The mission of the NIH is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The NIH is committed to supporting research that will increase scientific understanding of the health and well-being of various population and subpopulation groups and that will help to establish the effectiveness of evidence-based health interventions and services for individuals within these groups. NIH places high priority on research with populations that have distinct health risk profiles and who have also received insufficient attention from the scientific research enterprise. To this end, this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) announces the availability of administrative supplements to provide funding for the expansion of existing research projects to incorporate sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations or SGM-relevant research questions. SGM populations include, but are not limited to, those populations described in NOT-OD-19-139. Basic, social, behavioral, clinical, translational, and health services research relevant to the missions of the sponsoring NIH Institutes or Centers (ICs) may be proposed in response to this solicitation. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the most recent annual Portfolio Analysis of NIH-funded SGM research to identify potential research gaps that may be relevant to this NOSI. More information about the SGM administrative supplements program and previously awarded research projects can be found on the SGMRO website.

This NOSI calls for research that will enrich scientific understanding of how sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or being born with differences/disorders in sex development (DSDs) or intersex characteristics relate to health outcomes, health risks, health behaviors, perceptions and expectations about health, and access to health-related services or associated barriers.

Appropriate topics or studies for these supplements may include, but are not limited to, those listed below:

• Addition of SGM participants to an ongoing study which either did not originally include them or has not enrolled enough SGM participants to make meaningful comparisons between groups; proposed studies must be sufficiently powered to allow for meaningful comparisons
• Expansion of an ongoing study focused on one SGM group to add another; proposed studies must be sufficiently powered to allow for meaningful comparisons
• Expansion of data collection (e.g., in surveys, questionnaires, etc.) to add items related to sexual attraction, sexual behavior, sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, and/or non-binary sex when relevant and appropriate
• Secondary analyses of existing data to generate new information or hypotheses about SGM health
• Assessment of reliability and/or validity of measures relevant to sexual attraction, sexual behavior, sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, and/or non-binary sex
• Methodological and strategic innovations to improve the recruitment and retention of SGM individuals in any research activity
• Expansion of prevention, screening, and wellness research tailored to SGM populations that aims to reduce health inequities
• Ethical, legal, or social science research on the implications of data collection and/or research findings on SGM populations

Application Due Dates – January 31, 2022 for FY 2022; January 31, 2023 for FY 2023; and January 31, 2024 for FY 2024

NOT-OD-22-032