The NIH’s “Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids” (TALK) initiative, titled "Information and Practice Needs Relevant to Late Talking Children," seeks to address critical gaps in understanding and supporting early language learning delays. Managed by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), this funding opportunity invites exploratory and developmental research applications that focus on improving support and information accessibility for caregivers, professionals, and other stakeholders involved in the care of late talking children. The ultimate goal is to inform evidence-based practices that can effectively guide these invested parties in managing the developmental trajectories and service needs of children with delayed language emergence.

The initiative emphasizes a community-engaged research approach combined with rigorous qualitative data to enhance relevance and applicability across diverse populations. Community engagement must be bi-directional, involving direct collaboration with relevant community stakeholders, particularly those typically under-represented in research and at a high risk of health disparities. Additionally, applicants are encouraged to assemble research teams that bring diverse perspectives to improve the depth and impact of the research. Proposals must include a plan to enhance diverse perspectives (PEDP) and will be evaluated on how well these plans align with the scientific aims and contribute to inclusivity.

Research objectives for this funding opportunity focus on assessing the information needs and dissemination gaps faced by caregivers and professionals. Applicants may choose to study various groups involved in late talking children’s support systems or examine specific risk factors linked to late language emergence. Potential research areas include understanding what caregivers and professionals need to know about language development trajectories, investigating existing programs’ effectiveness, and exploring the unique needs of stakeholders from different cultural or linguistic backgrounds.

This funding opportunity has a combined budget cap of $275,000 for direct costs over a two-year period, with no more than $200,000 available in any one year. The project period for each grant cannot exceed two years. While the number of awards will depend on NIH appropriations, applications deemed meritorious will be funded according to the NIH Grants Policy.

Eligible applicants include U.S. and foreign higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit entities, government organizations, tribal governments, and other community-based organizations. Applicants are encouraged to begin the registration process in the System for Award Management (SAM), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov early to avoid delays. Specific registration requirements for the applicant organizations and individuals are outlined in the NIH SF424 Application Guide.

Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov or NIH’s ASSIST system by February 7, July 19, or November 19, 2024, depending on the chosen submission cycle. Applications will be evaluated on compliance and completeness, and non-compliant or nonresponsive applications will not be reviewed. Awardees must follow NIH data management and sharing policies, as well as adhere to post-submission material guidelines provided in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.