Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 15 006
Apply for RFA CA 15 006
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Advancing Biomedical Science Using Crowdsourcing and Interactive Digital Media (UH2)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research 93.172 Human Genome Research 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders 93.233 National Center on Sleep Disorders Research 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs 93.286 Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health 93.307 Minority Health and Health Disparities Research 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support 93.351 Research Infrastructure Programs 93.361 Nursing Research 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research 93.838 Lung Diseases Research 93.839 Blood Diseases and Resources Research 93.846 Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research 93.856 Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 93.866 Aging Research 93.867 Vision Research 93.879 Medical Library Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 23, 2015 and posted on Feb 23, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 3, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Special district governments State governments County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education Independent school districts For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) 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) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not 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 Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Advancing Biomedical Science Using Crowdsourcing and Interactive Digital Media (UH2) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-15-006) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement aimed at pushing biomedical research forward by turning members of the public into active problem-solvers through well-designed digital experiences. The central idea is to fund the creation of new interactive digital media, or the major adaptation of existing platforms, that makes crowdsourcing a core method for tackling a real, difficult biomedical research challenge. Rather than treating participants as passive observers, simple survey respondents, or people who only collect data, this FOA emphasizes human computation: users must directly contribute to the analysis and/or interpretation of biomedical data in ways that meaningfully advance the research problem.
A responsive application under this FOA needs to do two things at once. First, it must clearly define a challenging biomedical research problem where human judgment, perception, or pattern recognition can add value beyond what automated methods can do alone. Second, it must propose an engaging interactive digital media solution (for example, a game-like interface, interactive visualization environment, or other digital platform) that motivates participation and channels user effort into productive scientific work. The crowdsourcing element is not meant to be an optional add-on; it is the mechanism by which the project expects to make progress on the scientific question. In practice, this implies applicants should be thinking carefully about the workflow of participation, the kinds of tasks users will perform, how their inputs will be combined and validated, and how the resulting outputs will feed into biomedical discovery.
The FOA is issued under the BD2K initiative, which broadly focuses on improving the ability of the biomedical community to use, manage, and extract knowledge from large and complex datasets. Within that broader theme, this particular opportunity highlights interactive digital media as a bridge between big data problems and scalable human participation. Projects are expected to be designed so that participants are genuinely engaged as contributors to the scientific process, whether they are experts or non-experts, and the platform should be built in a way that makes those contributions usable for research-grade analysis.
This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning NIH expects substantial involvement with awardees compared to a standard grant mechanism. The posted and creation date for the opportunity was February 23, 2015, with an original and current closing date of June 3, 2015, and an archive date of July 4, 2015. The estimated total funding was $2,500,000, with an award ceiling of $200,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations across sectors, such as small businesses, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), public and private institutions of higher education, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district, and certain housing authorities). It also includes tribal governments and tribal organizations, as well as independent school districts. The eligibility section further notes inclusion of various institution types 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 and eligible federal agencies. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, but non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations may be eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
The FOA is mapped to a wide range of CFDA program areas, reflecting NIH-wide relevance across many biomedical domains, including genomics, mental health, substance use, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, aging, vision, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, nursing research, minority health and health disparities, research infrastructure, and other cross-cutting research support areas. This breadth underscores that the key selection driver is not a narrow disease area but whether the proposed crowdsourcing and interactive media approach is well matched to a high-value biomedical research problem where human computation can make a measurable difference.
For applicants or readers looking for the full announcement details, NIH provided an additional information link at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-15-006.html, along with contact points through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Advancing Biomedical Science Using Crowdsourcing and Interactive Digital Media (UH2) funding opportunity, RFA-CA-15-006. It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement focused on advancing biomedical research by using crowdsourcing through interactive digital media.
What is the main goal of RFA-CA-15-006?
The main goal is to fund the creation of new interactive digital media (or major adaptations of existing platforms) that turn members of the public into active contributors to solving a real and difficult biomedical research problem. The approach must make crowdsourcing the core method for making progress on the research challenge.
What does NIH mean by "crowdsourcing" in this FOA?
