The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invites applications for its “Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)” funding opportunity. This opportunity supports research aimed at understanding the information and practice needs of caregivers, professionals, and invested parties who support children with late language emergence (late talking). The funding is issued under the NIH's Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) initiative and is a reissue of PAR-24-046, now updated to align with current agency priorities as of March 31, 2025. It involves a community-engaged research approach combined with qualitative methodologies to address critical information gaps and inform future intervention development.

The primary purpose of this opportunity is to advance understanding of how best to communicate and integrate scientific knowledge regarding late talking children into practical support mechanisms for caregivers and professionals. Late talking refers to children, usually over 18 months of age, who are not meeting expected language milestones without any other evident disorders. The research should assess how evidence-based practices and scientific findings are shared and understood by those who support these children. Projects should also explore if those information and practice needs are currently being met, particularly across culturally diverse and underserved communities.

Funding is available for exploratory and developmental research projects, with a budget cap of $275,000 in direct costs over a two-year period, and a maximum of $200,000 allowed in a single year. The NIH expects awardees to utilize qualitative methods, include a required Community Engagement Plan (CEP), and incorporate a diversity of perspectives in their methodology. Applications that do not involve community partners, fail to include qualitative data, or propose clinical trials will be considered non-responsive.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations such as higher education institutions (both public and private), nonprofits, small and large for-profit businesses, tribal governments and organizations, school districts, public housing authorities, and foreign institutions. There is no cost-sharing requirement. Applications are accepted on three due dates in 2025: February 3, June 2, and October 2. The earliest potential start dates range from December 2025 to July 2026 depending on the review cycle.

Applicants are required to follow standard NIH application procedures, including submissions through Grants.gov, NIH ASSIST, or institutional system-to-system platforms. The Community Engagement Plan must be uploaded as a standalone one-page PDF and must justify the relevance, feasibility, and involvement level of community partners. Additional required components include a qualitative research strategy, Data Management and Sharing Plan, and adherence to NIH’s rigor and reproducibility standards.

Evaluation criteria include the significance and innovation of the research, scientific rigor and feasibility, and the expertise and resources of the investigators and their institutions. Projects should clearly justify their methodological approach and demonstrate how they will provide meaningful insights into the dissemination and use of information concerning late language emergence. Successful applications will establish a foundation for future translational research that benefits late talking children and their support networks.