Digital Healthcare Interventions to Address the Secondary Health Effects Related to Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impact of COVID-19 (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 20 243

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 243

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity PAR 20-243 supports R01 research projects that test and evaluate digital healthcare interventions used during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with an eye toward improving readiness for future public health emergencies. The program is not aimed at studying the direct biological or clinical effects of COVID-19 infection itself (those topics are covered elsewhere). Instead, it targets the secondary health effects tied to the social, behavioral, and economic disruption of the pandemic, such as worsening behavioral health, reduced access to care, interrupted preventive services, and challenges in managing chronic conditions.

A central focus of the opportunity is how digital health tools can strengthen access, reach, and quality of healthcare delivery when in-person care is limited or unevenly available. NIH is interested in interventions that use approaches like mobile health (mHealth) applications, telemedicine and telehealth models, health information technology (including EHR-enabled workflows and patient portals), and wearable or remote monitoring devices. The expectation is that applicants will go beyond simply deploying technology and will rigorously study how well these digital approaches work in real-world settings, including whether they can be implemented broadly, maintained over time, and scaled sustainably across clinics, communities, or health systems.

The announcement emphasizes outcomes that matter for public health impact, including effectiveness of assessments or interventions, the ability to reach people who might otherwise be missed, and practical implementation factors such as feasibility, adoption, usability, and ongoing maintenance. Projects can examine issues like improving mental and behavioral health support (for example, anxiety, depression, substance use risks, stress, or social isolation), promoting self-management of chronic diseases under disrupted conditions (such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, or heart disease), and helping patients navigate care amid changing service availability. The goal is to generate evidence that digital interventions can meaningfully reduce the downstream health harms triggered by pandemic-related social and economic conditions.

Health equity is a major priority. The opportunity specifically highlights populations that experience health disparities and other vulnerable groups, encouraging research that improves digital care delivery for communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and its secondary consequences. This includes addressing barriers such as limited broadband access, device availability, digital literacy, language access, disability accommodations, trust in healthcare systems, and the ways that economic instability and structural inequities can shape engagement with digital services. Competitive applications typically align the intervention design and evaluation strategy with the realities of the populations served, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all technology solution.

The grant mechanism is an R01, and clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose a clinical trial if it is appropriate, but it is not required. NIH’s intent is to fund strong, hypothesis-driven or well-justified applied research that produces generalizable knowledge about digital health interventions and how they can be delivered effectively during crisis conditions and in the recovery period afterward. The award ceiling listed in the source data is $750,000, and the program falls under the health funding activity category with CFDA number 93.242.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as applicants. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may participate, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed, which means projects may include certain international elements when justified, even though the primary applicant organization must be eligible under NIH rules. The original closing date shown in the source information is March 2, 2021, and the opportunity was created on June 25, 2020.

Overall, this opportunity is designed to build practical, evidence-based digital healthcare strategies that help health systems and communities respond to the indirect and longer-lasting health consequences of COVID-19 and similar emergencies, with a strong emphasis on improving equitable access and ensuring interventions can be sustained and scaled beyond the immediate crisis period.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Digital Healthcare Interventions to Address the Secondary Health Effects Related to Social, Behavioral, and Economic Impact of COVID-19 (R01 - 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 2020-06-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-02. (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 $750,000.00 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 PAR 20 243

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