Impact of the Use of Glucose Monitoring and Control Technologies on Health Outcomes and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (DP3) | RFA DK 15 028

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 15 028

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Impact of the Use of Glucose Monitoring and Control Technologies on Health Outcomes and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (DP3)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA DK 15 028; CFDA 93.847) supports clinical studies that evaluate how current and emerging diabetes technologies perform specifically in older adults living with type 1 diabetes. The central idea is that tools such as advanced blood glucose monitoring systems and insulin delivery approaches may offer meaningful benefits, but the real-world balance of risks and advantages could look different in older patients than it does in younger populations that are often the focus of technology trials. NIH is therefore encouraging research that directly tests these technologies in older adults, with an emphasis on measurable health outcomes, glucose management, and day-to-day quality of life.

A key motivation for the program is that older adults with type 1 diabetes can be more vulnerable to serious hypoglycemia and may also face cognitive impairment, functional limitations, or multiple co-existing medical conditions. These factors can influence whether a technology is safe, usable, and beneficial. For example, a device that improves time-in-range in a younger adult might create new challenges for an older person who has visual impairment, reduced manual dexterity, difficulty interpreting alarms, or limited caregiver support. Likewise, co-morbidities and polypharmacy can change hypoglycemia risk or complicate self-management routines. The FOA is aimed at generating evidence that accounts for these age-related and clinical complexities rather than assuming that outcomes will generalize across age groups.

The clinical studies encouraged under this announcement are intended to determine whether technologies for glucose monitoring and insulin administration lead to improvements in outcomes that matter to older adults, including better glucose control and fewer adverse events, while also addressing patient-centered outcomes such as independence, treatment burden, confidence in self-management, and overall quality of life. Although the announcement description is broad, it clearly frames the research around practical, health-impacting questions: how well these technologies work in older people with T1D, what risks they introduce or reduce (especially around hypoglycemia), and how they affect everyday living in a population that may have distinct needs and constraints.

This is a discretionary grant opportunity within the NIH mission areas related to health and nutrition. A wide range of organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, and special district governments), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and public or Indian housing authorities. The eligibility list also includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. In addition, the announcement explicitly highlights eligibility for a number of institution types and organizations that are often emphasized in federal research programs, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth signals an intent to encourage diverse research settings and populations, including studies that may be embedded in community, tribal, or regionally focused healthcare environments.

Administrative details in the source indicate the FOA was created on September 24, 2015, with an original closing date of March 3, 2016. The funding instrument type is a grant, and it is categorized under discretionary funding. The provided source excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, suggesting those details either were not included in the excerpted fields or may have been defined elsewhere in the full announcement.

Overall, this opportunity is focused on producing clinically meaningful, age-relevant evidence about diabetes technology use in older adults with type 1 diabetes, with explicit attention to safety concerns like hypoglycemia and real-life challenges such as cognitive impairment and multiple co-morbidities. The intended end result is clearer guidance on which monitoring and insulin-delivery technologies improve health outcomes and quality of life for older patients, and under what conditions they are most effective and safest.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Impact of the Use of Glucose Monitoring and Control Technologies on Health Outcomes and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (DP3)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-03-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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