Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 024
Apply for PAR 15 024
- The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Food Specific Molecular Profiles and Biomarkers of Food and Nutrient Intake, and Dietary Exposure (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health 93.321 Dietary Supplement Research Program 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 28, 2014 and posted on Oct 28, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Small businesses For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments County governments City or township governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education.
- 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 eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH funding opportunity PAR 15 024, titled "Food Specific Molecular Profiles and Biomarkers of Food and Nutrient Intake, and Dietary Exposure (R01)," was a discretionary, investigator-initiated research grant opportunity designed to strengthen the science of measuring what people eat by using objective biological signals. Instead of relying only on self-reported diet records, the FOA aimed to spur research that identifies, validates, and applies food-specific molecular profiles and biomarkers that can accurately reflect consumption of particular foods, nutrients, dietary patterns, or food-related exposures. A core theme is improving dietary assessment by moving toward measurable signatures found in biological specimens, which can reduce bias and error in nutrition research and make diet-disease studies more reliable.
A central purpose of the announcement was to encourage research focused on "food specific molecular signatures," meaning combinations of metabolites, peptides, lipids, microbiome-derived compounds, or other measurable molecules that are characteristic of eating specific foods (for example, compounds linked to whole grains, dairy, legumes, fruits and vegetables, meats, or oils), as well as biomarkers of nutrient intake and dietary exposure. The intent was not only to discover candidate markers, but also to support work that rigorously evaluates them for performance in real-world settings. That includes questions such as how sensitive and specific a biomarker is to the target food, how quickly it appears and disappears after consumption, whether it reflects short-term intake versus habitual intake, how it varies across individuals, and how factors like genetics, age, sex, health status, medication use, or gut microbiome differences influence the biomarker signal.
The FOA also explicitly promoted collaboration between NIH and USDA-supported nutrition researchers, reflecting a broader goal of aligning biomedical research priorities with food and nutrition science infrastructure. In practice, that emphasis suggests the opportunity favored projects that could connect controlled feeding studies, food composition databases, analytical chemistry, and advanced "omics" technologies with epidemiologic cohorts and clinical studies. By building bridges across these research communities, the program sought to accelerate development of robust dietary biomarkers and improve standardization, comparability, and utility of diet measurement approaches across studies.
Administratively, this opportunity used the R01 grant mechanism, indicating support for substantial, multi-year research projects with clear aims, strong analytic plans, and meaningful expected impact. It fell under NIH activity areas relevant to food and nutrition health and was associated with multiple CFDA numbers, including programs tied to complementary and integrative health research, dietary supplement research, and diabetes/digestive/kidney diseases extramural research. Cost sharing or matching was not required, which reduces barriers for applicants and allows proposals to be judged primarily on scientific merit, feasibility, and potential public health value.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations: public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status, with the usual exceptions), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, school districts, special district governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, small businesses, and other for-profit organizations. The announcement also highlighted inclusivity for a range of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and foreign organizations were not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, but non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined in NIH policy) were allowed, meaning international collaboration could be supported when well-justified and aligned with NIH rules.
Key timeline information shows the FOA was posted on October 28, 2014, and had a closing date of May 27, 2017, with an archive date of June 27, 2017. While the opportunity is now archived, the description captures an enduring NIH priority: developing objective, biologically grounded measures of dietary intake and exposure. The practical payoff of the research supported under a program like this is better diet measurement in clinical trials and population studies, stronger evidence linking diet to health outcomes, improved ability to evaluate dietary interventions, and ultimately more credible nutrition guidance and policy grounded in reproducible, quantifiable data.
FAQs: NIH PAR-15-024 - Food Specific Molecular Profiles and Biomarkers of Food and Nutrient Intake, and Dietary Exposure (R01)
What is NIH PAR-15-024?
PAR-15-024 is an NIH funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled "Food Specific Molecular Profiles and Biomarkers of Food and Nutrient Intake, and Dietary Exposure (R01)." It supported discretionary, investigator-initiated research aimed at improving how dietary intake and food-related exposures are measured in nutrition research.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The main goal was to strengthen the science of measuring what people eat by moving beyond self-reported dietary assessment (like food frequency questionnaires or diet diaries) and toward objective biological measures. The FOA encouraged research to identify, validate, and apply food-specific molecular profiles and biomarkers that reflect intake of foods, nutrients, dietary patterns, or dietary exposures.
Why does the FOA emphasize objective biomarkers instead of self-reported diet?
The FOA emphasized biomarkers because self-reported dietary data can be affected by bias and measurement error. Objective signatures found in biological specimens can help reduce these errors, improve reliability of diet-disease research, and strengthen the evidence base for dietary interventions and nutrition guidance.
