NIDCR Small Research Grants for Oral Health Data Analysis and Statistical Methodology Development (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 22 160

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 160

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is offering a small grant opportunity titled "NIDCR Small Research Grants for Oral Health Data Analysis and Statistical Methodology Development (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" under funding opportunity number PAR 22-160. The program is designed to fund short, focused research projects that do not involve running clinical trials, and instead concentrate on making better use of data that already exist or improving the statistical tools needed to analyze those data. In practical terms, the announcement is aimed at researchers who can extract new knowledge from established dental, oral, or craniofacial datasets, or who can create and refine analytic methods that make those datasets more scientifically valuable.

The core purpose of the opportunity is to support meritorious projects in two main areas. First, it supports secondary statistical analyses of existing database resources related to dentistry, oral health, and craniofacial conditions. This can include reanalyzing previously collected clinical, epidemiologic, public health, imaging, genetic, behavioral, or administrative datasets to answer new questions, test new hypotheses, validate prior findings, or explore outcomes in subgroups that were not addressed in the original analyses. Second, it supports the development of statistical methodology specifically needed for analyzing dental, oral, or craniofacial databases. That emphasis on methodology means applicants can propose work such as creating new models, inference strategies, missing-data approaches, causal methods, measurement frameworks, machine learning or computational statistics techniques, or other analytic innovations that solve real problems encountered in oral health data, especially when existing methods are inadequate or poorly adapted to the structure and limitations of available datasets.

Because this is an R03 mechanism, it is generally understood as a small research grant format intended for discrete, well-scoped projects rather than large multi-year research programs. While the source text here does not list the dollar cap, the R03 mechanism typically supports limited budgets and streamlined projects, so proposals usually need a clear, narrow set of aims, a feasible plan, and a compelling rationale for why the analysis or method development will yield meaningful advances for oral health research. The "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" designation is important: the project cannot prospectively assign human participants to interventions to evaluate health outcomes. The work should be based on existing data or on methodological development and validation activities, rather than initiating a new interventional clinical study.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and certain non-U.S. entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city or township, and 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 tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other organizations. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories, including 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; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility pool signals that NIDCR is open to proposals from academic, governmental, community, and private-sector teams, including groups serving historically underrepresented communities and applicants located outside the United States when appropriate.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant, offered by the National Institutes of Health. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is listed under broad public service areas including education, environment, health, income security, and social services. The associated CFDA (now Assistance Listing) numbers include 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.989, reflecting NIH programs that can align with oral health and related biomedical and behavioral research portfolios. The opportunity was created on 2022-05-09, and the original closing date shown is 2025-05-07.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as a targeted NIH/NIDCR pathway for investigators who want to produce new, publishable insights without collecting new primary clinical trial data, either by (1) performing rigorous, innovative secondary analyses of existing oral and craniofacial datasets, or (2) advancing the statistical methodology needed to analyze those datasets correctly and efficiently. It is particularly relevant for teams with strong biostatistics, epidemiology, data science, or quantitative methods capabilities, as well as domain expertise in dentistry and craniofacial health, who can demonstrate that their approach will materially improve understanding of oral health outcomes or strengthen the analytic foundation of oral health research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCR Small Research Grants for Oral Health Data Analysis and Statistical Methodology Development (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.172, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, 93.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-05-07. (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.

Apply for PAR 22 160

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