Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 12 108
Apply for PAR 12 108
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes in the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN) (X01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 16, 2012 and posted on Feb 16, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: County 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 Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) State governments Special district governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments Private institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Independent school districts.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity PAR-12-108, titled "Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes in the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN) (X01)," was a discretionary grant program designed to connect research investigators with the MLPCN so they could move promising, screening-ready assays into high throughput screening workflows. The central idea of the program was not simply to fund stand-alone basic research, but to encourage practical collaborations that convert well-designed biological assays into formats suitable for automated, large-scale screening of small molecules. By doing that, NIH aimed to accelerate the discovery of chemical probes, meaning small molecules that can selectively modulate a biological target or pathway and serve as reliable tools for studying biology, validating targets, and informing early-stage therapeutic research.
The opportunity emphasized two main scientific outcomes. First, it sought to stimulate the discovery and development of novel small molecules that could be used as chemical probes, with downstream value for understanding disease biology and potentially informing treatment strategies. Second, it aimed to support the discovery and/or validation of novel biological targets, meaning genes, proteins, pathways, or other measurable biological entities that play meaningful roles in disease mechanisms. In practical terms, the program was looking for assays that can reveal something genuinely informative about disease-relevant targets and processes, rather than assays that are only incremental or purely technical exercises. The announcement explicitly highlighted that priority would be placed on assays expected to provide new insight into important disease targets and disease processes, which signals that applicants needed to justify biological significance and likely impact, not just assay performance metrics.
Because this was positioned within the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network, the collaboration component was a defining feature. The MLPCN historically functioned as a national infrastructure for screening large compound libraries, optimizing hits into better-quality probes, and making resulting tools and data broadly useful to the research community. In that context, an investigator responding to this opportunity would typically bring a robust biological question and a well-conceived assay concept, while leveraging the MLPCN's expertise and resources for high throughput implementation, screening logistics, and probe development workflows. The grant mechanism type listed is X01, which is commonly used by NIH to provide access to specialized resources or collaborative infrastructure rather than acting like a traditional research project grant that primarily pays for investigator-driven lab work. The practical takeaway is that the program was built to help investigators cross the gap between an academically developed assay and an industrial-style screening campaign capable of generating high-quality probe candidates.
Administratively, the opportunity was published and opened on February 16, 2012, with an original and final closing date of August 15, 2012, and an archive date of September 15, 2012. It fell under the health funding activity category and referenced CFDA number 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support). There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which generally lowers barriers to entry for a wide range of organizations.
Eligibility was broad and intentionally inclusive. Eligible applicants included many types of U.S. governmental entities (state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and certain housing authorities), as well as a wide range of non-governmental organizations. That included nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, and for-profit organizations that are not small businesses. Higher education institutions were eligible across categories (public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education). The eligibility language also explicitly welcomed mission-focused and capacity-building institutions and organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and tribal organizations (including federally recognized tribal governments). Faith-based and community-based organizations were listed as eligible, and regional organizations could apply. Importantly, non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) were eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed. This breadth reflects NIH's interest in sourcing strong, disease-relevant assays and targets wherever they originate, while still channeling screening and probe-production work through the MLPCN framework.
Overall, PAR-12-108 can be understood as a targeted NIH effort to speed up early-stage translational discovery by turning biologically meaningful assays into HTS-ready platforms and pairing them with a national screening network capable of finding and refining small-molecule probes. The underlying goal was to generate widely useful chemical tools and target-validation evidence that would deepen understanding of disease mechanisms and help set the stage for future therapeutic development. For full details, NIH pointed applicants to the official announcement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-108.html, and provided NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for access or technical issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is NIH PAR-12-108?
PAR-12-108 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Assays for High Throughput Screening (HTS) to Discover Chemical Probes in the Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN) (X01)." It was a discretionary grant program intended to connect research investigators with the MLPCN so promising, screening-ready assays could be moved into high throughput screening workflows.
