Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 15 001
Apply for RFA NS 15 001
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers Without Walls for Collaborative Research in the Epilepsies Developing Disease Modifying or Prevention Therapies (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 21, 2014 and posted on Aug 21, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 6, 2014. (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.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Small businesses Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities County governments City or township governments Special district governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Independent school districts Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State 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 not 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) offered this funding opportunity to create and support an Epilepsy Center Without Walls (CWOW) using the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism. The core goal was to bring together multidisciplinary, highly collaborative teams to accelerate research that can lead to disease-modifying treatments or true prevention therapies for epilepsy, rather than focusing only on symptomatic seizure control. The “without walls” concept signals that the center does not need to be confined to a single institution; instead, it is intended to function as an integrated network of investigators, capabilities, and resources working across organizational boundaries to tackle complex scientific and translational problems in epilepsy.
This opportunity was issued as RFA-NS-15-001 under NIH’s neuroscience and neurological disorders research programs (CFDA 93.853). It was a discretionary grant in the form of a cooperative agreement, meaning NIH expected to have substantial programmatic involvement compared to a standard research project grant. In practice, that typically implies closer coordination with NIH program staff, milestone-driven management, and an emphasis on shared goals, data/resource sharing, and coordinated decision-making that supports the center’s collaborative structure and translational aims.
NIH anticipated making about two awards under this announcement. The estimated total funding level was $9,000,000, with an award ceiling of $3,000,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The funding announcement was posted on August 21, 2014, with an application due date of November 6, 2014; it was later archived on December 7, 2014. These dates indicate it was a time-limited solicitation with a defined competition window, typical of targeted NIH RFAs that aim to concentrate resources around a specific scientific priority.
Eligibility was broad across many organizational types, reflecting NIH’s interest in drawing strong teams from academia, nonprofit research environments, government entities, and certain for-profit organizations. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), small businesses, and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), as well as a range of governmental units such as state, county, city/township, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The announcement also highlighted inclusion of organizations 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), along with faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply as the primary applicant, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible to apply; however, foreign components as defined by NIH policy were allowed, which typically enables specific collaborations or specialized contributions when justified.
At a program level, the emphasis on “developing disease modifying or prevention therapies” points to research aimed at altering the underlying processes that cause epilepsy to develop or progress, or preventing epileptogenesis after an insult or risk state, rather than only suppressing seizures once epilepsy is established. By funding a CWOW, NIH was signaling that these goals require coordinated, cross-disciplinary work that can connect mechanistic discovery, biomarker development, and translational testing strategies. The structure is meant to encourage shared platforms, harmonized experimental approaches, and active collaboration among participating investigators so that the center operates as a cohesive engine for therapy development.
The sponsoring agency was NIH, and the full announcement and details were available through the NIH Grants Guide page listed in the additional information link. For access or technical issues related to the online posting, the contact provided was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this NIH funding opportunity about?
This NIH opportunity (RFA-NS-15-001) supported the creation and operation of an Epilepsy Center Without Walls (CWOW) using the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism. The center concept focuses on assembling multidisciplinary, highly collaborative teams to accelerate epilepsy research aimed at disease-modifying treatments or true prevention therapies, not just symptomatic seizure control.
What does "Center Without Walls (CWOW)" mean in this program?
"Without walls" means the center does not need to be limited to a single institution. Instead, it is intended to function as an integrated network of investigators, capabilities, and shared resources that work across organizational boundaries to address complex scientific and translational problems in epilepsy.
What is the main scientific goal of the CWOW?
The central goal is to accelerate research that can lead to disease-modifying therapies or prevention strategies for epilepsy. This includes work aimed at altering underlying biological processes that drive epilepsy development or progression, or preventing epileptogenesis after an insult or risk state, rather than only suppressing seizures after epilepsy is established.
What funding mechanism was used?
The program used the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism. It was described as a discretionary grant in the form of a cooperative agreement.
How is a cooperative agreement (U54) different from a standard NIH research grant?
Under a cooperative agreement, NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement compared to a standard research project grant. In practice, this typically implies closer coordination with NIH program staff, milestone-driven management, coordinated decision-making, and an emphasis on shared goals and data/resource sharing to support the center's collaborative and translational aims.
Which NIH announcement and program identifiers apply to this opportunity?
The funding opportunity was issued as RFA-NS-15-001 under NIH neuroscience and neurological disorders research programs, and it referenced CFDA 93.853.
How many awards did NIH expect to make?
NIH anticipated making about two awards under this announcement.
What was the estimated total funding level and the award ceiling?
The estimated total funding level was $9,000,000, and the award ceiling was $3,000,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the announcement posted, and when were applications due?
The funding announcement was posted on August 21, 2014, and the application due date was November 6, 2014.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The announcement was later archived on December 7, 2014, indicating it was a time-limited solicitation with a defined competition window.
What kinds of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many organizational types: public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); small businesses; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and various government entities such as state governments, county governments, city/township governments, special district governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
Did the opportunity encourage applications from specific institution types?
Yes. The announcement highlighted inclusion of organizations 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). It also noted faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies.
Can foreign (non-U.S.) organizations apply as the primary applicant?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply as the primary applicant.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed in any way?
Yes. Foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, were allowed. This typically enables specific international collaborations or specialized contributions when justified, even though a foreign organization could not be the primary applicant.
What types of research activities did NIH expect the center to integrate?
The description emphasizes coordinated, cross-disciplinary work that connects mechanistic discovery, biomarker development, and translational testing strategies, supported by shared platforms and harmonized experimental approaches across participating investigators.
Who was the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency was the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Where could applicants find the full announcement details?
The full announcement and details were available through the NIH Grants Guide page referenced in the additional information link for the opportunity.
Who should be contacted for access or technical problems with the online posting?
For access or technical issues related to the online posting, the contact provided was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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