Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 15 031
Apply for RFA DK 15 031
- The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Exploration of the Roles of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue in Humans (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2015 and posted on Jun 29, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 9, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments 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) Small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) State governments Independent school districts.
- 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 RFA-DK-15-031, titled "Exploration of the Roles of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue in Humans (R01)," is a discretionary Research Project Grant (R01) program aimed at expanding what is known about human brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige adipose tissue beyond their classic role in heat generation and body temperature regulation. The central theme is to move past the long-standing focus on thermogenesis and instead define what these fat depots do biologically in people under real-world physiological and disease-related conditions, and how those functions may influence human health.
The FOA targets three main scientific goals. First, it encourages studies that identify physiological or pathophysiological situations, other than prolonged cold exposure, in which "browning" occurs in humans. Browning refers to the process by which white adipose depots, especially subcutaneous fat, acquire beige-like characteristics that resemble brown fat in cellular and molecular features. The FOA is also interested in conditions where the recognized BAT depot in the neck/supraclavicular region appears to expand through browning-related mechanisms. In practice, this goal pushes applicants to look for triggers or correlates of browning in contexts that are clinically meaningful, such as metabolic states, hormonal environments, inflammatory conditions, developmental stages, medication exposures, or other stressors that might shift adipose tissue phenotype without relying solely on cold as the experimental lever.
Second, the FOA places special emphasis on developing and testing non-biopsy biomarkers for human subcutaneous beige fat. Because repeated adipose biopsies can be invasive, expensive, and impractical for large or longitudinal human studies, the program highlights the need for alternative measures that can indicate the presence, activity, or abundance of beige adipose tissue without tissue sampling. This can include imaging-based readouts, circulating biomarkers, physiological signatures, or other measurable indicators that can be validated against reference standards. The intent is to improve the feasibility of human research in this area and enable broader studies that can track beige fat dynamics over time and across populations.
Third, the FOA calls for research that explores the biological functions of human brown and beige fat, explicitly including roles other than heat production. This broad objective opens the door to investigations into endocrine, paracrine, metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and other systemic effects of these tissues. The program is essentially asking applicants to determine what signals brown and beige adipocytes send or respond to, what pathways they influence, and whether these actions affect disease risk, disease progression, or health-related traits in humans. In doing so, the FOA encourages human-focused evidence that clarifies whether BAT and beige fat have clinically relevant functions that could be targeted for prevention or treatment strategies, particularly in areas related to metabolism and broader health outcomes.
Administratively, this opportunity was issued by the National Institutes of Health under the CFDA number 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research), and it uses the R01 grant mechanism, which typically supports substantial, hypothesis-driven projects with well-developed research plans. The estimated total funding associated with the announcement was $2,000,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The FOA was posted and created on June 29, 2015, with an original and current closing date of March 9, 2016, and an archive date of April 9, 2016, meaning it is no longer open but remains relevant as a record of NIH priorities and research directions at the time.
Eligibility was broad and included many organization types: public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses), and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The announcement also explicitly included a wide range of additional eligible applicants such as federally recognized and other tribal organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, and several categories of minority-serving institutions (including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities). Foreign (non-U.S.) entities were also listed as eligible, reflecting NIH's allowance for certain international applications depending on the specific policy and scientific justification.
For applicants or readers seeking the full formal announcement details, the FOA referenced an NIH Grants Guide link (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-15-031.html). The contact provided for technical access or linking issues was the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
FAQs: NIH RFA-DK-15-031 (Exploration of the Roles of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue in Humans (R01))
1) What is RFA-DK-15-031?
RFA-DK-15-031 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled "Exploration of the Roles of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue in Humans (R01)." It supported Research Project Grant (R01) applications aimed at expanding knowledge about human brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige adipose tissue, especially beyond their classic role in thermogenesis (heat generation).
2) What type of grant mechanism does this FOA use?
This FOA uses the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) mechanism, typically intended for substantial, hypothesis-driven projects with well-developed research plans.
3) What is the main scientific purpose of this funding opportunity?
The central theme is to move past the long-standing focus on thermogenesis and define what human brown and beige fat depots do biologically in real-world physiological and disease-related contexts, and how those functions may influence human health.