What was the main purpose of this opportunity?
The main purpose was to encourage practical collaborations that convert well-designed biological assays into formats suitable for automated, large-scale screening of small molecules. The aim was not simply to fund stand-alone basic research, but to help bridge the gap between an academically developed assay and an industrial-style HTS campaign capable of producing high-quality chemical probe candidates.
What is the MLPCN and why does it matter here?
The Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network (MLPCN) historically served as national infrastructure for screening large compound libraries, optimizing screening hits into higher-quality chemical probes, and making resulting tools and data broadly useful to the research community. In this opportunity, MLPCN was the collaborative engine that would help implement HTS logistics and probe development workflows once an investigator provided a strong assay concept.
What does the X01 grant mechanism mean in this context?
The X01 mechanism is commonly used by NIH to provide access to specialized resources or collaborative infrastructure rather than operating like a traditional research project grant that primarily pays for investigator-driven laboratory work. In practical terms, this opportunity was designed around enabling access to MLPCN screening and probe production capabilities.
What kinds of scientific outcomes was NIH looking for?
The opportunity emphasized two main outcomes: (1) discovery and development of novel small molecules that can be used as chemical probes, and (2) discovery and/or validation of novel biological targets such as genes, proteins, pathways, or other measurable biological entities that play meaningful roles in disease mechanisms.
What is a "chemical probe" as described in the opportunity?
A chemical probe is a small molecule that can selectively modulate a biological target or pathway and serve as a reliable tool for studying biology, validating targets, and informing early-stage therapeutic research.
What kind of assays did the program want to move into HTS?
The program focused on assays that were promising and screening-ready, with the key goal of converting them into HTS-compatible formats suitable for automated, large-scale screening. The emphasis was on assays expected to provide genuinely informative insight into disease-relevant targets and processes.
How did NIH indicate it would prioritize applications?
The announcement explicitly stated that priority would be placed on assays expected to provide new insight into important disease targets and disease processes. This indicates applicants needed to justify biological significance and likely impact, not only assay performance or technical features.
Was this opportunity aimed at basic research or translational discovery?
It was positioned as an effort to speed up early-stage translational discovery by turning biologically meaningful assays into HTS-ready platforms and pairing them with a national screening network capable of finding and refining small-molecule probes.
What funding activity category and CFDA number were associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity fell under the health funding activity category and referenced CFDA number 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support).
When did PAR-12-108 open and close?
The opportunity was published and opened on February 16, 2012. The original and final closing date was August 15, 2012. The archive date was September 15, 2012.
Is the opportunity still active?
Based on the provided dates, it is not active. It had a final closing date of August 15, 2012 and an archive date of September 15, 2012.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad. Eligible applicants included many types of U.S. governmental entities (state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and certain housing authorities) as well as non-governmental organizations such as nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, and for-profit organizations that are not small businesses.
Were colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Higher education institutions were eligible, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.
Were specific mission-focused or capacity-building institutions explicitly welcomed?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly welcomed Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and tribal organizations (including federally recognized tribal governments).
Could faith-based, community-based, or regional organizations apply?
Yes. Faith-based and community-based organizations were listed as eligible, and regional organizations could apply.
Could non-U.S. (foreign) entities apply?
Yes. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) were eligible to apply. In addition, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed.
Where could applicants find the official announcement?
NIH directed applicants to the official announcement at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-108.html.
Who was listed for technical or access issues?
The provided information states NIH supplied NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contacts for access or technical issues.
What was the expected collaboration model between investigators and MLPCN?
An investigator would typically bring a robust biological question and a well-conceived assay concept, while leveraging MLPCN expertise and resources for high throughput implementation, screening logistics, and probe development workflows.
What broader goal did NIH describe for this program?
The underlying goal was to generate widely useful chemical tools and target-validation evidence that would deepen understanding of disease mechanisms and help set the stage for future therapeutic development.
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