Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Pediatric Cohorts (UG3/UH3) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ECHO Pediatric Cohorts (UG3/UH3) - RFA-OD-16-004

1) What is the ECHO Pediatric Cohorts (UG3/UH3) funding opportunity (RFA-OD-16-004)?

This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity under the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. Its purpose is to strengthen and use existing pediatric cohort studies to better understand how environmental exposures before birth, around birth, and after birth shape child development and health outcomes.

2) What is the main goal of this opportunity?

The central goal is to accelerate prospective research that links real-world early-life environmental exposures to childhood health outcomes and to the biological mechanisms that may explain those links. The program emphasizes that early exposures can show measurable effects during childhood and may influence lifelong health risks.

3) What types of environmental exposures are mentioned as examples?

The information provided cites examples such as nicotine, diet, and the microbiome. The broader focus is on environmental influences occurring before birth, around the time of birth, and after birth.

4) Why does this FOA focus on existing pediatric cohorts instead of creating new ones?

Rather than building brand-new cohorts from scratch, the FOA is designed to leverage established cohort infrastructure. This approach is intended to help investigators move more quickly and efficiently to conduct prospective research by using cohorts that already have foundational systems, participants, and operational capacity.

5) What does it mean that this award uses a cooperative agreement mechanism?

A cooperative agreement generally involves substantial programmatic involvement from the funding agency compared with standard grants. In practical terms, recipients should expect a more collaborative relationship with NIH under this mechanism than they would under many traditional grant types.

6) What is the UG3/UH3 phased structure?

This FOA is structured in two phases. The first phase (UG3) is an exploratory period focused on planning and early feasibility work. Projects that meet pre-specified UG3 milestones may be considered for transition to the second phase (UH3), which supports full implementation of the study plan.

7) What kinds of activities are supported in the UG3 (planning/feasibility) phase?

The UG3 phase supports planning and early feasibility work, such as testing whether recruitment, measurement, and data-collection approaches are workable across the cohort. It also supports producing core documentation needed for rigorous, standardized research operations.

8) What documentation is expected to be developed during the UG3 phase?

The FOA highlights the development of a detailed study protocol and a Manual of Procedures. These materials are intended to ensure that data collection, biospecimen handling, and outcome assessments are implemented consistently.

9) What happens after the UG3 phase?

Projects that meet pre-specified UG3 milestones may be considered for transition to the UH3 phase. The UH3 phase supports full implementation of the study plan developed and tested during UG3.

10) Do applicants need to describe both UG3 and UH3 work in a single application?

Yes. Applications are expected to address both phases up front. That means applicants should describe what they will accomplish during planning/feasibility and how that work positions the project for successful execution during the implementation period.

11) How does this cohort opportunity fit within the broader ECHO program?

This FOA sits within a larger ECHO program structure and is intended to operate alongside companion funding announcements that build shared, program-wide capabilities. Funded cohort projects are expected to function as part of a coordinated research ecosystem rather than as isolated studies.

12) What companion efforts are mentioned as part of the broader ECHO ecosystem?

The provided information mentions separate awards for a Coordinating Center, a Data Analysis Center, and a Patient/Person Reported Outcomes Core. It also references related support mechanisms such as administrative supplements tied to the Childrens Health Exposure Analysis Resource, an IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network initiative, and a Genetics Core planned for release in a later fiscal year.

13) What does it mean that cohort projects should not operate as isolated studies?

It means funded cohorts are expected to work within an organized program structure with centralized support for harmonization, analytics, and standardized outcome collection. The aim is coordinated, comparable research across cohorts supported by shared resources.

14) Who is the funding agency and how is the opportunity listed administratively?

The opportunity is offered by HHS/NIH and is listed as HHS-NIH11. It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity using the cooperative agreement mechanism.

15) What was the application closing date?

The closing date for applications was April 15, 2016.

16) What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $1,000,000.

17) What organizations are eligible to apply based on the information provided?

Eligibility is described as broad. It includes multiple levels of government entities, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, tribal governments and tribal organizations, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and other applicants as permitted under the announcement.

18) Are both nonprofit and for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and it also separately includes small businesses.

19) Are tribal entities included in the eligibility list?

Yes. Tribal governments and tribal organizations are explicitly included in the eligibility list.

20) What kinds of health questions is this FOA trying to answer?

Based on the description, the FOA targets research questions about how early-life environmental exposures (before, around, and after birth) affect child development and child health outcomes, and how these effects may connect to biological mechanisms and longer-term health risks.

21) What is the overall intended impact of the FOA?

The overall intent is to accelerate high-quality, prospective research on early environmental influences on childhood health trajectories by scaling and coordinating the work of existing pediatric cohorts within the ECHO program framework.