Life Course Translational Research Network (LCT-RN) | HRSA 23 083

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 23 083

The Life Course Translational Research Network (LCT-RN) grant opportunity (HRSA-23-083) is a FY 2023 cooperative agreement from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), focused on building and sustaining a national, interdisciplinary, multi-site research platform that can rapidly move life course intervention research into real-world practice. The core idea is to strengthen the infrastructure and collaborations needed to run timely, innovative, high-quality applied studies that do not stop at generating findings, but actively support translation of those findings into public health and maternal and child health (MCH) programs. The network is intended to promote child health and health equity across the lifespan, with results that directly inform HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) program planning, policymaking, and evidence-based practice through a life course lens.

In practical terms, the LCT-RN is meant to support research that views child health as shaped over time by experiences and conditions at multiple levels, including the child, family, community, and broader systems. This life course framing emphasizes identifying key developmental windows and strategic points where interventions can alter health trajectories in meaningful ways. A major priority in this funding cycle is health equity, especially research that examines how maternal, paternal, and overall family physical and mental health influence child health outcomes. The opportunity explicitly points to two-generation approaches, recognizing that improving parent and caregiver health and wellbeing can be a powerful pathway to improving child outcomes and interrupting intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.

Over a five-year project period, the awardee is expected to expand and strengthen a collaborative national network that accelerates translation from research to practice while also working to reduce disparities in MCH populations. The network must conduct at least five intervention research studies grounded in life course theory, designed around critical life stages, and structured so that successful approaches can realistically be adopted in public health settings. Beyond conducting studies, the program expects the awardee to build strategic partnerships that shape research priorities and ensure the work responds to the needs of underserved communities. Another major requirement is workforce development: the network must train and mentor at least 10 junior or new investigators each year, including investigators from underserved communities and/or minority-serving institutions, helping grow the next generation of life course and translational MCH researchers.

Dissemination and measurable impact are also central expectations. The LCT-RN is required to regularly share findings, including producing at least five peer-reviewed publications per year, and to evaluate how its research influences programs, practices, and policy. The emphasis is not simply on academic output, but on demonstrating that the network is moving evidence into action and supporting decision-making in MCH systems. The LCT-RN is also expected to collaborate with HRSA MCHB-funded programs to identify priority topics, implement multi-site studies, and support translation activities that make results usable for practitioners and policymakers.

Eligibility is limited to public or nonprofit institutions of higher learning and public or private nonprofit agencies that conduct research or run programs related to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs, consistent with 42 CFR 51a.3(b). Faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations may apply if they meet the eligibility requirements. Applicants that are nonprofits must provide proof of nonprofit status (noted as Attachment 5 in the application package). Foreign entities cannot apply on their own; a foreign applicant must be affiliated with a US entity that has a US EIN recognized by HRSA in order to be considered eligible. The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an annual award ceiling of $800,000. The original application closing date for this cycle was April 10, 2023.

• The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Life Course Translational Research Network (LCT-RN)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.110.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-10. (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 $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for HRSA 23 083

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