Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 13 050
Apply for RFA MH 13 050
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24)" 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 May 30, 2012 and posted on May 30, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 1, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $9,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities County governments Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) City or township governments For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) 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 not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24) opportunity (RFA-MH-13-050) was a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH discretionary funding announcement aimed at building and operating a national-scale, shared research resource to speed up gene discovery for mental disorders. The core idea was not to fund a single hypothesis-driven research project, but to support a coordinated center that would expand the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative by collecting, improving, organizing, and distributing high-value genomic and biological resources to the broader scientific community under a free and open sharing model. In practical terms, the award was meant to strengthen the infrastructure that makes psychiatric genetics and genomics studies faster, more reproducible, and easier to conduct across many labs.
This FOA used a Resource-Related Cooperative Agreement (U24), which signals substantial programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared to a standard grant. The center was expected to operate as a single national resource even if activities were distributed across multiple institutions. That means applicants needed to propose a tightly coordinated multi-site structure with clear functional integration, shared governance, and workflows that prevent the effort from turning into a loose network of independent projects. The center team was expected to span key disciplines required to run an end-to-end resource program: molecular biology and cell culture for handling biological materials, statistical genetics and psychiatric genetics for ensuring the resources are analytically valuable and aligned with discovery needs, and computer and information sciences to support large-scale data management, access, and integration.
A standout requirement in this announcement was strong support for cell-based resources tied to induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) research. The center was expected to bank primary cultures of source cells that could be used to derive iPSCs, and also to bank already-established iPSC lines generated by investigators. This emphasis reflects the growing importance of disease-relevant cellular models in mental health research, where patient-derived iPSCs can be differentiated into neural cell types and used to study mechanisms, drug responses, and functional consequences of genetic variation. By centralizing banking and distribution, the program aimed to reduce duplication, improve quality control, and make these materials broadly accessible so more researchers could work from comparable starting materials.
In parallel, the FOA required creation and ongoing maintenance of a genomic cyberinfrastructure. Here, "cyberinfrastructure" was framed broadly: the coordinated combination of software, hardware, databases, user-facing tools, security and access systems, and the specialized staff needed to keep everything reliable and useful over time. The goal was to integrate genetic and genomic resources that often sit in separate silos, and to provide a usable, enabling framework that supports current and future discoveries. In other words, the center was expected to do more than store data; it needed to make the data findable, interoperable, and genuinely workable for the community, with broad access as a defining feature.
From an administrative and eligibility standpoint, the program fell under CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants) and did not require cost sharing or matching. The announcement listed a wide range of eligible applicants, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as tribal organizations and multiple categories of minority-serving institutions (such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, TCCUs, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian serving institutions). Foreign institutions were explicitly not eligible, and foreign components were not allowed, keeping the work centered within U.S.-based organizations and infrastructure.
The timeline and scale reflect that this was a defined, time-limited competition that is now archived. It was posted May 30, 2012, with an original and current closing date of August 1, 2012, and an archive date of September 1, 2012. The estimated total funding amount listed was $9,000,000. As with many NIH resource programs, that total funding level implied expectations for a robust operational capability: standardized procedures for sample and data handling, strong quality assurance and documentation, mechanisms for community access and distribution, and long-term planning for sustainability and upgrades as technologies and community needs evolve.
Overall, this opportunity was designed to institutionalize a national backbone for psychiatric genomics: a combined biobank and data platform that supports large-scale gene discovery by making high-quality cell resources and integrated genomic data broadly available, while ensuring the coordination, technical depth, and operational maturity needed to serve as a reliable shared resource for the entire field.
FAQs: Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24) (RFA-MH-13-050)
What was the purpose of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24) opportunity?
The opportunity (RFA-MH-13-050) was intended to build and operate a national-scale, shared research resource that would speed up gene discovery for mental disorders. It was designed to strengthen the infrastructure behind psychiatric genetics and genomics by collecting, improving, organizing, and distributing high-value genomic and biological resources to the broader scientific community under a free and open sharing model.
Was this funding meant for a single hypothesis-driven research project?
No. The core idea was not to fund one hypothesis-driven project. Instead, it supported a coordinated center that would function as a shared national resource and expand the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative by enabling access to valuable materials and integrated data for many researchers.
What type of award mechanism was used?
This funding announcement used a Resource-Related Cooperative Agreement (U24). This mechanism indicates substantial programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared to a standard grant.
What does the U24 cooperative agreement imply about NIH involvement?
