Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 15 009
Apply for RFA ES 15 009
- The National Institutes of Health in the environment health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Childrens Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network (U2C)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2015 and posted on Feb 26, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 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 $34,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $8,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Special district governments Independent school districts Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Private institutions of higher education 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).
- 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 not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Childrens Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network (U2C) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-ES-15-009) is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH grant that funds a coordinated network of laboratory centers to help outside (extramural) childrens health researchers measure environmental exposures and related biological responses using samples that have already been collected, or are being collected, in existing studies. The main idea is to remove a common barrier in childrens environmental health research: many studies have valuable biospecimens but lack the specialized lab capacity, validated methods, or funding flexibility to add high-quality exposure assessment or newer “omics-style” measurements. CHEAR is designed as shared national infrastructure so that investigators can substantially strengthen their science by incorporating comprehensive exposure analyses without having to build an entire exposure laboratory from scratch.
Under this specific FOA, NIEHS is soliciting the laboratory component of CHEAR, described as a National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network made up of multiple laboratory centers referred to as “Hubs.” Each Hub is expected to offer a broad suite of laboratory-based analytical services focused on characterizing both environmental exposures (for example, chemicals or classes of chemicals people come into contact with) and endogenous exposures (internal chemicals and metabolites that may reflect physiology, diet, microbiome-related compounds, or internal processes). The FOA emphasizes that Hubs should be able to run both targeted assays (where you measure a defined list of known analytes with established methods) and untargeted approaches (where you screen more broadly to discover patterns, features, or previously unmeasured compounds). This dual capability is important because childrens exposure science often needs both: targeted methods for comparability and regulatory relevance, and untargeted methods for discovery and hypothesis generation.
Beyond measuring exposures themselves, the laboratory network is also expected to provide analyses of biological response indicators that can serve as early signals of effect or mechanistic pathways. The examples given include DNA damage, oxidative stress measures, immune and inflammation indicators, and other molecular markers. In practice, that means the network is not just a “chemical testing” service; it is meant to connect exposure measurement with biologically meaningful endpoints that can help researchers interpret how exposures might influence health and development.
A required feature of each Hub is a developmental core, which is essentially a built-in method innovation and expansion component. The developmental core is expected to push the field forward by creating novel measures of exposures and responses, increasing the number of analytes that can be measured routinely, and developing methods to detect chemicals or biomarkers in additional biological matrices beyond the most common ones (serum, plasma, and urine). This matters in childrens studies because sample types and volumes can be limited, and because certain exposures or biomarkers may be better captured in alternative matrices (for example, hair, nails, saliva, dried blood spots, deciduous teeth, or other specimen types, depending on the science and feasibility). The FOA frames this as expanding what is “commonly measured” and enabling new types of exposure science using the kinds of samples that real-world pediatric cohorts often have available.
CHEAR as a whole is described as a multi-unit infrastructure with three major parts: (1) this National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network (the focus of the FOA), (2) an Exposure Data Repository and Resource for Statistical Analysis and Methods Development, and (3) a coordinating center. The structure signals that the program is meant to be more than isolated lab awards; it is intended to function as a coordinated national resource where labs generate high-quality exposure and biomarker data, data resources support harmonization and advanced statistical methods, and a coordinating center helps organize access, operations, and consistency across the network. The intended end users are investigators running extant or ongoing childrens health studies in the extramural community, who can leverage CHEAR capabilities to add or broaden exposure assessment in their research.
From an administrative standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U2C), which typically implies substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research project grant. This fits the infrastructure nature of the effort: NIEHS is not only paying for work but also shaping how the network operates, coordinates, standardizes methods, and serves outside users. The opportunity falls under the Environmental Health activity category (CFDA 93.113), does not require cost sharing or matching, and was posted February 26, 2015 with an original and current closing date of April 30, 2015 (archived May 31, 2015). While those dates indicate this specific competition is historical, the summary still reflects the program design and goals described in the announcement.
The total estimated funding listed for the opportunity is $34,000,000, with an award ceiling of $8,000,000. Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state and local governments (including county, city/township, special districts, and independent school districts), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, along with tribal governments and tribal organizations and a range of mission-focused institutions (for example HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, and TCCUs). Foreign organizations and foreign components are explicitly not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed, reinforcing that this infrastructure was intended to be built and operated domestically.
In plain terms, this FOA supported building a national set of expert exposure labs that childrens health researchers could tap to measure chemicals, internal markers, and early biological responses in stored or newly collected biospecimens, using both established assays and cutting-edge discovery approaches. The emphasis on standardized, high-quality laboratory services, paired with developmental method expansion, reflects a push to make comprehensive exposure assessment more routine and comparable across pediatric studies, ultimately strengthening the evidence base on how environmental factors shape childrens health and development.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the CHEAR National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network (U2C) opportunity?
This funding opportunity (RFA-ES-15-009) is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH cooperative agreement (U2C) to support a coordinated national network of laboratory centers. The purpose is to provide laboratory-based exposure assessment services to outside (extramural) childrens health researchers, using biospecimens that have already been collected or are being collected in existing studies.
What problem is this program designed to solve for childrens health researchers?
Many childrens health studies have valuable biospecimens but do not have access to specialized laboratory capacity, validated analytical methods, or flexible funding to add high-quality exposure assessment or newer omics-style measurements. CHEAR is intended to remove that barrier by providing shared national infrastructure so investigators can strengthen their science without building an exposure laboratory from scratch.
