Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 19 358

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 358

The NIH funding opportunity titled "Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (PAR-19-358) supports exploratory research aimed at understanding a common gap in real-world vaccination: a provider may recommend the HPV vaccine, but that recommendation does not always translate into an adolescent actually starting or completing the vaccine series. The FOA is focused on the healthcare delivery system itself, looking at how clinical workflows, organizational practices, communication patterns, and the broader care environment can strengthen or weaken the impact of a provider recommendation. In other words, it is not only about whether recommendations happen, but about what conditions make those recommendations effective at driving vaccine uptake.

A central theme of the announcement is that HPV vaccine uptake is shaped by multiple interacting factors. On the provider side, elements such as clinicians confidence, consistency, communication style, time constraints, and their routine approach to adolescent immunizations can affect whether a recommendation is made and how strongly it is delivered. On the parent and patient side, attitudes about vaccines, trust in clinicians and health systems, perceived cancer prevention benefits, concerns about safety, and readiness to act can influence whether families accept the recommendation. The clinical setting also matters: practice type, staffing, reminder and recall systems, use of electronic health records, standing orders, visit type (well visit vs. acute care), and how preventive services are prioritized can all alter the likelihood that a recommendation leads to vaccination. The FOA encourages research that ties these levels together and clarifies where the healthcare system can be adjusted to improve outcomes.

Because the problem spans cancer prevention, immunization behavior, and health services operations, the FOA explicitly signals the need for multidisciplinary teams. Competitive projects are expected to draw from areas such as cancer prevention and control, behavioral science across adolescence and parenting decision-making, implementation and dissemination approaches, immunization promotion strategies, and healthcare delivery research. The intent is to produce practical insights that can inform clinic-level or system-level improvements that make provider recommendations more actionable and more likely to result in timely vaccination.

The mechanism is an R21, which typically supports early-stage or exploratory studies that can generate preliminary data, test novel approaches, or examine promising hypotheses that could later be scaled or tested more definitively. The FOA notes that clinical trials are optional, meaning applicants can propose either non-trial research (for example, observational studies, mixed-methods research, workflow analyses, or implementation assessments) or trials if they are appropriate to the research question. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, and the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant in the Education and Health activity area, with CFDA numbers 93.393 and 93.395. The posting identifies the National Institutes of Health as the agency.

A wide range of U.S.-based applicants are eligible. Eligible entities include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other organizations meeting NIH eligibility rules. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign participation: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components are not allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Finally, the source information lists an original closing date of 2022-09-07 and a creation date of 2019-08-29, indicating that this was an active NIH program announcement during that period. The overall purpose is straightforward: fund research that explains, in a healthcare-system context, why provider recommendations sometimes fail to produce HPV vaccination, and identify leverage points that can make recommendations more consistently delivered and more consistently acted upon, ultimately improving adolescent HPV vaccine uptake and strengthening cancer prevention outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393, 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-08-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 19 358

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