activities that do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.
The core purpose of the announcement is to stimulate the development of advanced analytical models, tools, and metrics that improve how decisions are made and how professional performance is assessed across the biomedical and life sciences research ecosystem. In practical terms, this means creating methods and systems that can support research management and administration, such as evaluating scientific contributions in richer and more multidimensional ways than simple publication counts or journal-based indicators. The emphasis on "multidimensional" scholarly assessment signals interest in approaches that consider multiple facets of research activity and impact, potentially including productivity, rigor, reproducibility signals, collaboration patterns, interdisciplinarity, data and software outputs, translational influence, training and mentorship contributions, open science practices, or other measurable indicators that can be responsibly interpreted in context.
A key theme is decision support for stakeholders who allocate resources, set priorities, or make evaluative judgments in the biomedical enterprise. The FOA envisions the resulting tools being useful not only within academia, but across a wide set of organizations that influence biomedical research. Examples named in the description include NGOs and disease foundations, advocacy groups, the publishing industry, research funders, policymakers, and academic institutions. That breadth implies the program is interested in tools that are usable in real-world administrative environments, can translate complex data into understandable outputs, and can help organizations make fairer, more informed, and more transparent decisions about funding, hiring, promotion, portfolio management, and strategic planning.
Because this is an SBIR opportunity for small businesses, the expectation is that applicants will propose a product-oriented development effort rather than purely academic research. Competitive projects would typically involve building or significantly advancing a scalable analytic platform or software tool, developing new metrics or modeling approaches, testing them with relevant data sources, and demonstrating that the outputs are reliable and useful for end users. While the announcement does not list specific data sources in the excerpt provided, the topic naturally aligns with leveraging bibliometric, scientometric, and research administrative datasets (for example, publication and citation data, grant and award records, patent linkages, collaboration networks, institutional data, or other structured sources) to generate insights that can support assessment and decision-making.
Eligibility is limited to small businesses. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" may be allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means certain discrete project elements may be performed outside the U.S. if adequately justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic and eligible. The opportunity is associated with NIH and lists CFDA number 93.279. The original closing date shown is March 4, 2019, and the FOA creation date is January 2, 2019, indicating this specific solicitation was time-bound to that period, even though the summary topic remains relevant to ongoing research assessment and analytics efforts across the biomedical sector.Apply for RFA DA 19 030
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Analytical Tools and Approaches for (Multidimensional) Scholarly Research Assessment and Decision Support in the Biomedical Enterprise (R41/R42 - 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): 93.279.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-02.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-03-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled "Analytical Tools and Approaches for (Multidimensional) Scholarly Research Assessment and Decision Support in the Biomedical Enterprise (R41/R42 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The FOA number is RFA-DA-19-030.
Which agency is offering this grant opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant solicitation.
What type of applicants is this opportunity intended for?
This opportunity is aimed at small businesses and uses the NIH SBIR mechanism.
What grant mechanism does this FOA use?
It uses the SBIR phased mechanism R41/R42, which typically supports early-stage development in Phase I (R41) and further development and validation toward a more complete product or service in Phase II (R42).
Are clinical trials allowed under this FOA?
No. The announcement is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." Proposed work should not include clinical trials and should focus instead on analytics, modeling, metrics development, software/tool creation, and related validation activities that do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to stimulate the development of advanced analytical models, tools, and metrics that improve decision-making and professional performance assessment across the biomedical and life sciences research ecosystem.
What does "multidimensional" scholarly research assessment mean in this context?
It refers to approaches that assess research activity and impact using multiple facets rather than relying mainly on simple counts (such as publication totals) or journal-based indicators. The FOA signals interest in richer measures that can be interpreted responsibly and in context.
What kinds of research contributions or signals may these tools consider?
Examples described include considering multiple facets such as productivity, rigor, reproducibility signals, collaboration patterns, interdisciplinarity, data and software outputs, translational influence, training and mentorship contributions, open science practices, and other measurable indicators that can be interpreted appropriately.
What is meant by "decision support" in the biomedical enterprise?
Decision support refers to tools and methods that help stakeholders allocate resources, set priorities, and make evaluative judgments. The goal is to turn complex data into outputs that are usable for real-world administrative decisions.
Who are the intended users or stakeholders for the tools developed under this FOA?
The FOA envisions tools that are useful across academia and other organizations involved in biomedical research decisions, including NGOs and disease foundations, advocacy groups, the publishing industry, research funders, policymakers, and academic institutions.
What kinds of decisions could these tools help inform?
The FOA describes use cases such as supporting fairer, more informed, and more transparent decisions related to funding, hiring, promotion, portfolio management, and strategic planning.
Is this intended to fund academic research or product development?
Because it is an SBIR opportunity, the expectation is a product-oriented development effort rather than purely academic research. Competitive projects would generally involve building or significantly advancing a scalable analytic platform or software tool, developing metrics or modeling approaches, and validating usefulness for end users.
What kinds of activities would fit this FOA (based on the description provided)?
Activities aligned with the description include analytics, modeling, metrics development, creating software/tools, and validation work that demonstrates reliability and usefulness, as long as the work does not constitute a clinical trial.
What kinds of data sources might be relevant for proposed tools?
While the excerpt does not require specific datasets, it aligns naturally with bibliometric, scientometric, and research administrative data sources such as publication and citation data, grant and award records, patent linkages, collaboration networks, institutional data, or other structured sources used to support research assessment and decision-making.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to small businesses.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.
Are any foreign activities allowed at all under this opportunity?
The description notes that "foreign components" may be allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement. This generally means certain discrete elements of a project may be performed outside the U.S. if they are adequately justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic and eligible.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity lists CFDA number 93.279.
When was this FOA created?
The FOA creation date shown is January 2, 2019.
What was the original closing date for this solicitation?
The original closing date shown is March 4, 2019, indicating the solicitation was time-bound to that period.
Does the topic remain relevant even if the original closing date has passed?
The description notes that, while this specific solicitation was time-bound, the overall topic (research assessment analytics and decision support across the biomedical sector) remains broadly relevant to ongoing efforts in the field.
What should an applicant emphasize to align with the FOA's intent?
Based on the description provided, alignment would come from proposing a scalable, user-relevant analytical tool or platform that advances multidimensional scholarly assessment and decision support, includes appropriate validation of outputs for intended users, and avoids clinical trial activities.
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