What are "food-specific molecular signatures" in this context?
"Food-specific molecular signatures" refers to combinations of measurable molecules that are characteristic of consuming specific foods. These signatures could include metabolites, peptides, lipids, microbiome-derived compounds, or other molecules detectable in biological samples that reliably indicate intake of a target food or food group.
What types of foods or food groups were relevant to the FOA?
The FOA described examples of foods and food groups that could be targeted by biomarker research, including whole grains, dairy, legumes, fruits and vegetables, meats, and oils. These examples illustrate the intent to support work across a broad range of dietary components.
Does the FOA focus only on individual foods, or also on nutrients and patterns?
It covered more than individual foods. The FOA encouraged biomarkers and molecular profiles that could reflect consumption of particular foods, nutrients, dietary patterns, and broader dietary exposures.
What kinds of scientific activities were encouraged: discovery, validation, or application?
The FOA aimed to support the full arc of biomarker development, not just discovery. In addition to identifying candidate biomarkers, it encouraged rigorous evaluation and real-world performance testing, including validation and application in appropriate study settings.
What performance questions about biomarkers did the FOA highlight?
The FOA highlighted practical performance considerations such as:
- How sensitive and specific a biomarker is for the target food or exposure
- How quickly the biomarker appears and disappears after consumption (time course)
- Whether the biomarker reflects short-term intake versus habitual intake
- How much the signal varies across individuals
- How factors like genetics, age, sex, health status, medication use, and gut microbiome differences influence the biomarker signal
What biological materials or measurement approaches were implied?
While the FOA description does not list specific specimen types, it consistently refers to measurable signatures found in biological specimens and mentions "omics" and analytical chemistry approaches. The core concept is that diet-related signals can be detected through molecular measurements rather than relying only on self-report.
How did the FOA promote collaboration between NIH and USDA-related research communities?
The FOA explicitly promoted collaboration between NIH and USDA-supported nutrition researchers. This reflected an intent to align biomedical research priorities with food and nutrition science infrastructure and to build bridges across controlled feeding studies, food composition resources, analytical chemistry, advanced omics technologies, epidemiologic cohorts, and clinical studies.
What kinds of study contexts did the FOA suggest might be connected?
The FOA suggested connecting multiple research contexts, including controlled feeding studies, food composition databases, analytical chemistry platforms, omics technologies, epidemiologic cohort studies, and clinical studies. The idea was to accelerate development of robust biomarkers and improve standardization and comparability across studies.
What grant mechanism was used?
The FOA used the NIH R01 mechanism, which generally supports substantial, multi-year research projects with defined aims and strong analytic plans.
Was this opportunity investigator-initiated?
Yes. The FOA was described as discretionary and investigator-initiated, meaning applicants proposed their own scientifically driven aims within the scope of the announcement.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated that cost sharing or matching was not required.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included U.S.-based organizations such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status, with the usual exceptions), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, school districts, special district governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, small businesses, and other for-profit organizations.
Did the FOA encourage applications from specific institution types?
Yes. The FOA highlighted inclusivity for institution types including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply as the applicant?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and foreign organizations were not eligible to apply as the applicant organization under this FOA.
Can international collaborators be involved at all?
Yes, within NIH policy boundaries described in the FOA summary. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed. This means international collaboration could be supported when well-justified and consistent with NIH rules.
What NIH program areas or CFDA associations were mentioned?
The FOA was associated with multiple CFDA numbers, including programs tied to complementary and integrative health research, dietary supplement research, and diabetes/digestive/kidney diseases extramural research.
When was PAR-15-024 posted, and when did it close?
The FOA was posted on October 28, 2014. It had a closing date of May 27, 2017, and an archive date of June 27, 2017.
Is this FOA currently open?
No. The FOA is archived, meaning it is no longer accepting applications.
What was the intended public health or scientific payoff?
The FOA framed the payoff as improved dietary measurement in clinical trials and population studies, stronger and more reliable evidence linking diet to health outcomes, improved evaluation of dietary interventions, and more credible nutrition guidance and policy grounded in reproducible, quantifiable data.
What kind of bias or error was this FOA trying to reduce?
It aimed to reduce bias and error that can occur when diet is measured primarily through self-reported records, by developing objective biomarker-based measures of intake and exposure.
What does it mean that the FOA targeted biomarkers of "dietary exposure"?
Within the scope described, dietary exposure includes food-related exposures that can be reflected by measurable biological signals. The FOA encouraged biomarkers that can capture not only intake of foods and nutrients, but also related exposures tied to diet.
Did the FOA focus on standardization and comparability across studies?
Yes. A stated motivation was to improve standardization, comparability, and overall utility of diet measurement approaches across different studies and research settings.
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