Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MD 18 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MD 18 009

Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity aimed at supporting U.S. small businesses that want to turn practical health innovations into real-world, commercialized products or services. The program uses the SBIR mechanism, meaning it is specifically designed to help small business concerns (SBCs) move an idea from early development through later-stage research and development, with an emphasis on innovations that can realistically make it into the marketplace and be used at scale.

The central purpose of the opportunity is to improve minority health and reduce or eliminate health disparities affecting NIH-defined health disparity population groups. In practice, that means the proposed work should directly address differences in health outcomes, access, or quality of care that disproportionately burden certain populations. The announcement is intentionally broad about the type of solution that can be proposed. Applicants can focus on developing a product, process, or service, as long as it has a credible pathway toward commercialization and is positioned to have meaningful impact on disparity-related health challenges.

A key expectation is that the technology or approach should be effective, affordable, and culturally acceptable. That combination is important because disparity-focused innovations often fail when they are too expensive to deploy, require infrastructure that underserved settings do not have, or do not fit the cultural, language, or community context of the people they are meant to help. Competitive projects under this FOA would typically show that the applicant has thought through real-world adoption issues, such as usability, trust, language access, workflow fit in low-resource clinics, and the practical costs of implementation and maintenance.

The FOA uses the R43/R44 SBIR grant structure. R43 generally corresponds to Phase I work, which often focuses on feasibility, proof of concept, and early prototype development. R44 generally corresponds to Phase II work, which is typically more substantial R and D to refine the technology and generate stronger evidence supporting performance, usability, or effectiveness. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation means a clinical trial is not required for every project, but may be included if it makes sense for the proposed technology and stage of development. Applicants considering a clinical trial would need to ensure their plans match NIH expectations for human subjects protections, study design rigor, and appropriate outcome measures, while keeping the project aligned with commercialization goals.

Eligibility is limited to U.S. small businesses. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply as part of the application. However, the FOA notes that foreign components may be allowed under the NIH Grants Policy Statement definition, which generally refers to specific, well-justified elements of the project that must be performed outside the United States. Even when allowed, foreign components are usually scrutinized closely for necessity and value, and they do not change the rule that the applicant organization itself must be a U.S. SBC.

From the provided source data, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the health funding category, listed under CFDA number 93.307 and administered by NIH. The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-MD-18-009, and the title emphasizes innovations for healthy living with a focus on minority health and eliminating disparities. The record shows an original closing date of 2018-10-01 and a creation date of 2018-08-01, indicating it was a time-limited solicitation released in 2018. The excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would normally need to review the full FOA text for budget caps, project period limits, and detailed review criteria.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an NIH SBIR commercialization-focused solicitation for small businesses developing practical, scalable solutions that can measurably improve health outcomes and reduce inequities for populations experiencing health disparities. The strongest applications would typically combine a clear disparity-focused public health need, a technology that can be deployed in real settings at reasonable cost, a plan that accounts for cultural and community fit, and a credible commercialization strategy showing how the innovation will reach the people who need it.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.307.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-10-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for RFA MD 18 009

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