Getting To Zero: Understanding HIV Viral Suppression and Transmission in the United States (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 20 036

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 036

Getting To Zero: Understanding HIV Viral Suppression and Transmission in the United States (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-20-036) designed to strengthen the evidence base for ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. The central goal is to improve understanding of HIV viral suppression and ongoing HIV transmission by using population-level epidemiology alongside newer analytic and technological approaches such as data science methods and mobile/electronic health (m/eHealth) tools, and by applying implementation science to study how effective strategies can be adopted, scaled, and sustained in real-world settings. The expectation is that projects funded under this announcement will generate practical, context-specific data that can inform HIV control efforts and help evaluate whether particular policies, programs, or service delivery models are actually moving communities closer to durable viral suppression and reduced transmission.

A key theme of the announcement is the integration of multiple disciplines and data sources to answer questions that matter for public health decision-making. Applicants are encouraged to use population-level epidemiologic approaches, which can include analyses of surveillance and other large-scale datasets, and to pair those approaches with innovative data science techniques that can reveal patterns in viral suppression, care engagement, and transmission that are difficult to detect with traditional methods. The FOA also highlights m/eHealth as a toolset, signaling interest in studies that leverage mobile technologies, digital interventions, remote monitoring, electronic health records, or other technology-enabled methods to measure outcomes, improve service delivery, or better understand behaviors and structural factors linked to viral suppression and transmission. Implementation science is explicitly named, indicating that NIH is not only interested in what works under ideal conditions, but also in how interventions and strategies perform across different health systems and communities, what barriers and facilitators affect uptake, and how programs can be tailored for local realities.

The mechanism is an NIH R01 research project grant, and the opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose a clinical trial if it fits the scientific aims, but a clinical trial is not required. The funding falls under the Health activity category and references CFDA (now Assistance Listing) numbers 93.242 and 93.855, reflecting NIH program areas that support HIV-related research. While an award ceiling and number of expected awards are not specified in the provided text, the R01 mechanism typically supports substantial multi-year research projects, and applicants should plan for a rigorous, hypothesis-driven or well-justified approach with clear public health relevance.

Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive, spanning many types of domestic organizations that can contribute to HIV research and implementation. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also calls out 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that meaningful progress on viral suppression and transmission depends on collaboration among academic researchers, public health agencies, community organizations, and healthcare delivery systems.

Foreign eligibility is limited and clearly defined. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. At the same time, the FOA permits "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means a U.S. applicant organization may include certain substantive international elements within a primarily U.S.-based project when scientifically justified and compliant with NIH policy. In practice, that structure supports projects that may need specific expertise, data, or methods from outside the U.S. while keeping the applicant organization and primary focus within the United States.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on 2019-10-24, with an original closing date listed as 2022-09-07 in the provided source information. The sponsoring agency is the NIH, and the funding instrument type is a grant under the discretionary category. Overall, the FOA is aimed at producing actionable, high-quality evidence on where the U.S. is succeeding or falling short in achieving viral suppression, what factors drive ongoing transmission, and which scalable strategies can most effectively accelerate progress toward ending the HIV epidemic.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Getting To Zero: Understanding HIV Viral Suppression and Transmission in the United States (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, 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-10-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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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