Individually Measured Phenotypes to Advance Computational Translation in Mental Health (IMPACT-MH): Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA MH 23 106

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 23 106

The Individually Measured Phenotypes to Advance Computational Translation in Mental Health (IMPACT-MH): Data Coordinating Center funding opportunity (RFA-MH-23-106) is an NIH cooperative agreement (U24; clinical trial not allowed) focused on building the shared data backbone for a larger research effort aimed at improving how mental disorders are assessed, predicted, and treated. The broader IMPACT-MH initiative is centered on the idea that psychiatry needs better, more precise measurement tools than diagnosis alone, and that carefully designed behavioral tasks can reveal stable, individually meaningful differences in cognition, emotion, motivation, and related functions. Those individual differences, when captured consistently and at scale, can be combined with computational methods to develop "clinical signatures" that support precision assessment, prognosis, and treatment selection rather than relying only on symptom checklists or broad diagnostic categories.

Within that bigger vision, this specific award supports a Data Coordinating Center (DCC). The DCC role is to create and maintain a data infrastructure that enables multiple research sites or projects to contribute behavioral task data in a harmonized way, and to make those data usable for modern computational approaches. In practice, that means the DCC is expected to standardize data elements and metadata, define common formats and quality control procedures, coordinate data intake and curation, and support secure storage and data sharing consistent with NIH policies. Because the FOA emphasizes computational translation, the infrastructure is meant to do more than store files; it should be designed to make downstream modeling feasible, including the ability to track task versions, document protocols, handle repeated measures, preserve timing and performance metrics, and support linkages to clinical characterization data so models can test whether these behavioral measures add predictive value beyond standard diagnosis.

The scientific emphasis of the overall program, which the DCC enables, has two main thrusts. First is the development or optimization of behavioral tasks intended to measure individual differences in ways that are reliable, interpretable, and clinically informative. The goal is not simply to create new tasks, but to demonstrate that these tasks provide added utility for clinical prediction when combined with typical clinical assessment or diagnostic information. Second is establishing the data infrastructure needed to support computational work that turns those measures into practical tools for clinical decision-making, such as risk prediction, prognosis estimation, or treatment matching. The DCC sits at the center of this second thrust, ensuring that data across contributors can be integrated and analyzed consistently, and that the resulting datasets are suitable for building and validating predictive models.

Administratively, the opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health under CFDA 93.242 and uses a cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally means substantial NIH program involvement in shaping expectations, coordination, and deliverables over the life of the award. The FOA is explicitly "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," signaling that the DCC itself should not propose an independent clinical trial. Instead, it should focus on coordination, infrastructure, and support functions that enable research projects to generate and share data in a way that accelerates translation.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, and local governments; special districts; 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 other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed.

Key logistics provided in the source include an original closing date of 2023-06-14 and an award ceiling of $1,000,000. The listing indicates expected awards but does not specify a number in the provided text. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as funding a central coordinating hub whose success is measured by how well it enables consistent, high-quality, shareable behavioral and clinical data to be assembled for computational modeling, ultimately supporting more precise, individualized mental health assessment and treatment decision-making.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Individually Measured Phenotypes to Advance Computational Translation in Mental Health (IMPACT-MH): Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-14. (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 $1,000,000.00 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 RFA MH 23 106

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