What is being funded under this specific FOA?
NIEHS is soliciting the laboratory component of CHEAR: a National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network composed of multiple laboratory centers called Hubs. These Hubs are expected to provide a broad suite of analytical services for measuring exposures and related biological responses.
What is a CHEAR "Hub"?
A Hub is a laboratory center within the National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network. Each Hub is expected to offer broad laboratory-based analytical services to characterize environmental exposures and endogenous exposures, and to support both targeted and untargeted measurement approaches.
Who are the intended end users of the CHEAR laboratory network?
The intended end users are investigators in the extramural research community who are running extant or ongoing childrens health studies and want to incorporate or expand exposure assessment and related biological response measurements using existing or newly collected biospecimens.
What types of exposures are Hubs expected to measure?
The FOA emphasizes measuring both environmental exposures (such as chemicals or classes of chemicals people come into contact with) and endogenous exposures (internal chemicals and metabolites that may reflect physiology, diet, microbiome-related compounds, or internal processes).
What is the difference between targeted and untargeted approaches in this FOA?
Targeted assays measure a defined list of known analytes using established methods, supporting comparability and regulatory relevance. Untargeted approaches screen more broadly to discover patterns, features, or previously unmeasured compounds, supporting discovery and hypothesis generation. The FOA emphasizes that Hubs should be able to do both.
Is the network only focused on measuring chemicals?
No. In addition to exposure measurements, the network is expected to provide analyses of biological response indicators that can serve as early signals of effect or mechanistic pathways, helping researchers interpret how exposures might influence health and development.
What examples of biological response indicators are mentioned?
Examples include DNA damage, oxidative stress measures, immune and inflammation indicators, and other molecular markers.
What is the developmental core, and is it required?
Each Hub is required to include a developmental core. This component is intended to drive method innovation and expansion by developing novel measures of exposures and responses, increasing the number of analytes that can be measured routinely, and extending measurement capability to additional biological matrices beyond common ones.
Why does the FOA emphasize expanding to additional biological matrices?
Childrens studies often have limited sample types and volumes, and certain exposures or biomarkers may be better captured in alternative matrices. The developmental core is expected to expand what is commonly measured and enable new types of pediatric exposure science using the kinds of samples real-world cohorts often have available.
What are examples of alternative biological matrices mentioned in the FOA summary?
The summary notes common matrices like serum, plasma, and urine, and provides examples of alternative matrices such as hair, nails, saliva, dried blood spots, deciduous teeth, or other specimen types depending on the science and feasibility.
How does the CHEAR program fit together beyond the laboratory network?
CHEAR is described as a multi-unit infrastructure with three major parts: (1) the National Exposure Assessment Laboratory Network (this FOA), (2) an Exposure Data Repository and Resource for Statistical Analysis and Methods Development, and (3) a coordinating center. The intent is a coordinated national resource rather than isolated lab awards.
What does it mean that this award uses a cooperative agreement (U2C) mechanism?
A U2C cooperative agreement typically implies substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research project grant. This fits the infrastructure nature of the program, where NIEHS is expected to help shape coordination, operations, standardization, and how the network serves outside users.
What is the activity category and CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity is in the Environmental Health activity category and is listed under CFDA 93.113.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity explicitly states that it does not require cost sharing or matching.
How much funding is associated with this FOA?
The total estimated funding listed is $34,000,000, and the award ceiling is $8,000,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations, including state and local governments (county, city/township, special districts, and independent school districts), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, tribal governments and tribal organizations, and mission-focused institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, and TCCUs.
Are foreign organizations or foreign components allowed?
No. Foreign organizations and foreign components are explicitly not eligible, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy are not allowed. The infrastructure was intended to be built and operated domestically.
When was this funding opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on February 26, 2015, with an original and current closing date of April 30, 2015. It was archived on May 31, 2015.
Is this specific FOA still open?
No. Based on the listed closing and archive dates (April 30, 2015 closing; archived May 31, 2015), this specific competition is historical.
In practical terms, what would this FOA have supported building?
It supported building a national set of expert exposure laboratories that childrens health researchers could tap to measure environmental chemicals, internal markers and metabolites, and early biological response indicators in stored or newly collected biospecimens, using both established targeted assays and cutting-edge untargeted discovery approaches.
Why does the FOA emphasize standardized, high-quality laboratory services?
The FOA frames CHEAR as shared national infrastructure intended to make comprehensive exposure assessment more routine and comparable across pediatric studies, strengthening the evidence base on how environmental factors shape childrens health and development.
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| Childrens Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) Data Repository, Analysis and Science Center (U2C) Apply for RFA ES 15 010 Funding Number: RFA ES 15 010 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment Health Funding Amount: $6,000,000 |
| Childrens Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR) Coordinating Center (U24) Apply for RFA ES 15 011 Funding Number: RFA ES 15 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment Health Funding Amount: $3,300,000 |
| Annual Program Statement Policy, Advocacy, and Communication Enhanced for Population and Reproductive Health (PACE) Apply for SOL OAA 15 000054 Funding Number: SOL OAA 15 000054 Agency: Agency for International Development Category: Environment Health Funding Amount: $55,000,000 |
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