Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 19 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 19 012

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced this discretionary grant opportunity, RFA-RM-19-012, titled "Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." It is a small, pilot-style research grant under the R03 mechanism with an award ceiling of $200,000. The core idea behind the program is to encourage researchers and organizations to actively use several high-value data sets that were produced through multiple NIH Common Fund programs and are already widely available. Rather than funding new clinical studies or trials, the FOA is focused on analyzing and leveraging existing Common Fund data resources in ways that clearly demonstrate their usefulness, spark new research questions, generate testable hypotheses, and help catalyze discoveries that might not emerge without targeted, creative reuse of these data.

Projects proposed under this FOA are expected to do more than simply run analyses; they should meaningfully enhance the utility and real-world usability of selected Common Fund data sets. That can include work that shows how the data can be applied to answer important biomedical or public health questions, develops novel analytical approaches or workflows that make the data easier to interpret, or produces insights that motivate follow-on studies. A key feature is that award recipients are also expected to provide structured feedback to NIH about the strengths, limitations, and practical usability of the Common Fund data resources they used. In other words, the FOA is designed both to produce scientific outputs (like new hypotheses, preliminary findings, or validated analytic approaches) and to create a feedback loop that helps NIH improve these shared data assets for the broader community.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based applicants across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Academic institutions are eligible, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education. The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) IRS status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. Native American entities are explicitly included as eligible applicants, including federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal government agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain foreign collaborations or elements within the rules NIH sets for foreign components, even though a foreign institution cannot serve as the primary applicant.

Administratively, this opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.310. The agency is NIH, and the posting indicates an original application closing date of March 19, 2020, with a creation date of November 12, 2019. In practical terms, the opportunity was aimed at funding short, focused projects that quickly demonstrate value from existing Common Fund data sets, produce actionable lessons about how to improve access and usability, and accelerate discovery by making better, more creative use of data resources that have already been generated with federal support.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-19. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for RFA RM 19 012

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: