The Accelerating the Pace of Child Health Research Using Existing Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) grant opportunity (PAR-22-138) is offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant encourages researchers to use the extensive data collected by the ABCD Study to advance knowledge about adolescent health and development. The ABCD Study tracks the health, cognitive function, substance use, cultural and environmental factors, and brain structure and function of youth aged 9-10 over a ten-year period, making its dataset publicly accessible through the NIMH Data Archive for scientific inquiry.

Applications for this grant must be submitted by January 7, 2025, although the original closing date remains May 7, 2025, with no-cost extensions not currently listed. The grant supports discretionary projects related to the fields of environment and health, with no specific funding ceiling or floor. Cost-sharing is not required, and the funding mechanism is a standard grant.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations, such as nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), higher education institutions, tribal and local governments, for-profit organizations, small businesses, and public housing authorities. Faith-based and community-based organizations, as well as U.S. and non-U.S. entities, are also eligible to apply. Additional eligibility details are available in the grant’s full announcement.

The primary goal of this funding opportunity is to encourage innovative analyses of the ABCD dataset to generate insights into how various factors interact to influence adolescent health and development. Projects are expected to contribute significantly to scientific understanding in areas such as cognitive development, mental health, and environmental impacts on youth.

Interested applicants can access the full funding opportunity details and submission requirements through the NIH grants website. For questions or technical issues, applicants can contact the NIH Office of Extramural Research at OERWebmaster03@od.nih.gov or refer to the Agency Contacts section in the full announcement. This grant provides a valuable opportunity for researchers to advance the field of child and adolescent health using a rich, publicly available dataset.