Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) Centers Collaborative Research Project | HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR DPTB 0000

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR DPTB 0000

The Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) Centers Collaborative Research Project is a discretionary research grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It falls under the science and technology/research and development category (CFDA 93.433) and is designed to support rigorous research plus practical dissemination and utilization activities that strengthen rehabilitation knowledge and practice in the United States.

At a broad level, NIDILRRs DRRP program supports projects that develop new knowledge, methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technologies intended to improve real-world outcomes for people with disabilities. The overall aim is to maximize full inclusion and integration into society, including better participation in employment, independent living, family and caregiver support, and overall economic and social self-sufficiency, with particular emphasis on people who have the greatest support needs. Another central goal is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, meaning the work is expected to connect clearly to disability and rehabilitation systems that serve the public.

This specific DRRP competition focuses on traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose is to improve the lives of individuals with TBI by funding a multi-site collaborative research project on one or more topics related to rehabilitation following TBI. A key feature is that the project must leverage the established capacities of the TBIMS Centers Program and help advance evidence-based rehabilitation interventions. In practical terms, the opportunity is structured to push beyond single-site studies by using multiple TBIMS centers to increase sample diversity, strengthen study design and generalizability, and accelerate the translation of findings into clinical and community rehabilitation practice.

A non-negotiable eligibility requirement for the proposed project design is collaboration: applications must include a research partnership among at least three currently funded NIDILRR TBI Model Systems Centers. This requirement signals that the funder is prioritizing coordinated, cross-center research efforts that can produce stronger evidence than isolated work, and it implies substantial planning for shared protocols, harmonized data collection, governance, and joint dissemination strategies across participating sites.

NIDILRR indicated it planned to make one award under this opportunity in fiscal year 2023. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $900,000. The project period is 60 months, organized into five 12-month budget periods, which typically means the project is expected to progress through yearly milestones and reporting cycles while maintaining a coherent five-year research and dissemination plan.

The competition is open to a wide range of applicant types, reflecting the cross-sector nature of rehabilitation research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as clarified in the opportunitys eligibility notes. This wide eligibility is consistent with the expectation that meaningful TBI rehabilitation research can involve universities, health systems, nonprofits, government entities, and industry partners, as long as the required TBIMS center collaboration is in place.

Key administrative details from the posting include the funding opportunity number HHS-2023-ACL-NIDILRR-DPTB-0000 and a posting (creation) date of January 17, 2023. The original application closing date was March 20, 2023, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Overall, the opportunity is built to fund one substantial, coordinated, multi-center research effort that uses the TBIMS infrastructure to generate and spread evidence-based rehabilitation approaches that measurably improve outcomes for people living with traumatic brain injury.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) Centers Collaborative Research Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 17, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 20, 2023 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR DPTB 0000

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