Exploratory Studies for Delineating Microbiome Host Interactions in Obesity, Digestive and Liver Diseases and Nutrition (R21) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity RFA-DK-15-013, titled "Exploratory Studies for Delineating Microbiome Host Interactions in Obesity, Digestive and Liver Diseases and Nutrition (R21)," supports early-stage, exploratory research focused on how the human gut microbiome functionally interacts with the host in ways that influence obesity, digestive diseases, liver diseases, and nutrition. The emphasis is on studies that go beyond simple descriptions of which microbes are present and instead probe mechanisms and functional relationships, such as how microbial activities, metabolites, or community dynamics affect host physiology, and how host factors in turn shape the microbiome in these disease and nutrition contexts. As an R21 mechanism, it is geared toward innovative, higher-risk ideas where preliminary data may be limited but the potential payoff is meaningful for understanding microbiome-host biology relevant to metabolic and gastrointestinal health.

This opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant, with an activity focus aligned to food and nutrition health and linked to CFDA 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research). The announcement was posted and created on June 19, 2015, with the original and final application due date listed as October 19, 2016, and an archive date of November 19, 2016. While the program is archived now, the details outline how NIH intended to stimulate a portfolio of short, exploratory projects in this space during the active period of the announcement.

From a funding standpoint, the FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $1,500,000 and an award ceiling of $200,000. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not expected to contribute non-federal matching funds as a condition of receiving an award. The R21 structure and the stated cap align with a smaller, concept-testing grant intended to generate key data, validate emerging approaches, or establish feasibility for later, larger-scale proposals.

Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based research and community organizations. Eligible applicant types included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), and a wide range of government entities such as city or township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Tribal entities were also included, spanning federally recognized Native American tribal governments as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The eligibility section also explicitly identified additional eligible groups 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility was more limited in a typical NIH pattern for certain announcements: non-U.S. (foreign) institutions were not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were eligible to apply, and foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, were allowed. In practical terms, this structure supports U.S.-led applications that may include well-justified international collaborations or project components when scientifically necessary.

Overall, the grant opportunity aimed to accelerate progress in understanding how gut microbial functions and host biology influence one another in obesity and digestive and liver diseases, with nutrition as an important related dimension. The intent was to encourage creative, mechanism-oriented projects that could clarify causal pathways, identify functional interactions worth targeting, and lay groundwork for more definitive studies later. The administering agency was NIH, and the full announcement was made available through the NIH grants guide at the provided link. For access or technical issues, the contact point listed was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster via FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.

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