In this FOA, crowdsourcing is not simply recruiting people to answer surveys or collect data. The emphasis is on human computation, where participants directly contribute to the analysis and/or interpretation of biomedical data in ways that meaningfully advance the scientific problem.
What is "human computation" in the context of this grant?
Human computation refers to workflows where human judgment, perception, and pattern recognition are used to do parts of a biomedical data analysis or interpretation task that automated methods cannot do as well on their own. The platform should convert participant activity into research-useful outputs.
What kinds of projects are responsive to this FOA?
A responsive project must do two things at once: (1) clearly define a challenging biomedical research problem where human contributions add value beyond automation, and (2) propose an engaging interactive digital media solution that motivates participation and channels user effort into productive scientific work. Crowdsourcing must be the mechanism of progress, not an optional add-on.
What kinds of interactive digital media does this FOA support?
The FOA points to examples such as a game-like interface, an interactive visualization environment, or another digital platform designed to engage participants and translate their actions into usable scientific contributions. The key is that the platform enables meaningful analysis and/or interpretation of biomedical data by participants.
Are participants expected to be experts?
Projects are expected to be designed so that participants can be experts or non-experts, as long as the platform is built to make their contributions usable for research-grade analysis and to keep them genuinely engaged as contributors to the scientific process.
Can a project use an existing platform?
Yes. The FOA supports the creation of new interactive digital media or the major adaptation of existing platforms, as long as crowdsourcing and human computation are central to addressing the biomedical research challenge.
What is the relationship of this FOA to the BD2K initiative?
This FOA is issued under the BD2K initiative, which focuses on improving how the biomedical community uses, manages, and extracts knowledge from large and complex datasets. Here, interactive digital media is emphasized as a way to connect big data problems to scalable human participation.
What grant mechanism is being used?
The FOA is a discretionary cooperative agreement (UH2). This means NIH expects substantial involvement with awardees compared to a standard grant mechanism.
What does "substantial involvement" mean for applicants?
Based on the FOA description, NIH anticipates a more active role with awardees than in a typical grant. The opportunity is explicitly described as a cooperative agreement, which signals ongoing NIH involvement during the project.
What is the total estimated funding for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount listed is $2,500,000.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is $200,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The listing indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was this opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The posted and creation date was February 23, 2015. The original and current closing date was June 3, 2015. The archive date was July 4, 2015.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizations across sectors, including small businesses, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), public and private institutions of higher education, and multiple levels of government.
Which government entities are listed as eligible?
The eligibility list includes state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and certain housing authorities. It also includes independent school districts.
Are tribal entities eligible?
Yes. Tribal governments and tribal organizations are included in the eligibility description.
Are minority-serving institutions specifically included?
Yes. The eligibility section notes inclusion of 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).
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section explicitly includes faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are federal agencies eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section mentions eligible federal agencies.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply.
Can a U.S. organization include non-U.S. components?
Yes. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations may be eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Does this FOA focus on a specific disease area?
No single disease area is emphasized as the main driver. The FOA is mapped to a wide range of CFDA program areas across many biomedical domains, underscoring that alignment between the crowdsourcing/interactive media approach and a high-value biomedical research problem is central.
What biomedical areas are referenced as relevant?
The FOA is mapped across many domains, including (as examples) genomics, mental health, substance use, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, aging, vision, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, nursing research, minority health and health disparities, research infrastructure, and other cross-cutting research support areas.
What makes a biomedical research problem a good fit for this FOA?
Based on the FOA description, the problem should be challenging and should benefit from human judgment, perception, or pattern recognition in a way that adds value beyond what automated methods can do alone.
How central must crowdsourcing be in the proposed approach?
Crowdsourcing must be central. The FOA states it is not meant to be an optional add-on; it is the mechanism by which the project expects to make progress on the scientific question.
What kinds of participant tasks should applicants think about?
The FOA encourages applicants to think carefully about the participation workflow, the types of tasks users will perform, how inputs will be combined and validated, and how outputs will feed into biomedical discovery.
Where can applicants find the full announcement?
NIH provided the full announcement details at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-15-006.html
Who can be contacted for access or linking issues?
The FOA notes contact points through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
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