Resource-Related Research Projects for Development of Animal Models and Related Materials (R24 Clinical Trials Not-Allowed) | RFA OD 19 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 19 027

The NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) is offering an R24 resource-focused grant opportunity to support projects that build, strengthen, or expand research resources involving animal models and closely related materials. The overall aim is practical and infrastructure-oriented rather than hypothesis-driven discovery research: ORIP is looking for applications that develop new animal models of human disease, further characterize or improve existing models, increase community access to information and data produced from animal models, or enhance the diagnosis and control of diseases that affect laboratory animals. In other words, the emphasis is on creating and improving broadly useful tools, reference resources, and support systems that many biomedical researchers can rely on.

A central requirement is that the proposed animal model resource must have broad relevance across multiple NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), matching ORIP's trans-NIH mission. Applicants are expected to clearly explain why the resource is needed, who will use it, and how it will influence multiple research areas supported by more than one NIH IC. Projects that are narrowly tailored to one specific disease, one niche research area, or primarily aligned with the mission of a single NIH Institute (with only a weak or incidental connection to others) are explicitly discouraged and considered nonresponsive. The program is essentially trying to avoid funding single-disease model development that would more appropriately fit within a disease-specific NIH institute program; instead, it prioritizes enabling resources with wide downstream impact.

Because this is an R24 mechanism, the focus is typically on resource development, standardization, validation/characterization, distribution, and community utility. While the opportunity highlights animal models of human disease, it also includes work aimed at improving laboratory animal health and quality, such as better approaches to detecting, diagnosing, preventing, or controlling diseases that could compromise animal colonies and confound research outcomes. Projects may also center on improving access to information, which can include data resources, informatics tools, reference datasets, standardized protocols, or other systems that help the research community use animal models more effectively and reproducibly. The opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trials Not-Allowed," meaning the supported work should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH policy.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions where applicable); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is limited. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the main applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" are allowed when they meet NIH's Grants Policy Statement definition, which generally means a portion of the project can be conducted outside the United States under specific rules and justification, while the applicant organization itself remains eligible and primarily U.S.-based.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary NIH grant in the health funding category and is identified under Assistance Listing/CFDA number 93.351. The funding opportunity title is "Resource-Related Research Projects for Development of Animal Models and Related Materials (R24 Clinical Trials Not-Allowed)" and the opportunity number is RFA-OD-19-027. The original closing date listed is September 8, 2022, and the record shows an initial creation date of September 11, 2019. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, which usually means applicants need to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for any caps, recommended budgets, project periods, and program-specific expectations.

In practical terms, a competitive application under this FOA would make a strong case that the proposed animal model(s), supporting materials, and/or associated information resources will serve a wide scientific audience and address needs that cut across several NIH mission areas. The proposal would be expected to describe plans for generating or improving the resource, ensuring quality and usefulness (for example, through rigorous characterization, standardized phenotyping, genetic validation, health monitoring, or reproducibility measures), and enabling access by the broader community (for example, distribution plans, data sharing, documentation, and user support). The key message of the program is that ORIP is investing in shared infrastructure for biomedical research, not single-disease model development meant for a narrow user group.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Resource-Related Research Projects for Development of Animal Models and Related Materials (R24 Clinical Trials Not-Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-09-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-08. (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.

Apply for RFA OD 19 027

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