The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the availability of one-year administrative supplements of up to $100,000 each for research on sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. The supplements are available from multiple NIH institutes and offices and for a wide range of current grants, cooperative agreements, and research projects. SGM populations include, but are not limited to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and individuals with differences or disorders of sexual development (DSD)(sometimes referred to as “intersex” or as specific diagnoses).
This announcement calls for research that will enrich scientific understanding of how sexual orientation, gender identity, and being born with DSD/intersex influence and/or relate to health and health risks, perceptions and expectations about health, health behaviors, and barriers and access to health-related services. This announcement also calls for research on how the household and family structures (both family of origin and family of choice) of SGM individuals influence the health, development, coming-out process, and well-being of children born and/or raised in these households and families. This knowledge will also guide new directions for studies of the health and well-being of all populations across the lifespan.
Appropriate topics/studies include, but are not limited to, those listed below:
- Addition of SGM individuals to a study which either originally excluded them or has not enrolled enough SGM participants to make any meaningful comparisons between groups; sample sizes need to be powered to allow for meaningful comparisons
- Expansion of an ongoing SGM study focused on one group to add another; sample sizes need to be powered to allow for meaningful comparisons
- Expansion of questionnaires administered in any setting where it is relevant to address issues of sexual behavior, sexual identity, or sexual orientation
- Assessment of reliability and validity of questionnaires relevant to sexual behavior, sexual identity, or sexual orientation
- Methodological innovations to improve the recruitment and retention of SGM individuals in any research initiative
- Inclusion of a new methodology or technology that enhances the study data and the answers to questions being asked
Applications for the administrative supplements are due on November 15, 2015.
Ignatius Bau 