FY25 Ensuring Research Integrity - Program Development and Evaluation Program (PDE)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the “Ensuring Research Integrity - Program Development and Evaluation Program (PDE).” This funding opportunity is governed by authority under Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 241). The PDE Program is administered by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants and Acquisitions Management Division (GAM). The initiative aims to promote research integrity and prevent misconduct through the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions, tools, and educational programs. The grant opportunity is open to a broad range of institutions and individuals with a demonstrated interest in fostering responsible research practices. The grant is intended to support innovative approaches that advance research integrity, prevent and detect misconduct, and protect whistleblowers and other vulnerable populations within research environments. Funded projects may focus on creating online or in-person training programs, risk assessment tools for identifying potential misconduct, and institutional or lab-based interventions such as mentorship programs or data management improvements. Projects are also encouraged to involve collaboration with research integrity officials and legal professionals familiar with 42 C.F.R. Part 93 to ensure regulatory compliance. Proposed initiatives should be rooted in research or evaluation methodologies and demonstrate measurable outcomes, including improved practices or knowledge within the research community. Eligible applicants include universities, hospitals, laboratories, government entities at all levels, independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and others), Native American tribal organizations, and for-profit entities including small businesses. Faith-based and community-based organizations are also eligible. Applications from consortia or partnerships are allowed, but only one organization may submit and be the recipient. The designated Project Director or Principal Investigator must not have any federal exclusions or debarments. All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Required forms include the SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and a complete budget narrative. The project narrative has a 25-page limit and must be double-spaced. Appendices are limited to 75 pages in total when combined with the project narrative. Applicants must also include a plan for the oversight of federal funds, and provide detailed justifications for budgeted costs. All materials must be submitted by 6:00 PM Eastern on July 30, 2025. No pre-award costs are allowed, and applicants must comply with federal salary limitations and equipment purchasing restrictions. The anticipated total funding available is $150,000, with two awards expected. Each award is projected to fall between $50,000 and $75,000 for a 12-month period beginning September 30, 2025. Applications exceeding or falling below this range will be disqualified. No cost-sharing or matching is required, though applicants may include voluntary contributions. Recipients are expected to demonstrate project performance through quarterly and final reporting, with clear evaluation metrics. Evaluation criteria include project relevance, impact, scalability, and organizational capacity. A technical assistance webinar is scheduled for July 15, 2025, at 1:00 PM Eastern. Questions can be directed to the OASH Grants team at OASH_Grants@hhs.gov or to Jessica Shields (Grants Management Specialist) via phone at 240-453-8822. Programmatic inquiries should be addressed to Armineh Ghazarian at the Office of Research Integrity via email at Armineh.Ghazarian@hhs.gov. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the full NOFO and adhere to all submission and eligibility requirements to ensure their proposals are considered.

Strict adherence to formatting, evaluation criteria, and Grants.gov file types is required. Use clear, outcome-driven language.