The “Innovations for Healthy Living - Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)” grant is a funding opportunity issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the leadership of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), in collaboration with other NIH institutes. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), identified as RFA-MD-24-006, invites eligible U.S.-based small business concerns (SBCs) to propose innovations—products, processes, or services—for commercialization that address minority health issues or reduce health disparities. The goal is to stimulate small businesses to develop effective, affordable, and culturally competent technologies and interventions to promote health equity.

The grant aims to support technology-based solutions that improve healthcare access, delivery, and outcomes in populations experiencing disparities, including racial and ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities. Applicants are expected to demonstrate how their innovations align with frameworks such as the NIMHD Research Framework, incorporating considerations related to physical, knowledge-based, economic, infrastructural, and cultural barriers to care. Specific areas of research interest include digital health solutions, culturally relevant educational tools, mobile health applications, big data analytics for social determinants of health, and diagnostic and monitoring devices.

This opportunity funds Phase I, Phase II, and Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects. Funding levels vary by participating institute, with individual award ceilings at $306,872 for Phase I and $2,045,816 for Phase II. Waivers may allow higher ceilings for projects in select topics. Each participating institute outlines specific research interests related to their missions, such as technologies for heart, lung, and blood health (NHLBI), aging populations (NIA), diabetes and kidney disease (NIDDK), and oral health equity (NIDCR), among others.

Only small business concerns legally organized for profit and operating in the U.S. are eligible. Detailed eligibility criteria define ownership, control, and size requirements, including allowances for some venture capital ownership. Applications must demonstrate compliance with NIH's performance benchmarks and application guide instructions. No cost-sharing is required. Applicants must complete registrations with multiple federal systems before applying, including SAM, eRA Commons, Grants.gov, and SBA Company Registry.

Applicants must submit complete proposals through approved NIH submission systems. Letters of intent, while not required, are encouraged and must be submitted 30 days before the chosen application due date. The grant offers two annual submission cycles through December 2026. Applications are due June 10 and December 10 each year. The earliest start dates range from April to July of the following year after submission, depending on the review cycle.

Evaluation criteria include significance, innovation, investigator expertise, approach, environment, and commercialization potential. Proposals will be reviewed based on scientific and technical merit, adherence to stated goals, and potential for impactful innovation. Applications must explicitly address minority health or health disparities to be deemed responsive. The funding will not support late submissions, and all awarded projects are subject to NIH’s data sharing and reporting requirements, including monitoring of foreign relationships and compliance with federal policy.