Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01) | PAR 24 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 027

The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-24-027) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant mechanism designed to give qualified investigators access to existing PATH Study biospecimens and the rich, linked research data that go with them. PATH is a major U.S. tobacco regulatory science resource, and this announcement is essentially a formal access pathway for researchers who want to use PATH specimens and the associated survey and health-related datasets to study tobacco use behaviors, perceptions and attitudes, biomarkers of exposure, and related health outcomes in the United States.

A key feature of this opportunity is that it centers on biospecimen access rather than funding a traditional de novo data collection effort. The biospecimens available through PATH include urine, plasma, serum, and genomic DNA, which can support a wide range of analyses such as biomarker measurement, exposure assessment, and genetics or genomics work (as allowed under PATH policies and data use terms). Because these samples are paired with detailed PATH Study data, applicants can propose studies that connect lab-based measures with participant-reported tobacco use patterns, transitions across product types, perceptions and marketing exposure, dependence-related measures, and health indicators captured by the PATH design. The public-facing entry point for understanding what PATH contains and how the resource is organized is the PATH Study series page hosted by the University of Michigan's National Addiction and HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP), within ICPSR, at https://doi.org/10.3886/Series606.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common U.S. research and public-sector entities: state, county, 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 tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; 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 organizations as permitted. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with eligible federal agencies and faith-based or community-based organizations. U.S. territories or possessions and regional organizations are also included among the eligible groupings.

At the same time, the opportunity draws a firm boundary around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. Practically, that means the applicant organization and the work under this access award must be domestic, without a foreign component embedded in the project structure.

From an administrative perspective, this is an NIH grant under CFDA 93.279, categorized under Education and Health, with an original posting/creation date of 2023-08-24 and an original closing date listed as 2026-10-30. The notice does not state an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, which typically signals that the main purpose is controlled access to a valuable national resource rather than a large, budget-driven research program. Researchers considering applying would generally focus on demonstrating a scientifically sound plan for using the requested specimens, showing that the requested biospecimens and linked PATH variables are essential to the proposed aims, and aligning with the access, privacy, and governance requirements that come with restricted biospecimen and human-subject-linked data resources.

Overall, PAR-24-027 is best understood as a structured NIH-supported on-ramp to the PATH biospecimen repository and its companion data, enabling studies that can answer policy-relevant and public health-relevant questions about tobacco and nicotine product use in the U.S. by combining biological measures (from urine, plasma, serum, and DNA) with PATH's extensive behavioral and health outcome information.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-08-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-10-30. (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 24 027

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