Ending the HIV Epidemic Supplement Projects – FY2020

The NIH has released a Request for Applications (RFA) for collaborative, implementation research projects that will advance the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. Locally, applications will be submitted as requests for supplements to the Third Coast CFAR grant. Final applications are due at NIH on May 28, 2020, with budget and subcontract deadlines beginning in early May.   

The Third Coast CFAR will have an internal competition to choose the supplement applications that can be submitted to NIH in May. These one-page proposals are due to the Third Coast CFAR by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020. 

Purpose and Eligibility

Projects (<1 yr in duration) will support implementation research that addresses at least one of EHE’s key pillars: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent, and Respond. Applicant teams must be led by a PI-eligible investigator at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, or Lurie Children’s Hospital, in partnership with a community-based organization or public health department funded by CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, or IHS to provide HIV services in one of the 57 jurisdictions identified in EHE.

Research Topics

1. EHE Team-initiated Implementation Research
2. Reaching Cisgender Heterosexual Women with PrEP
3. Evaluating and Developing Data-Driven Messages and Communication Strategies for EHE

Funds Available and Project Period

Maximum allowed awards vary by topic. See details in the full RFA. Projects are for eight months (8/1/2020 – 3/31/2021).

Internal Proposals

If you are interested in applying for an administrative supplement, please contact Justin Schmandt as soon as possible to discuss your idea and tentative team. One-page proposals will be submitted via email by by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. Plans are not binding, but the one-page proposal must include the following information:

  • Academic project leader (name, title, and institution)
  • Primary implementation partner (name, title, and institution)
  • EHE pillar/s to be addressed and the related service or program (funded by CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, IHS, CDPH, or IDPH)
  • Team members (names, titles, and institutions). Team members do not have to be exclusive to one proposal and can be named on more than one proposal.
  • Working project title
  • Brief synopsis of the project
  • Anticipated outcome/s of the project

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Download the full RFA (link to PDF)

Definition of Implementation Research

For the purposes of this funding opportunity, implementation research is defined as the scientific study of the use of strategies to adopt and integrate evidence-based health interventions into clinical and community settings to improve individual outcomes and benefit population health. Implementation research seeks to understand and change the behavior of practitioners and support staff, organizations, consumers and family members, and policymakers in order to improve the adoption, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based health interventions and guidelines. In addition to changing behaviors, implementation research can also understand and evaluate how to modify internal/external policies or procedures, norms, or other social/structural factors that are impeding on implementing and sustaining intervention delivery.

Studies of implementation strategies should build knowledge both on the overall effectiveness of the implementation strategies (implementation outcomes), as well as “how and why” they work (implementation mechanisms). Data on facilitators and barriers (implementation determinants) to program success, mechanisms of action, moderators and mediators of implementation strategies, and implementation outcomes will greatly aid decision-making on which strategies work for which interventions, in which settings, and for what populations.

Training and Other Resources

Introductory workshops and presentations on implementation research concepts and real-world examples of implementation research projects are available via the Inter-CFAR Implementation Science Working Group. Materials developed to support currently-funded EHE  supplement projects with training on implementation research logic models, outcomes, and determinants are also publicly available thanks to the Implementation Science Coordination, Consultation, and Collaboration Initiative (ISC3I). The Third Coast CFAR’s Behavioral, Social, and Implementation Sciences (BSIS) Core and the Ending the HIV Epidemic Scientific Working Group (EHE SWG) can provide consultation as teams develop their applications. Contact a research navigator to request consultation.

Developmental Core

John Schneider, MD, MPH, The University of Chicago
Developmental Core Director

Jenny Trinitapoli, PhD, The University of Chicago
Developmental Core Associate Director

Richard D’Aquila, MD, Northwestern University
CFAR Director

To request information about Developmental Core awards and services, contact Justin Schmandt.