NIH Highlighted Topic: Research on Chatbots and their Usage
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is encouraging innovative research proposals focused on understanding the benefits, harms, safety, and long-term impacts of conversational chatbot technologies in healthcare and health-related settings. This highlighted topic supports multidisciplinary projects designed to rigorously evaluate how chatbot design, personalization, safeguards, and patterns of use influence health outcomes, clinical decision-making, autonomy, behavior, and trust across diverse populations and real-world contexts.
NIH recognizes that chatbots are increasingly used for symptom interpretation, chronic disease management, mental health support, caregiving, treatment decision-making, health information access, and social interaction — often without professional oversight. The initiative is particularly interested in projects that move beyond proof-of-concept to investigate causal mechanisms, unintended consequences, misinformation risks, automation bias, dependency, delayed professional care, and safe deployment practices.
Companies developing healthcare chatbots, AI safety platforms, conversational AI systems, digital therapeutics, clinical decision support tools, chatbot evaluation frameworks, governance systems, behavioral analytics platforms, or AI monitoring technologies may be strong candidates for funding.
Areas of interest include chatbot safety benchmarking, longitudinal user behavior analysis, AI transparency, guardrails and escalation systems, misinformation mitigation, mental health and substance use chatbot interventions, cancer care support tools, chatbot-human clinical integration, explainable AI systems, conversational AI for older adults and caregivers, and responsible AI frameworks aligned with healthcare interoperability standards such as FHIR and SMART on FHIR.
Funding is available through the NIH SBIR/STTR Program, which currently provides up to approximately $323,090 for Phase I projects and up to $2,153,927 for Phase II projects, with opportunities for additional commercialization and follow-on funding depending on project scope and translational impact.
This highlighted topic is supported by multiple NIH Institutes and Offices including NIA, NCCIH, NCI, NIDA, NIDCR, NIMH, NLM, OBSSR, and ODSS, all of which are seeking transformative innovations that improve safe, ethical, evidence-based deployment of conversational AI and chatbot technologies in healthcare and public health environments.
How much funding would I receive?
Awards provide up to $323,090 for Phase I projects (up to 2 years) and $2,153,927 for Phase II projects (up to 3 years). Some topics approved by NIH may exceed these limits. Fast-Track and Phase IIB (follow-on) options allow continuous or extended funding beyond Phase II.
What could I use the funding for?
Funding may support the research, development, validation, implementation, and commercialization of healthcare chatbot technologies, AI safety systems, conversational AI governance platforms, behavioral analytics tools, and clinical decision support solutions.
Eligible activities may include:
Healthcare chatbot and conversational AI platform development
AI safety monitoring, guardrails, and escalation systems
Chatbot benchmarking, validation, and misinformation detection frameworks
Clinical decision support and symptom interpretation technologies
Mental health, substance use disorder, and behavioral health chatbot systems
Cancer care support, patient education, and survivorship chatbot platforms
Longitudinal user engagement and dependency analytics systems
Explainable AI, transparency, and responsible AI governance tools
Conversational AI systems for older adults, caregivers, and vulnerable populations
AI-enabled risk stratification and safety monitoring technologies
Digital therapeutics and chatbot-assisted intervention platforms
FHIR, SMART on FHIR, and healthcare interoperability integration systems
Behavioral and social science analytics related to chatbot usage patterns
Human-centered AI design and co-development frameworks
Clinical workflow integration and provider oversight systems
Privacy-preserving conversational AI and secure data-sharing infrastructure
Prototype development, translational studies, and real-world validation research
Commercialization planning, regulatory preparation, and implementation scaling activities
Funding may also support personnel, software engineering, cloud infrastructure, AI model development, cybersecurity systems, user research, behavioral analytics, implementation science, interoperability integration, stakeholder engagement, intellectual property protection, regulatory strategy, and commercialization activities necessary to advance a scalable and commercially viable healthcare AI or conversational technology solution aligned with NIH priorities.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Beyond the formal funding award, awardees gain several strategic advantages:
Government Validation and Credibility:
Being selected for an NIH-backed SBIR grant signals technical excellence and alignment with national health and biomedical priorities. This validation builds investor and partner confidence.Enhanced Visibility and Market Recognition:
Awardees are featured in NIH and HHS announcements, helping attract partnerships, media attention, and future contracting opportunities.Access to the Federal Innovation Ecosystem:
Recipients join a national network of researchers and agencies advancing life science innovation, often opening doors to collaborations with NIH laboratories and federal health programs.Stronger Commercial and Exit Potential:
By maturing technology through nondilutive funding, companies strengthen valuation, de-risk commercialization, and increase attractiveness for acquisition or follow-on private investment.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
Applications are accepted each year on January 5th, April 5th, and September 5th. Funding is received approximately 9 months after submission.
Where does this funding come from?
Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with statutory set-asides requiring NIH, CDC, and FDA to devote portions of their extramural R&D budgets (3.2% for SBIR, 0.45% for STTR) to support small business innovation.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must be U.S. small business concerns (SBCs) that:
Are organized for profit with a U.S. place of business.
Have ≤ 500 employees including affiliates.
Are > 50% owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents, qualifying U.S. entities, or combinations thereof.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
Projects that demonstrate:
A clear unmet medical or public-health need,
Strong scientific rationale and feasibility,
High commercialization potential, supported by a realistic market and regulatory strategy, and
Alignment with an NIH Institute’s or CDC/FDA Center’s specific research mission (e.g., infectious disease, digital health, diagnostics, therapeutics, or data analytics).
Competitive applicants often have an early prototype, preliminary data, and a defined path to market adoption.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Companies must complete multiple federal registrations (SAM.gov, Grants.gov, eRA Commons, SBA Company Registry) before applying.
Foreign entities are not eligible.
Disclosure of foreign affiliations and compliance with national security screening are mandatory. Currently we do not recommend any sort of foreign affiliation.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
For a first-time applicant, preparing a competitive submission will likely take 120–200 hours in total.
How can BW&CO help?
Our team specializes in complex federal R&D proposals and can:
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