Using Information Technology to Support Systematic Screening and Treatment of Depression in Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 493

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 493

The National Institutes of Health funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled "Using Information Technology to Support Systematic Screening and Treatment of Depression in Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PA-18-493; CFDA: 93.399) supports research projects that use information technology to improve how depression is identified and treated among people with cancer. The core idea is to move beyond ad hoc recognition of depression in oncology care and toward more consistent, routine, and scalable approaches that can work in real-world cancer practice environments. The FOA is positioned within the health and education funding activity area and uses the standard NIH R01 grant mechanism, with clinical trials permitted but not required.

The research focus is specifically on how IT can enable systematic processes for both screening and treatment, not just one or the other. In practice, this means applicants are expected to explore technology-supported models that help oncology settings reliably identify depression (for example, standardized symptom screening workflows) and connect patients to evidence-based care pathways (such as stepped-care approaches, collaborative care, referral management, psychotherapy supports, medication management support, or integrated behavioral health workflows). The FOA emphasizes delivery models, meaning it is not limited to building new software tools; it is equally about designing and evaluating tech-enabled ways of delivering care that fit into the operational realities of oncology clinics and health systems.

The FOA lays out three connected goals. First, it aims to identify new IT-enabled delivery models that support systematic depression screening and treatment for cancer patients. Second, it calls for feasibility testing of these models in a variety of oncology practice settings, with particular attention to settings that serve underserved populations. Third, it seeks effectiveness testing of the models, and potentially their individual components, again across diverse oncology settings and especially where underserved groups receive care. Taken together, the intent is to push projects along a spectrum from model design through implementation feasibility and on to evidence of impact, while keeping equity and real-world uptake at the center rather than treating them as afterthoughts.

A notable priority throughout the FOA is applicability across different oncology care environments, including community oncology practices, academic cancer centers, integrated delivery systems, and other configurations where cancer care is delivered. The repeated emphasis on underserved populations signals that NIH is looking for approaches that can reduce disparities in mental health identification and treatment within cancer care, including barriers like limited behavioral health workforce availability, transportation constraints, stigma, language access needs, fragmented referral networks, and uneven access to specialty psychiatric services. Technology is framed as a potential bridge, but applicants are implicitly expected to show how the IT approach actually fits the workflow, staffing, and resource constraints of the targeted settings.

Eligibility is broad, consistent with many NIH opportunities. Eligible applicants include a wide range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types that NIH wants to encourage, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), 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, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This breadth aligns with the FOA's interest in testing models in diverse settings and communities, including those that are often underrepresented in clinical research and implementation studies.

From an administrative perspective, this is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by NIH. The original closing date listed in the provided source is May 7, 2021, and the creation date is December 11, 2017. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the excerpt provided, which usually means applicants need to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for typical R01 expectations and any institute- or program-specific funding notes.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as NIH support for rigorous research on practical, tech-enabled care delivery strategies that make depression screening and treatment a routine, reliable part of oncology care. The strongest alignment is with projects that can demonstrate a credible IT-supported workflow, show how it will be implemented in real oncology settings (including resource-limited environments), and produce evidence on feasibility and/or effectiveness, particularly for populations and clinics that historically have faced barriers to mental health care during cancer treatment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Using Information Technology to Support Systematic Screening and Treatment of Depression in Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-07. (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.

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