NIOSH Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence
Funds academic centres studying worker health and safety in the United States through collaborative excellence networks.
NIOSH Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence sits inside the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the CDC institute that develops occupational safety and health knowledge. The program funds a national network of academic centers focused on worker safety, health, and well-being through multidisciplinary research. The current five-year cycle runs from 2021 to 2026 under PAR-20-297 and funds 10 centers, including institutions such as UCSF, UNC Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and the Colorado School of Public Health. The research agenda spans opioid and substance use disorders in workplaces, worker well-being measurement, future-of-work trends, healthy work design, and workplace mental health. Award amounts are not publicly disclosed per center. This is a demanding academic competition with a narrow lane. The best fit is a university or research organization that can sustain multidisciplinary occupational health work, publish credible evidence, and connect research to workplace practice. With only 10 centers funded nationally, the program favors teams that already have deep subject expertise and the institutional capacity to coordinate across disciplines.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Biennial.