Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research to Address Vaccine Hesitancy, Uptake, and Implementation among Populations that Experience Health Disparities

Based on research topic, choose the appropriate contact from the NOSI or the related announcement.

This opportunity is a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) for community-engaged research to evaluate strategies to facilitate vaccination uptake in clinical and community contexts and address the barriers to increasing reach, access, and uptake of vaccinations among health disparity populations at high risk and likely to experience vaccine hesitancy.

Key research questions include, include but are not limited to:

• What interventions and strategies are most effective to increase the reach, access, acceptance, and vaccine completion among populations that experience health disparities?
• What interventions can effectively target individual beliefs, risk perceptions, and behavior to increase vaccine acceptance among the target population?
• How can evidence-based interventions that have reduced vaccine hesitancy and increased both access and uptake of other vaccinations be adapted and/or adopted to increase the uptake of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine?
• How can social media, digital marketing, and other innovative technologies be integrated into vaccine promotion interventions to identify and address the sources of misinformation regarding vaccination?
• How can vaccine-related communications on coronavirus, HPV, influenza, and other vaccines be generated and promoted by clinicians and healthcare systems to be community and culturally appropriate?
• What are effective culturally specific and/or community competent approaches for reducing barriers and increasing the vaccination uptake and completion?
• What service delivery or organizational level policies are effective in facilitating broad vaccination uptake and reducing barriers such as stigma, distrust, fear, discrimination, and exposure to misinformation?
• What local, state, or federal policies are effective in mitigating disparities in vaccine access, uptake, and series completion?
• How does scientific uncertainty, including rapidly changing vaccine guidance impact vaccine uptake among the target population
• What unintended negative consequences do vaccine related policies create, such as exacerbating disparities in access or vaccine series completion?
• What are effective dissemination and implementation strategies related to vaccination in clinical and community settings?
• What rapid data collection methods can be used to identify and prioritize vaccine interventions in communities?

Projects must include a focus on one or more NIH-designated populations who experience health disparities, including racial and ethnic minority groups (Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders), less privileged socioeconomic status, sexual and gender minorities, and underserved rural populations.

Applications must involve a formal collaboration with one or more of the following:

• Tribal governments and agencies
• Academic and community medical centers or health systems, safety-net health clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, social service systems, and public health agencies
• Community-based or faith-based organizations or groups, schools, Head Start, workplaces, and childcare settings
• NIH and other federally funded initiatives focused on populations who experience health disparities

Eligible applicants include:

• Higher education institutions
  • Public/state controlled institutions
  • Private institutions
• Nonprofit organizations
  • With 501(c)(3) status
  • Without 501(c)(3) status
  • Native American tribal organizations
  • Faith-based or community-based organizations
  • Regional organizations
• Governments
  • State
  • County
  • City or township
  • Special districts
  • Federally recognized Indian/Native American tribal governments
  • Indian/Native American tribal governments (other than federally recognized)
  • Eligible agencies of the federal government
  • U.S. territory or possession
• Other
  • Independent school districts
  • Public housing authorities
  • Indian housing authorities
  • Non-domestic entities and non-domestic components of U.S. entities
  • Small businesses
  • For-profit organizations

Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. The maximum project period is 5 years.

This is a NOSI that is attached to related NIH announcements:

• Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)
• NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• Patient-Clinician Relationship: Improving Health Outcomes in Populations that Experience Health Care Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Leveraging Health Information Technology (Health IT) to Address and Reduce Health Care Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Exploratory Grants in Cancer Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Information Ecosystem (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
• Innovative Approaches to Studying Cancer Communication in the New Information Ecosystem (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

Applicants should submit proposals to the related announcement and indicate that it is a response to the NOSI.

Investigators planning to submit an application are strongly encouraged to contact and discuss their proposed research with program staff well in advance of the anticipated submission date to better determine appropriateness and interest.

This NOSI expires on June 6, 2026.