Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET): Learning Health Care Research to Improve Mental Health Services and Outcomes (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)

Background
In 2019, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) established the Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET) to advance learning health methods in treatment programs that offer evidence-based Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) to persons in the early stages of psychotic illness. EPINET scientific hubs and a national data coordinating center have established infrastructure to support data sharing, program evaluation, and quality improvement activities across connected CSC programs, along with embedded research projects aimed at advancing knowledge about first episode psychosis populations, interventions, and recovery outcomes. The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit Program Project (P01) applications from scientific hubs to support learning health care research in clinics offering evidence-based Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) to persons in the early stages of psychotic illness.

Grant Details
Each scientific hub will link multiple early psychosis service programs through the EPINET Core Assessment Battery (CAB) of early psychosis clinical features, CSC services, and treatment outcomes; informatics tools to collect de-identified, person-level data across sites; and a unified approach for analyzing pooled data and disseminating promising findings rapidly across the network. The P01 activity code supports research that has multiple distinct but synergistic projects built around a clearly defined unifying central theme or well-defined overall objective. This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, Indian/Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), U.S. Territory or Possession entities, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), faith-based or community-based organizations, and regional organizations. Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply.

Period of Performance
The maximum project period is 5 years.

Grant Value
NIMH intends to commit $9.5 million in FY 2024 for this grant opportunity to fund one U24 National Data Coordinating Center and up to five P01 EPINET scientific hubs. Direct costs are limited to $1,000,000 in any one year.