Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Multi-Site Collaborative Research Project | HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR SIMS 0216

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR SIMS 0216

The Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Multi-Site Collaborative Research Project is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) under NIDILRR. It is intended to strengthen rehabilitation research for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) by funding a single, coordinated research project carried out across multiple SCIMS sites. The opportunity emphasizes collaboration and rigorous research design, with the goal of producing findings that are more generalizable than what a single-center study can typically provide.

At its core, the SCIMS program is built around the idea that effective SCI rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary system of care that follows a person through the full continuum of services. For an institution to be eligible as a SCI Model System, it must be able to cover emergency medical services, acute care services, acute medical rehabilitation, and post-acute services. In other words, the model is not limited to one phase of treatment; it is designed to reflect how people with SCI actually move through healthcare settings from initial injury through longer-term recovery and community living. For the purposes of this program, SCI is specifically defined as a clinically discernible neurological impairment of the spinal cord that occurs after a traumatic event, which clarifies that the focus is on traumatic spinal cord injuries rather than non-traumatic causes.

The specific purpose of this collaborative grant is to support multi-site research on topics related to rehabilitation following SCI. A key requirement is that the project must be conducted collaboratively with three or more NIDILRR-funded SCIMS centers. That requirement signals that the funded work should be intentionally multi-center from the outset, with shared methods, coordinated implementation, and joint responsibility for producing outcomes. The emphasis on a collaborative framework also implies a need for clear governance, consistent data collection across sites, and a plan for integrating findings across participating centers, since the value of the award comes from pooling expertise, participants, and real-world clinical contexts.

In terms of funding structure, this opportunity is categorized under “Science and Technology and other Research and Development” (CFDA 93.433) and uses a grant as the funding instrument. The award ceiling is listed as $900,000, and the anticipated number of awards is one, meaning this is a competitive opportunity with a single recipient expected to lead the effort on behalf of the multi-site team. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2017-ACL-NIDILRR-SIMS-0216, with a creation date of March 10, 2017, and an original closing date of May 9, 2017. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of public and private entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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 and other tribal organizations; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories). The listing also includes “Others” with a note to consult additional eligibility information, which typically means there may be special cases or clarifications in the full announcement. Even with broad eligibility on paper, the practical requirement to collaborate with three or more NIDILRR-funded SCIMS centers is a major qualifier, because it ties successful applications to the established SCIMS network and its participating centers.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to fund one high-impact, multi-center rehabilitation research project that leverages the SCIMS infrastructure and its continuum-of-care approach. The expectation is that the selected project will address meaningful questions in SCI rehabilitation, use coordinated methods across at least three SCIMS centers, and generate evidence that can improve rehabilitation practices and outcomes for individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Multi-Site Collaborative Research Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 10, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 09, 2017 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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), 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR SIMS 0216

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