Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 173
Apply for PAR 14 173
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Brain Somatic Mosaicism and its Role in Psychiatric Disorders (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 21, 2015 and posted on Apr 9, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 21, 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 $5,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Independent school districts Special district governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) County governments Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Small businesses.
- 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH funding opportunity titled "Brain Somatic Mosaicism and its Role in Psychiatric Disorders (U01)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 14-173) supports collaborative, team-based research focused on somatic mosaicism in the human brain and how these brain-specific genetic changes may contribute to psychiatric illness. The central idea behind the announcement is that not all genetic variation relevant to brain function and disease is inherited and present in every cell; some mutations arise after conception and can be present in only subsets of brain cells or in specific brain regions. This FOA is designed to push the field toward a more complete map of these somatic genomic changes and to connect them directly to mechanisms that may underlie neuropsychiatric disorders.
The announcement invites applications for Cooperative Agreements (U01), which means projects are expected to operate with substantial scientific involvement from NIH and with coordinated participation across awardees. Rather than funding isolated projects, the FOA emphasizes multi-disciplinary and synergistic teams that can integrate complementary expertise, such as human brain tissue biology, psychiatric neuroscience, genomics, computational biology, single-cell methods, and statistical modeling. Applicants are expected to identify and characterize the full spectrum of somatic variation in human brain samples and then evaluate how those variations relate to disease biology. In practical terms, that includes looking across multiple brain regions and assessing somatic differences that may be region-specific, cell-type-specific, or present only in small cellular subpopulations, which is especially relevant for complex psychiatric conditions where signals may be subtle and heterogeneous.
A major scientific priority of this opportunity is the use of state-of-the-art approaches to detect somatic variants that might be missed by standard bulk sequencing. The FOA explicitly highlights advanced genomic and computational strategies and single-cell approaches, reflecting the need to measure low-frequency variants, resolve cellular mixtures, and understand how mutations distribute across brain circuits and developmental lineages. Projects may involve deep sequencing, single-cell or single-nucleus sequencing, improved variant calling tailored to mosaicism, and analytical pipelines that can distinguish true somatic events from technical artifacts. Because somatic mosaicism can include different types of genomic changes, the "full spectrum" language signals interest in multiple classes of variation, potentially including single-nucleotide variants, small insertions/deletions, copy number changes, and other structural alterations, as long as the methods are appropriate and the link to psychiatric pathophysiology is well supported.
The organizational structure is also a defining feature. Awards made under this FOA are governed by a Brain Somatic Mosaicism (BSM) Network Steering Committee. This network model is intended to accelerate progress by coordinating research strategies, harmonizing analytical methods, and promoting data sharing and comparability across studies. In effect, investigators are not only funded to perform their individual research aims, but also to participate in a broader, NIH-coordinated effort where shared standards and collaborative decision-making help the field move faster than it would through independent projects working in parallel.
The long-term purpose of the FOA is to close major gaps in understanding how somatic genomic perturbations may contribute to the origins and biology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Psychiatric conditions are often genetically complex, and inherited risk variants alone may not fully explain disease onset, regional brain vulnerability, or variability in symptoms. By focusing on somatic changes within the brain itself, the program aims to test whether post-zygotic mutations and brain-region mosaic patterns represent an underappreciated source of risk or mechanistic insight. Ultimately, the expectation is that defining these somatic landscapes and tying them to disease-relevant pathways could refine models of etiology and point toward new biological hypotheses that are difficult to generate from germline genetics alone.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the health activity category, listed under CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants). The total estimated funding amount in the source data is $5,000,000, and the opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching. The agency is the National Institutes of Health. The FOA was posted on April 9, 2014, and the record includes key dates showing an original closing date of February 24, 2017, with a current closing date of August 21, 2015, and an archive date of September 21, 2015 (indicating it has since been archived). The full announcement link in the source data is http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-173.html, and the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster contact is provided for access or technical issues (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV).
Eligibility is broad and includes many common research-performing organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants listed include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district, and independent school districts). The eligibility section also names specific 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, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. It also notes that non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) and regional organizations may be eligible, along with certain tribal governments and eligible federal agencies, subject to the FOA's additional eligibility details.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an NIH-supported, network-driven effort to bring rigorous genomic and single-cell technologies to a difficult but potentially high-impact question: how much brain-limited genetic mosaicism exists in people, how it varies across brain regions and cell types, and whether those somatic patterns meaningfully contribute to the biology of psychiatric disorders. The U01 cooperative structure and the steering committee governance make collaboration, coordination, and shared methods central expectations rather than optional add-ons, with the stated aim of speeding discovery and building a more unified evidence base for the role of brain somatic mosaicism in neuropsychiatric disease.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this NIH grant?
The funding opportunity is titled "Brain Somatic Mosaicism and its Role in Psychiatric Disorders (U01)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is PAR-14-173.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The offering agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the main scientific focus of this FOA?
This FOA supports collaborative, team-based research on somatic mosaicism in the human brain and how brain-specific genetic changes that arise after conception may contribute to psychiatric illness. A central premise is that not all relevant genetic variation is inherited and present in every cell; some mutations may be confined to subsets of brain cells or specific brain regions.
What does "brain somatic mosaicism" mean in the context of this announcement?
In this context, brain somatic mosaicism refers to genetic changes that occur after conception (post-zygotic mutations) and are therefore present in only some cells. These changes may be cell-type-specific, region-specific, or present only in small subpopulations of brain cells.
What types of projects is NIH trying to encourage through this FOA?
