NIH Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) — PAR-25-378
Issuer: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (IRINAH) initiative
Deadline: October 21, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization.
Funding: Up to $450,000 in direct costs over a maximum three-year project period, with no more than $225,000 in direct costs in any single year. The number of awards depends on NIH appropriations and meritorious applications.
Hawaiʻi relevance: NIH expressly includes Native Hawaiian communities within the populations eligible for this NOFO. The R34 supports planning, development, pilot, and feasibility research intended to prepare culturally appropriate and scientifically rigorous future intervention trials that improve health in Native communities.
Eligible organizations and registrations
Eligible organizations include public and private higher-education institutions, 501(c)(3) and other nonprofits, for-profit organizations and small businesses, state and local governments, community-based organizations, regional organizations, and other listed domestic entities. Foreign organizations are not eligible.
Applicant organizations must have required federal registrations in place before submission, including active SAM/UEI, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov registrations. All PD/PI personnel must have eRA Commons accounts. NIH notes that organizational registrations can take six weeks or more. This NOFO does not require cost sharing.
Research requirements
Applications must address a research question prioritized by the Native community partners involved and demonstrate that the project can improve the health of one or more Native communities. Active and meaningful community engagement is central to the NOFO. Supported R34 work may include strengthening partnerships, adapting interventions, collecting feasibility and acceptability data, testing recruitment and retention strategies, validating measures, or resolving clinical-trial design questions. Applicants must include specific milestones or study targets indicating readiness for a future efficacy, effectiveness, or implementation trial.
Hawaiʻi applicant fit
Papa Ola Lōkahi is a strong conditional Hawaiʻi applicant or community-research partner candidate. It is a Hawaiʻi 501(c)(3) focused on Native Hawaiian health and well-being, operates Hale ʻImi Hawaiʻi as its data and research center, and historically administered the NCI-supported ʻImi Hale Native Hawaiian Cancer Network, including community-based participatory research support. Final pursuit requires confirmation of current SAM/UEI, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, PD/PI readiness, the specific Native Hawaiian community partnership, scientific aims, and institutional research administration.
Atlas assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 96/100
Papa Ola Lōkahi Applicant Fit: 95/100 conditional
N9+ Fit Score: 25/100 conditional — a remote physical-examination platform could be relevant only if it is integral to a Native Hawaiian health intervention research protocol involving guided examinations, vitals, or telehealth-enabled clinical encounters. This is a research-planning grant, not an equipment-purchase program, so the technology cannot be treated as the grant objective itself.
QC Healthcare Fit: 60/100 conditional — research design, implementation planning, workflow development, training, quality improvement, and community-engaged intervention support may fit when legitimately tied to the applicant-led research plan.
Dr. Miltie direct applicant: Not advanced at this stage. For-profit organizations are among the eligible entity types, but Atlas has not verified the required NIH registrations, qualified PD/PI, research infrastructure, or Native Hawaiian community partnership needed for a defensible direct application.
Official sources: NIH PAR-25-378 | NIH IRINAH Initiative | Papa Ola Lōkahi | Hale ʻImi Hawaiʻi Data & Research