Standardizing Data and Metadata from Wearable Devices (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 250

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 250

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting applications under PAR-24-250, titled "Standardizing Data and Metadata from Wearable Devices (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." This is a discretionary grant opportunity in the health funding category (CFDA 93.242) focused on a practical but widely felt problem in modern research: data from personal tracking and wearable devices is often hard to access, inconsistent across brands, and packaged in ways that make cross-study comparisons and long-term reuse difficult. The core aim of the program is to fund efforts that create shared standards, along with the supporting technical and community work needed to make those standards usable in real research settings.

The opportunity is centered on building common formats and conventions for wearable device data and metadata that function for wearables the way DICOM does for medical imaging and NIfTI does for neuroimaging. In other words, NIH is not simply asking for another dataset, a one-off conversion tool, or a device-specific export method. The intent is to establish broadly applicable standards that can make personal tracking device outputs easier to retrieve, interpret, harmonize, and analyze across devices, studies, institutions, and time. A major theme is interoperability: researchers should be able to work with wearable-derived measures without having to reverse-engineer proprietary exports or build a new pipeline every time a manufacturer changes an API, firmware, or file structure.

A key expectation is active partnership. Awardees are expected to work directly with device manufacturers and with the research community, because wearable data standardization cannot succeed if it is designed in isolation from those who generate the data (manufacturers) and those who need to use it (researchers). The program description makes it clear that community alignment and manufacturer engagement are not optional add-ons, but central to whether the effort will have real-world adoption. The funded work is therefore likely to include consensus-building activities, documentation and specification development, and practical implementation guidance that lowers the barrier for both device companies and investigators to produce and consume standardized wearable data.

This is an R01 mechanism, which generally supports substantial, multi-year research and development projects, but the notice explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." That means applications should not propose clinical trials as defined by NIH policy, even if wearables are involved. The focus should remain on standards creation, validation, tooling, and other enabling infrastructure that makes wearable data more accessible and reusable for research, rather than interventional studies testing health outcomes.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations: 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; 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 entities. The notice also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized entities, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This wide eligibility aligns with the reality that meaningful standards efforts often require cross-sector collaboration spanning academia, industry, nonprofits, and public agencies.

The opportunity was created on July 2, 2024, and lists an original closing date of June 10, 2026. No award ceiling or expected number of awards is specified in the provided source data, which typically means applicants should rely on the full NOFO details and NIH guidance for budgeting expectations and scope alignment. Overall, the grant is aimed at building the kind of shared infrastructure that can unlock more reliable, reproducible, and scalable research using wearable and personal tracking device data, by making those data easier to access and interpret in consistent, standardized ways.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Standardizing Data and Metadata from Wearable Devices (R01 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 2024-07-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-06-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 24 250

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