The FOA emphasizes multi-disciplinary, synergistic team science that can (1) identify and characterize the full spectrum of somatic variation in human brain samples and (2) evaluate how those variations relate to disease biology relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders.
What award mechanism is used for this opportunity?
The FOA invites applications for a Cooperative Agreement (U01).
What does it mean that this is a U01 Cooperative Agreement?
A U01 Cooperative Agreement means projects are expected to involve substantial scientific involvement from NIH and coordinated participation across awardees. This FOA is designed to support a coordinated network approach rather than isolated, independent projects.
Is this opportunity intended for individual labs working independently?
No. The FOA is designed to support a collaborative, network-driven effort where coordinated participation, shared methods, and comparability across studies are central expectations.
What kinds of expertise are encouraged on applicant teams?
The FOA emphasizes integrated teams with complementary expertise such as human brain tissue biology, psychiatric neuroscience, genomics, computational biology, single-cell methods, and statistical modeling.
What scientific outcomes is the FOA trying to advance?
The FOA aims to push the field toward a more complete map of somatic genomic changes in the human brain and to connect those changes to mechanisms that may underlie neuropsychiatric disorders.
Why is this FOA focused on brain-region and cell-type specificity?
The FOA highlights that somatic differences may be region-specific, cell-type-specific, or present in small cellular subpopulations. This is especially relevant for complex psychiatric conditions where biological signals may be subtle, heterogeneous, and not captured well by bulk tissue measurements.
What kinds of methods does the FOA highlight for detecting somatic variants?
The FOA explicitly highlights state-of-the-art genomic and computational strategies and single-cell approaches to detect low-frequency somatic variants that may be missed by standard bulk sequencing.
Does the FOA encourage single-cell or single-nucleus sequencing approaches?
Yes. The FOA specifically calls out single-cell approaches, including single-cell or single-nucleus sequencing, as relevant tools for measuring low-frequency variants and resolving cellular mixtures.
What does the FOA mean by the "full spectrum" of somatic variation?
The "full spectrum" language signals interest in multiple classes of genomic changes, potentially including single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), small insertions/deletions, copy number changes, and structural alterations, provided the methods are appropriate and the relevance to psychiatric pathophysiology is well supported.
Does the FOA address the risk of technical artifacts in somatic variant detection?
Yes. The FOA underscores the need for analytical pipelines and approaches that can distinguish true somatic events from technical artifacts, reflecting the difficulty of detecting low-frequency mosaic variants.
How are awards organized and coordinated under this FOA?
Awards are governed by a Brain Somatic Mosaicism (BSM) Network Steering Committee. The network model is intended to coordinate research strategies, harmonize analytical methods, and promote data sharing and comparability across studies.
What is the role of the Brain Somatic Mosaicism (BSM) Network Steering Committee?
Based on the FOA description, the steering committee provides network governance to help coordinate research strategies, harmonize analytical methods, and support data sharing and comparability across participating projects.
What is the long-term goal of the program described in this FOA?
The long-term purpose is to close gaps in understanding how somatic genomic perturbations may contribute to the origins and biology of neuropsychiatric disorders, including whether post-zygotic mutations and brain-region mosaic patterns represent an underappreciated source of risk or mechanistic insight.
How does this FOA relate to inherited (germline) genetics of psychiatric disorders?
The FOA is grounded in the idea that inherited risk variants may not fully explain psychiatric disease onset, regional brain vulnerability, or symptom variability, and that brain-limited somatic changes may provide additional mechanistic insights that germline genetics alone may miss.
What is the CFDA number and program category listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.242 and the category is Mental Health Research Grants.
What is the estimated total funding amount referenced in the source information?
The total estimated funding amount in the source data is $5,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity indicates that cost sharing or matching is not required.
When was this FOA posted?
The FOA was posted on April 9, 2014.
What are the key dates listed (closing and archive dates)?
The record lists an original closing date of February 24, 2017, a current closing date of August 21, 2015, and an archive date of September 21, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
The record indicates an archive date of September 21, 2015, which means it has since been archived.
Where can applicants or interested parties find the full announcement?
The full announcement link provided is: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-173.html
Who is listed as a contact for access or technical issues with the announcement?
The NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster contact provided is FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government such as state, county, city/township, special district, and independent school districts.
Are small businesses eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes small businesses.
Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and also separately includes small businesses.
Are nonprofit organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status.
Are minority-serving institutions specifically mentioned as eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section explicitly names 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).
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section includes faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are U.S. territories or possessions included in the eligibility list?
Yes. The eligibility section notes U.S. territories or possessions as eligible.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility section notes that non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) may be eligible, subject to the FOA's additional eligibility details.
Are tribal governments included in the eligibility language?
Yes. The eligibility section mentions certain tribal governments as eligible, along with tribal colleges/universities, subject to additional FOA eligibility details.
Are eligible federal agencies mentioned?
Yes. The eligibility section notes that eligible federal agencies may be eligible, subject to the FOA's additional eligibility details.
What makes this FOA different from a standard investigator-initiated grant?
Key distinguishing features described include the U01 cooperative agreement structure (with substantial NIH involvement), the expectation of coordinated participation across awardees, and governance through a network steering committee to harmonize methods and promote comparability and data sharing.
What kinds of biological questions are applicants expected to address?
Applicants are expected to characterize somatic variation in the human brain and evaluate how those variations relate to disease biology, including how mutations may distribute across brain circuits and developmental lineages, and how mosaic patterns may relate to mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders.
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