RFA-MH-21-120: Mental Health Research Awards for Investigators Early in their Career in Low and Middle-Income Countries (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2021.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $500,000 to the applicants described in the notice. Applications closed on December 9, 2021.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed March 26, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$500,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR01
- Clinical trialsOptional
- Funded byNIMH
- Median yearly award$459,308
- Typical project length5 years
- R01, Research Project Grant. NIH's standard grant for a defined research project led by a named investigator, usually for up to five years. Other open R01 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-MH-21-120 were run by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 3 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-MH-21-120 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | February 23, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | December 9, 2021 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | January 8, 2022 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $459,308; it allows up to $500,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (69% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
Mental illnesses are a global concern, presenting shared opportunities to advance science across international boundaries. The goal of this initiative is to support the scientific work and research career development of exceptionally talented scientists who are in the early, formative stages of their careers and who plan to make a long-term career commitment to mental health research. This initiative seeks to assist these researchers in launching an innovative basic, translational, clinical, or services research program that holds the potential to transform the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of mental illnesses in low resource international settings.
Funded under RFA-MH-21-120 so far
NIH funded 3 projects under RFA-MH-21-120 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 3 institutions. The median yearly award was $459,308.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early brain development in children born to depressed mothers in high and low income settings | University of Cape Town | 2026 | $362,935 |
| School based stepped care TrEatment for adolescent depression in Pakistan- a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART-STEP) | Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University | 2026 | $434,007 |
| The biological connection between educational attainment and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in contrasting environments | University of Sao Paulo | 2026 | $539,441 |
Who has won Mental Health Research Grants grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mental Health Research Grants (93.242) awarded $8.8 billion across 6,785 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Univ | Connecticut | 185 | $371 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 200 | $297 million |
| University of California, Los Angeles | California | 176 | $234 million |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 144 | $212 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 149 | $211 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-MH-21-120 still open?
No. It closed on December 9, 2021.
Who can apply for Mental Health Research Awards for Investigators Early in their Career in Low and Middle-Income Countries (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Mental Health Research Awards for Investigators Early in their Career in Low and Middle-Income Countries (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed December 9, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $500,000 each.
Who has been funded under RFA-MH-21-120?
NIH RePORTER lists 3 projects funded under RFA-MH-21-120 in fiscal 2022 to 2026, at 3 institutions. The most were at University of Cape Town, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, University of Sao Paulo.
Who has won Mental Health Research Grants grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Yale Univ, University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, University of California, Los Angeles. The program made 6,785 awards worth $8.8 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- NCCIH Natural Product Mid Phase Clinical Trial (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
- NCCIH Multi-Site Feasibility Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
- Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials of Complementary and Integrative Interventions Delivered Remotely or via mHealth (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Competing Revisions to Existing NIH Single Project Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Clinical Trial Optional)
- Interventions to expand cancer screening and preventive services to ADVANCE health in populations that experience health disparities (R01, Clinical Trial Required)