The Social Disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) aims to support exploratory research investigating the mechanisms linking social disconnection and late-life suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This opportunity is designed to encourage high-risk, high-reward projects that lack extensive preliminary data but hold the potential to significantly enhance understanding in this area. Research may focus on neurobiological, behavioral, or environmental mechanisms, with emphasis on addressing health disparities and leveraging advanced methodologies such as neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience, or computational modeling.

The scope of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) includes studies examining structural, functional, and qualitative dimensions of social disconnection, such as limited social networks, perceived loneliness, and relationship quality, as they relate to suicide risk in older adults. Additionally, it seeks research that identifies protective effects of social integration and potential intervention targets. Mechanistic clinical trials that evaluate how interventions engage specific pathways associated with suicidality are eligible under this announcement, provided they align with the NIH’s experimental therapeutics approach.

Applicants are encouraged to utilize innovative frameworks, such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), to assess phenomena dimensionally across multiple levels of analysis. Studies addressing health equity, the impact of intersectional identities, and structural barriers to social connection are particularly welcomed. This funding opportunity prioritizes projects that adopt transdisciplinary approaches to explore the interaction of individual, community, and structural factors influencing social disconnection and suicide risk.

Funding supports projects lasting up to two years, with a combined direct cost cap of $275,000 and a limit of $200,000 in any single year. Eligible applicants include public and private higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities, and non-U.S. institutions, among others. Collaborative, multidisciplinary proposals that incorporate diverse expertise in suicidology, social science, neuroscience, and related disciplines are highly encouraged.

Proposals will be evaluated on their significance, innovation, rigor, feasibility, and the investigators’ expertise. Applications must address data sharing and management plans, including contributions to the NIMH Data Archive (NDA) to facilitate future research and reproducibility. Key considerations include the appropriateness of study design, sampling strategies, statistical power, and ethical safeguards, particularly for high-risk populations.

Submission deadlines align with standard NIH due dates, beginning February 16, 2025, with subsequent deadlines in June and October. Letters of intent are optional but encouraged and should be submitted 30 days before the application due date. Successful applications will be reviewed for scientific merit, alignment with NIMH priorities, and feasibility, with funding decisions based on peer review outcomes, program priorities, and budgetary considerations. For more information, applicants are directed to contact the program’s scientific, review, or grants management officials.