Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) Research Program Grants (U19) | RFA HD 16 035

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 16 035

The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) Research Program Grants (U19) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA HD 16 035) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to support a coordinated, multi-site research network focused on reducing HIV risk and improving HIV-related outcomes among adolescents and young adults. The program centers on youth ages 12 to 24, with an explicit emphasis on including minors, which signals a strong expectation that applicants will be able to navigate the ethical, regulatory, and practical requirements of conducting research with participants under 18. Through this U19 mechanism, NIH is not just funding standalone studies; it is backing a structured program of work with substantial collaboration and ongoing involvement from the funding agency, which is typical of cooperative agreements and especially relevant for complex, multi-site trials.

The ATN network is expected to have the capability to develop and run a wide range of study types that address real-world HIV prevention and treatment challenges for young people. The FOA highlights innovative behavioral and community-based interventions, along with translational research that bridges clinical science and implementation in youth-serving settings. It also explicitly calls for therapeutic trials and biomedical prevention approaches, including microbicides and vaccine trials, reflecting a broad scope that spans prevention, treatment, and combination strategies. Overall, the program is geared toward research that can move beyond theory into rigorous testing, including trials that can generate evidence strong enough to inform practice, programs, and policy affecting adolescents at risk for HIV and youth living with HIV.

A key theme in the announcement is the desire for investigators who bring novel approaches and innovative thinking to adolescent public health issues. In practical terms, this points to proposals that are not incremental, but instead offer creative study designs, new intervention models, or better ways to engage and retain youth in research and care. Because the target population includes minors and young adults, successful applications would typically need to demonstrate youth-appropriate recruitment methods, culturally and developmentally tailored interventions, and strong protections for confidentiality and participant safety. The focus on minors also implies attention to consent and assent processes, parental permission considerations where applicable, and strategies for working effectively with institutional review boards and community stakeholders.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, reflecting NIHs intent to draw from academic, clinical, public-sector, and community settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other types of organizations. The FOA also calls out additional eligible groups 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign participation: non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under NIH with a grant funding instrument and an education-related activity category as labeled in the source data. The CFDA numbers associated with the FOA are 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, and 93.865, indicating linkage to multiple NIH program areas that commonly support HIV-related and child health research. The award ceiling listed is $2,500,000, suggesting support at a scale consistent with network-based research infrastructure and multi-site clinical or community trials. The original closing date for applications was January 19, 2016, and the FOA was created on September 24, 2015, placing it in a defined historical funding cycle for establishing or renewing the ATN program structure.

In essence, this FOA is about building or sustaining a high-capacity adolescent HIV research network that can design and execute rigorous trials across behavioral, community, translational, and biomedical domains, with strong inclusion of minors and a clear expectation of innovation. It is aimed at applicants that can combine scientific leadership, operational readiness for complex studies, and meaningful engagement with adolescent populations and the systems that serve them.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) Research Program Grants (U19)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-01-19. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• 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 16 035

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