4) What are the three main scientific goals highlighted in the FOA?
The FOA emphasizes three goals: (1) identifying physiological or pathophysiological situations (other than prolonged cold exposure) where browning occurs in humans, (2) developing and testing non-biopsy biomarkers for human subcutaneous beige fat, and (3) exploring biological functions of human brown and beige fat that extend beyond heat production.
5) What does "browning" mean in the context of this FOA?
"Browning" refers to the process where white adipose depots, especially subcutaneous fat, acquire beige-like characteristics resembling brown fat in cellular and molecular features. The FOA also notes interest in situations where the recognized BAT depot in the neck/supraclavicular region appears to expand through browning-related mechanisms.
6) Is cold exposure the main trigger the FOA wants researchers to study?
No. A key priority is identifying situations other than prolonged cold exposure in which browning occurs in humans. The FOA pushes applicants to look for clinically meaningful triggers or correlates outside of cold-based experimental designs.
7) What kinds of non-cold contexts does the FOA suggest for studying browning in humans?
Based on the FOA description, examples of contexts include metabolic states, hormonal environments, inflammatory conditions, developmental stages, medication exposures, or other stressors that might shift adipose tissue phenotype without relying solely on cold as the experimental lever.
8) Why does the FOA emphasize non-biopsy biomarkers for beige fat?
Repeated adipose biopsies can be invasive, expensive, and impractical for large or longitudinal human studies. The FOA highlights the need for alternative measures that can indicate presence, activity, or abundance of beige adipose tissue without tissue sampling.
9) What kinds of non-biopsy biomarker approaches are within scope (as described in the FOA summary)?
The FOA summary indicates that non-biopsy biomarkers may include imaging-based readouts, circulating biomarkers, physiological signatures, or other measurable indicators that can be validated against reference standards.
10) What does the FOA mean by exploring functions of brown and beige fat "beyond heat production"?
The FOA explicitly invites research into biological roles other than thermogenesis, including potential endocrine, paracrine, metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and other systemic effects of these tissues in humans.
11) Does this FOA focus on human research specifically?
Yes. The FOA is framed around defining what brown and beige fat depots do biologically in people and encourages human-focused evidence about clinically relevant functions.
12) What kinds of health impacts is the FOA trying to clarify?
The FOA encourages research that determines whether BAT and beige fat actions affect disease risk, disease progression, or health-related traits in humans, and whether these functions could be targeted for prevention or treatment strategies, particularly related to metabolism and broader health outcomes.
13) Which NIH area or program classification is associated with this opportunity?
Administratively, the FOA is associated with CFDA number 93.847, labeled "Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research."
14) How much total funding was estimated for this FOA?
The estimated total funding associated with the announcement was $2,000,000.
15) Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
16) When was the FOA posted, and what were the closing dates?
The FOA was posted and created on June 29, 2015. The original and current closing date was March 9, 2016. The archive date was April 9, 2016.
17) Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. Because the closing date (March 9, 2016) and archive date (April 9, 2016) have passed, this FOA is no longer open. It remains relevant as a record of NIH priorities and research directions at that time.
18) What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses); and government entities such as state, county, city/township, and special districts, as well as public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.
19) Were tribal organizations and U.S. territories eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included federally recognized and other tribal organizations, as well as U.S. territories or possessions.
20) Were community-based and faith-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA listed faith-based and community-based organizations among eligible applicants.
21) Were minority-serving institutions included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included several categories of minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities.
22) Could foreign (non-U.S.) entities apply?
Yes. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities were listed as eligible, reflecting NIH allowance for certain international applications depending on policy and scientific justification.
23) Where can someone find the full formal FOA text?
The FOA referenced the NIH Grants Guide page at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-15-031.html
24) Who is the contact for technical access or linking issues related to the FOA page?
The contact provided for technical access or linking issues was the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
25) What is the overall research direction encouraged by this FOA?
The FOA encourages applicants to (a) identify real-world triggers or correlates of browning in humans outside of prolonged cold exposure, (b) make human studies more feasible through validated non-biopsy beige fat biomarkers, and (c) define clinically relevant biological roles of human brown and beige fat beyond thermogenesis, including systemic effects that could matter for disease and health.
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