← Back to search

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health

Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders

Federal program · program number 93.173 (the federal Assistance Listing number)

Key facts

Open now
75 grants
Opening soon
6 grants
Type of help
Project grant
Typical award
Project Grants: FY23 - Ranged from $100 to $3.235,000; Average was $403,000.

Open now

Opening soon

Announced, but you can't apply yet. Get ready now.

What it pays for

To investigate solutions to problems directly relevant to individuals with deafness or disorders of human communication in the areas of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) supports research and research training, including investigation into the etiology, pathology, detection, treatment, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes, primarily through the support of basic and applied research in anatomy, audiology, biochemistry, bioengineering, epidemiology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, the neurosciences, otolaryngology, psychology, pharmacology, physiology, psychophysics, speech-language pathology, and other scientific disciplines. The NIDCD supports: (1) Research into the evaluation of techniques and devices used in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes; (2) research into prevention and early detection and diagnosis of hearing loss and speech, voice, and language disorders and research into preventing the effects of such disorders by means of appropriate referral and rehabilitation; (3) research into the detection, treatment, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes in the elderly population and its rehabilitation to ensure continued effective communication skills; and (4) research to expand knowledge of the effects of environmental agents that influence hearing or other communication processes.

Who can apply

Project Grants and Centers Grants: Any public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit institution is eligible to apply. For-profit institutions are not eligible for institutional National Research Service Awards. All proposals are reviewed for scientific merit, for evaluation of the qualifications of the investigators, for adequacy of the research and/or research training environment and for significance of the problem. Approved proposals compete for available funds. Awardees of almost all Research Career Development Programs must be citizens or have been admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Candidates must be nominated for the program by a nonfederal public or private nonprofit institution located in the United States, its possessions or Territories. To be eligible, postdoctoral NRSA trainees and fellows must have a professional or scientific doctoral degree (PhD, MD, DO, DC, DDS, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, Dr PHPhD, MD, DO, DC, DDS, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, Dr PH, DNSc, ND {Doctor of Naturopathy}, PharmD, DSW, PsyD, AUD or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution). SBIR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses (entities that are independently owned and operated for profit, and have no more than 500 employees). Primary employment (more than one-half time) of the principal investigator must be with the small...

How applications are judged

The major elements in evaluating applications include assessments of: (1) The scientific merit and general significance of the proposed study and its objectives; (2) the technical adequacy of the experimental design and approach; (3) the competency of the proposed investigator or group to successfully pursue the project; (4) the adequacy of the environment and available resources for the proposed project; (5) the necessity of budget components requested in relation to the proposed project; (6) the relevance and importance to announced program objectives; (7) innovation; (8) risk to human subjects, including inclusion of minorities, inclusion across the lifespan, and animal protection. The following additional criteria will be used in considering the scientific and technical merit of SBIR/STTR grant applications: (1) The technological innovation of the proposed research; (2) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application.

Match

None required (federal program listing).

Who in Tennessee has won this program

26 awards to Tennessee groups since 2013 · 0 in Hamilton County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$9.2M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$7.4M2018
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$5M2014
St Jude Children's Research Hospital IncMemphis, Shelby County$4.2M2013
University of TennesseeMemphis, Shelby County$4.1M2015
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.5M2018
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$3.5M2019
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.5M2018
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.5M2019
St Jude Children's Research Hospital IncMemphis, Shelby County$3.3M2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$3.2M2018
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$2.9M2016

Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse, USAspending.gov.

Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 45 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Hamilton County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education$1M2023
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyCreighton University$925K2024
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyCreighton University$845K2023
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Texas at Austin$371K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleVanderbilt University Medical Center$369K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleVumc$356K spent that year2024
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyGeorgia Tech Research Corp$331K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleMedical University of South Carolina$315K spent that year2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University Medical Center$307K2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University Medical Center$301K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University Medical Center$250K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University Medical Center$220K2023

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

Official program listing (SAM.gov) Program website