Learning Disabilities Research Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HD 23 022

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 23 022

The Learning Disabilities Research Centers (LDRCs) program is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that supports specialized research centers using the P50 center grant mechanism (clinical trial optional). The goal is to build coordinated, team-based, transdisciplinary research hubs that generate new scientific knowledge about specific learning disorders (SLDs) and their common co-occurring or comorbid conditions. Rather than funding isolated projects, the program is designed to promote synergy across multiple lines of inquiry within a single center so that foundational science, measurement work, and applied or translational studies can inform one another and move the field forward more efficiently.

Research supported under this announcement can span both foundational and translational work and is focused on SLDs across key learning domains. NICHD highlights component oral language abilities, reading, written expression, and mathematics, as well as the relationships among these learning disorders and other disabilities or co-occurring conditions. The scientific scope is broad and includes improving how SLDs are defined and classified; studying etiology and mechanisms; advancing diagnosis and measurement; characterizing epidemiology; developing and validating early identification approaches; and testing prevention-based strategies and remediation or intervention efforts for children, adolescents, and young adults who are identified with, or at risk for, SLDs. In practice, an LDRC is meant to be a platform where different disciplines (for example, education research, developmental science, psychology, speech-language science, neuroscience, genetics, data science, or clinical fields) can integrate methods and findings to address complex questions that a single-lab approach cannot easily answer.

A distinguishing feature of the LDRC model is its emphasis on sustained, two-way engagement with external stakeholders. The centers are expected to connect meaningfully with external research partners and with community members in purposeful, ongoing bidirectional communication, which typically means not only disseminating findings but also learning from educators, families, clinicians, and community organizations so that research questions, methods, and dissemination products stay aligned with real-world needs. The program also explicitly emphasizes career-enhancing opportunities for early career investigators, aiming to expand their reach and impact through structured roles within the center environment and access to collaborative networks and shared resources.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types that can administer NIH awards. Eligible applicants listed for this opportunity include state, county, 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 other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, and eligible federal agencies, as well as U.S. territories or possessions. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, but foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a primarily U.S.-based applicant may include certain well-justified international elements within the project under NIH rules.

Key administrative details included in the source information are: the Funding Opportunity Number is RFA HD 23 022; the activity is categorized under Health, Income Security and Social Services with CFDA 93.865; the funding instrument is a grant using the P50 mechanism; and the original closing date listed is 2022-12-29 (with a creation date of 2022-10-07). An award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Learning Disabilities Research Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-29. (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.

Apply for RFA HD 23 022

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