Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MD 19 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MD 19 001

Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding opportunity that supports U.S. small businesses developing commercially viable innovations aimed at improving minority health and reducing or eliminating health disparities. The program is designed for projects that move beyond basic research into the creation and advancement of a specific product, tool, technology, process, or service that can realistically be commercialized and used in real-world settings to improve health outcomes.

The core focus is on innovations that address inequities affecting specific priority populations. These include socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minority populations, as well as efforts that improve health in racial and ethnic minority populations. In practice, this means applicants should be proposing solutions that are responsive to well-documented gaps in access, quality of care, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or long-term health management that disproportionately burden these communities. The announcement explicitly frames innovation as a pathway to measurable impact, so projects are expected to show a credible connection between the proposed innovation and the reduction of disparities or improvement in minority health, not just general improvements in healthcare.

This opportunity uses the SBIR phased mechanism under R43/R44, which typically supports early-stage feasibility work followed by a larger development and commercialization-oriented phase. While the detailed phase structure, budgets, and timelines are defined in the full FOA, the general expectation is that Phase I (R43) establishes technical merit and feasibility, and Phase II (R44) supports more advanced research and development steps needed to move the innovation toward market readiness. The listing notes that clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants may propose studies involving human participants when appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required for every project. That flexibility allows applicants to pursue a range of activities, from prototype development and validation to implementation-oriented testing, depending on what is necessary to advance the product or service.

Eligibility is restricted primarily to eligible United States small business concerns, consistent with SBIR rules. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations. However, the opportunity notes that certain foreign components may be allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically refers to limited, well-justified foreign involvement that is essential to the project (for example, unique expertise or resources), subject to NIH approval and compliance requirements. The FOA advises applicants to review the official eligibility details in the full announcement to ensure their organizational structure and any proposed subcontracting or project components meet NIH policy.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity from NIH, categorized under Health, with CFDA number 93.307. The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-MD-19-001, and the original closing date listed is April 1, 2019, with a creation date of January 18, 2019. The source information does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpt provided, so those details would need to be confirmed in the full FOA and any associated NIH funding policy documents or budget tables.

Overall, the opportunity is best suited for U.S. small businesses that have a clearly defined innovation and a realistic commercialization pathway, and that can articulate how their solution targets the specific barriers, conditions, or system-level factors driving health disparities in the named populations. A strong application would typically align the proposed technology or service with an identified disparity, explain why existing solutions are insufficient for the target community, and outline a development plan that leads to adoption, scalability, and real-world impact.

• 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 2019-01-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-01. (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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