REsearch Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Virtual Resource Centers (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AT 23 007

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), released this discretionary funding opportunity (RFA-AT-23-007) to support the creation of REsearch Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Virtual Resource Centers. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which typically means NIH staff will have substantial involvement in the project beyond standard grant oversight, and the project is intended to function as an enabling infrastructure rather than as a standalone hypothesis-driven research study. The FOA is explicitly marked "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," signaling that the funded center should not be proposing or running clinical trials as part of its primary activities; instead, it should provide support that helps others design, prepare for, and compete successfully for external research funding.

The core purpose of these virtual resource centers is to strengthen research capacity and research training for faculty clinician scientists working in accredited complementary and integrative health clinical institutions. The FOA highlights the kinds of institutions and disciplines it is trying to reach, including schools and programs in acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, naturopathy, physical therapy, and music and art therapy. A defining feature is the emphasis on partnership: REACH centers are expected to foster institutional collaborations and to help investigators across multiple complementary and integrative health institutions work together, share expertise, and build multi- and interdisciplinary research teams. In practical terms, the "virtual" nature implies that the center is designed to connect people and services across locations through coordinated online infrastructure, consultation, shared resources, and cross-institutional programming rather than being limited to a single physical hub.

The services envisioned are broad and meant to cover the common gaps that prevent clinician faculty at these institutions from competing effectively for federal research funding. The FOA lists resource categories that centers may provide, including administrative support (for coordination, compliance navigation, and day-to-day operations), research support (study design input, methods consultation, measurement selection, data considerations, and related guidance), grantsmanship (help with proposal development, responsiveness to NIH expectations, budgeting, and submission strategy), mentoring and training (structured mentorship, skill-building sessions, and career development support), and team building (matchmaking across institutions, facilitation of collaborations, and development of interdisciplinary project teams). The center is therefore positioned as a shared backbone that helps clinician scientists move from ideas to fundable applications, while also improving the overall research culture and infrastructure within partner institutions.

Programmatically, the FOA expects REACH centers to concentrate on resources that support investigators pursuing clinical research broadly defined, but not clinical trials under this announcement. Examples of the types of research activities the supported investigators may be working toward include observational studies, epidemiological research, mechanistic clinical research, mixed methods research, and feasibility studies. Importantly, these efforts should align with NCCIH strategic priorities, with the FOA specifically calling out symptom management as a priority area. In other words, the center is not just building generic research capacity; it is building capacity that can translate into competitive, strategically aligned applications that fit NCCIH interests and NIH standards.

The FOA spells out several expected outcomes that serve as the practical yardsticks for success. First, REACH centers should measurably improve both the quality and the quantity of federal research grant applications submitted by clinician scientist faculty at complementary and integrative health clinical institutions. Second, they should actively help form multi- and interdisciplinary research partnerships across the participating institutions, not just within a single school or discipline. Third, they should contribute to enhancing the research environment at these institutions, which can include strengthening policies, norms, mentorship structures, and operational capacity that make sustained research possible. Fourth, they should support a longer-term pipeline by helping train and position clinician scientists educated in complementary and integrative health practices to pursue research careers within clinical institutions, increasing the likelihood that research capacity persists beyond the grant period.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic organization types commonly allowed under NIH funding, such as state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly mentions additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), 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, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a clear line on foreign eligibility: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign elements when they are justified and consistent with NIH policy, even though a foreign organization cannot be the applicant institution.

From a funding and administrative perspective, the opportunity is categorized under Health (CFDA 93.213) and uses a cooperative agreement structure, reinforcing that NIH expects an active partnership role in shaping and monitoring the center's progress. The listed award ceiling is $750,000, indicating the maximum anticipated annual direct cost level or total cost cap depending on the FOA specifics (the ceiling figure in summarized listings often reflects the maximum per award, but applicants would still need to confirm budgeting rules within the full announcement). The original closing date was November 10, 2022, and the FOA was created on August 22, 2022, which is useful context if someone is looking for reissues, related future opportunities, or comparable NCCIH infrastructure programs rather than this exact closed round.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as an infrastructure and capacity-building initiative aimed at helping complementary and integrative health clinical institutions become more research-active and more competitive for federal funding. Rather than paying for a specific clinical study, it pays for a coordinated virtual center that can train, mentor, connect, and technically support clinician scientists, with an emphasis on strengthening grant submissions, catalyzing cross-institution partnerships, improving institutional research environments, and building a durable clinician-scientist pipeline aligned with NCCIH priorities in symptom management.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "REsearch Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Virtual Resource Centers (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): 93.213.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-10. (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 $750,000.00 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.

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