A U24 signals that NIH staff would have substantial programmatic involvement. In practical terms, applicants were expected to plan for coordinated operations and ongoing interaction consistent with a cooperative agreement structure.
Was the center expected to function as a single national resource?
Yes. The center was expected to operate as a single national resource even if activities were distributed across multiple institutions. The application needed to describe a tightly coordinated multi-site structure with clear functional integration, shared governance, and workflows that prevent the effort from becoming a loose set of independent projects.
Could the work be distributed across multiple institutions?
Yes, activities could be distributed across multiple institutions, but the expectation was that the program would still run as one integrated national resource with shared governance and coordinated workflows.
What disciplines were expected to be included on the center team?
The center team was expected to cover the key disciplines needed to run an end-to-end resource program, including: molecular biology and cell culture (for handling biological materials), statistical genetics and psychiatric genetics (to ensure resources are analytically valuable and aligned with discovery needs), and computer and information sciences (to support large-scale data management, access, and integration).
What was the emphasis on iPSC-related resources?
A standout requirement was strong support for cell-based resources tied to induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) research. The center was expected to bank primary cultures of source cells that could be used to derive iPSCs, and also to bank already-established iPSC lines generated by investigators.
Why did the announcement emphasize iPSC and cell-based resources?
The emphasis reflected the growing importance of disease-relevant cellular models in mental health research. Patient-derived iPSCs can be differentiated into neural cell types and used to study mechanisms, drug responses, and functional consequences of genetic variation. Centralized banking and distribution aimed to reduce duplication, improve quality control, and make comparable materials broadly accessible.
What kinds of biological materials was the center expected to bank?
Based on the announcement, the center was expected to bank (1) primary cultures of source cells that could be used to derive iPSCs and (2) already-established iPSC lines generated by investigators.
What is meant by “genomic cyberinfrastructure†in this opportunity?
The FOA required the creation and ongoing maintenance of a genomic cyberinfrastructure. It was defined broadly as a coordinated combination of software, hardware, databases, user-facing tools, security and access systems, and specialized staff needed to keep the overall platform reliable and useful over time.
Was the cyberinfrastructure only for data storage?
No. The goal was to integrate genetic and genomic resources that often sit in separate silos and provide a usable framework that supports current and future discoveries. The center was expected to do more than store data; it needed to make the data findable, interoperable, and workable for the community, with broad access as a defining feature.
What was the intended benefit of integrating resources that sit in separate silos?
The intention was to provide a unified, enabling framework so researchers could more easily find, use, and combine genetic/genomic resources. This was meant to make studies faster, more reproducible, and easier to conduct across many labs.
What sharing model was expected for the resources produced or managed by the center?
The announcement described a free and open sharing model, with the center collecting, improving, organizing, and distributing resources to the broader scientific community.
What was the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The program fell under CFDA 93.242 (Mental Health Research Grants).
Did the opportunity require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The announcement stated that cost sharing or matching was not required.
Who was eligible to apply?
The announcement listed a wide range of eligible applicants, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as tribal organizations and minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, TCCUs, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian serving institutions.
Were minority-serving institutions included in the eligible applicant categories?
Yes. The announcement explicitly included multiple categories of minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, TCCUs, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian serving institutions.
Were for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. For-profit organizations, including small businesses, were included in the list of eligible applicants.
Were foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions were explicitly not eligible.
Were foreign components allowed under this opportunity?
No. Foreign components were not allowed, keeping the work centered within U.S.-based organizations and infrastructure.
When was this funding opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on May 30, 2012. The original and current closing date was August 1, 2012.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. It is archived. The archive date listed was September 1, 2012.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount listed was $9,000,000.
What operational capabilities were implied by the scale of the program?
The announcement implied robust operational capability, including standardized procedures for sample and data handling, strong quality assurance and documentation, mechanisms for community access and distribution, and long-term planning for sustainability and upgrades as technologies and community needs evolve.
How was this opportunity positioned relative to the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative?
It was designed to expand the NIMH Human Genetics Initiative by building a coordinated center that would collect, improve, organize, and distribute high-value genomic and biological resources for broad community use.
What was the overall vision of the program?
The overall goal was to institutionalize a national backbone for psychiatric genomics: a combined biobank and data platform supporting large-scale gene discovery by making high-quality cell resources and integrated genomic data broadly available, with the coordination and operational maturity needed to serve the entire field as a reliable shared resource.
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