Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 25 217

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 217

The NIH opportunity titled "Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-25-217) is part of the NIH Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) initiative. It supports exploratory, early-stage research projects that focus on how people who care for and work with late talking children find, understand, and use guidance about early language development and language delay. The central aim is not to test a clinical intervention, but to build a clearer, research-grounded picture of what information caregivers and professionals need, what practices they consider important or feasible, and whether the current systems that deliver "best available" language-development knowledge are actually meeting those needs in real-world settings.

This funding call is especially interested in research that takes a community-engaged approach and uses rigorous qualitative methods to capture lived experiences and practical decision-making. In plain terms, NIH is looking for projects that go beyond what the science says in journals and instead examine what families, clinicians, early educators, and other stakeholders can realistically access, trust, and apply when a child is late to start talking. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate diverse perspectives, which can include variation in culture, language background, geography, socioeconomic context, and service access. The overall purpose is to strengthen the pipeline from state-of-the-science knowledge to on-the-ground decisions by understanding where communication breaks down, where guidance is unclear or inconsistent, and what barriers prevent timely and appropriate support.

The grant mechanism is an R21, which typically funds shorter, exploratory work that can generate insights, frameworks, measures, or preliminary data to support future larger studies. The notice explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning proposed projects should not include clinical trial designs that prospectively assign people to an intervention to evaluate health-related outcomes. Instead, strong fits include needs assessments, stakeholder interviews or focus groups, qualitative and mixed-method studies of information flow, analyses of how guidance is interpreted across settings, and studies of how practice norms and messaging differ across professional communities and service systems. Projects that map how caregivers navigate pediatric care, early intervention, speech-language pathology, childcare, and school-based resources, and how those pathways shape decisions about late talking, align well with the stated goals.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The opportunity also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility reflects NIH's interest in research that is grounded in the communities most affected by variability in access to trustworthy information and services.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NIH grant in the Health, Income Security, and Social Services activity category, with CFDA numbers 93.173, 93.350, and 93.865 listed for the program areas involved. The opportunity was created on 2024-11-20, and the original closing date is 2025-10-02. Award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the source information provided, so applicants typically need to consult the full NIH notice and related institute guidance for budget expectations, project period norms, and any institute-specific priorities.

Taken together, this funding opportunity is best understood as NIH investing in the "implementation reality" side of early language delay: who needs what information, how they currently get it, what they do with it, what gaps and mismatches exist, and how communication and support systems can be improved so that families and professionals can make better-informed choices for late talking children. The expected outcome is a stronger evidence base about information and practice needs, which can later support development of clearer guidance, better communication strategies, and more equitable access to effective support across diverse communities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children (R21 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): 93.173, 93.350, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-02. (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 25 217

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: