The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Department of Health and Human Services, is forecasting a funding opportunity titled "Maximizing the Scientific Value of Data Generated by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program: Dissertation Grant (R36)." This opportunity is designed to support doctoral candidates conducting dissertation research in high-priority areas related to maternal and child health. The initiative is part of the ECHO Program's broader mission to investigate the effects of a wide range of early environmental exposures on child health and development.
This funding initiative encourages the utilization of the ECHO Cohort data by doctoral students. The ECHO dataset, accessible through the NICHD Data and Specimen Hub (DASH), contains de-identified longitudinal data from over 71,000 maternal and child participants across the United States. The data span various environmental exposures and five primary pediatric health outcome areas, including prenatal and postnatal outcomes, respiratory health, obesity and its consequences, neurodevelopment, and overall positive health metrics.
The funding aims to facilitate new research that leverages this robust dataset, supporting emerging investigators in the field of environmental health as it relates to maternal and child outcomes. By engaging doctoral candidates with access to this large-scale data, NIH hopes to foster innovative research projects that contribute meaningful insights to the field while supporting the academic development of the candidates.
This is a discretionary grant opportunity and does not require cost-sharing or matching funds. It is expected to offer up to eight awards with an estimated total program funding of $1,260,000. The forecasted post date for this opportunity is October 20, 2025, with applications due by March 17, 2026. Awards are expected to be announced by October 5, 2026, with project start dates aligning on the same day.
Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as federally recognized and other Native American tribal organizations, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, independent school districts, higher education institutions (both public and private), state and county governments, public housing authorities, and certain for-profit organizations excluding small businesses. There are no geographical restrictions mentioned, implying potential nationwide availability.
Contact for this grant is Dr. Clayton Mash, who is affiliated with the Office of the Director at NIH and can be reached via phone at 301-655-3272 or email at clay.mash@nih.gov.
