Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA GM 14 002
Apply for RFA GM 14 002
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Genomes to Natural Products (U01)" 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 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 12, 2013 and posted on Mar 1, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,750,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education Special district governments Small businesses County governments Independent school districts Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments City or township governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled 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) 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 allowed.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The Genomes to Natural Products (U01) funding opportunity (RFA-GM-14-002) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to push natural products discovery into a more scalable, genome-driven era. The central idea is to take advantage of the rapidly growing volume of genomic and metagenomic sequencing data, then combine it with modern synthetic biology to create new, high-throughput and broadly usable methods for finding, producing, and characterizing natural products. Rather than focusing only on discovering one or two specific compounds, the FOA emphasizes building approaches and pipelines that can be applied widely across organisms and datasets, making natural products discovery faster, more systematic, and more reproducible.
A major theme of the opportunity is integration across disciplines. NIH is explicitly looking for well-coordinated, collaborative teams that bring together strong capabilities in synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and natural products chemistry/biology. In practice, this points to projects that can move from computational identification of promising biosynthetic gene clusters (from genomes or metagenomes), to experimental capture or refactoring of those pathways, to heterologous expression and analytical chemistry workflows that verify and characterize the resulting metabolites. The emphasis on high-throughput approaches suggests methods that can scale across many gene clusters and conditions, such as automated design-build-test cycles, standardized expression platforms, rapid assembly methods, or computational triage systems that prioritize clusters with the highest likelihood of yielding novel or useful chemistry.
Because this is a U01 cooperative agreement, awardees should expect substantial scientific involvement and coordination with NIH beyond what is typical for standard investigator-initiated grants. The FOA also requires applicants to plan for participation in trans-network activities, including collaborative projects with other network participants. That means funded groups are not operating as isolated labs; they are expected to contribute to and benefit from a broader consortium-style ecosystem where tools, data, standards, and lessons learned are shared, and where cross-team collaborations are part of the program’s fabric. Applicants are effectively being asked to propose not only strong science, but also a realistic plan for collaboration, coordination, and network participation.
In terms of funding scale and competitiveness, NIH anticipated about three awards under this announcement, with an estimated total program funding of approximately $6.75 million. The award ceiling is listed as $2.25 million, signaling that NIH was prepared to support relatively substantial, multi-component efforts per project, consistent with the expectation of technology development, platform building, and team-based work. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit structures), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, and a range of designated institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, but foreign components (as defined under NIH policy) are allowed, which typically means certain internationally performed elements may be permissible if they fit NIH’s definition and are justified.
Administratively, the FOA was posted March 1, 2013, with an original and current closing date of July 17, 2013, and an archive date of August 17, 2013. It falls under the NIH umbrella and is categorized as a health-related research funding opportunity. It lists CFDA numbers 93.213 (Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health) and 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training), reflecting its placement within broader NIH research and training authorities and its connection to biomedical discovery goals.
Overall, this opportunity is aimed at teams that can build end-to-end, scalable discovery engines: using genome and metagenome mining to identify natural product potential, synthetic biology to access and express otherwise silent or hard-to-culture pathways, and natural products expertise to isolate, identify, and validate new chemistry. The added requirement to participate in network-level collaborations makes it especially suited to groups prepared to operate in a coordinated, consortium-like environment where shared methods and collective progress are a core expectation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Genomes to Natural Products (U01) funding opportunity?
The Genomes to Natural Products (U01) opportunity (RFA-GM-14-002) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to accelerate natural products discovery by shifting the field toward scalable, genome-driven approaches. It focuses on creating broadly usable methods and pipelines that connect genome and metagenome data with synthetic biology and natural products chemistry/biology.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The main goal is to develop high-throughput, reproducible approaches for finding, producing, and characterizing natural products using genomic and metagenomic sequencing data, paired with modern synthetic biology workflows. The emphasis is on building discovery "engines" and platforms that can be applied widely, rather than targeting only one or two individual compounds.
What types of projects does NIH want to support under this announcement?
NIH is looking for projects that build end-to-end, scalable pipelines. Examples of the kinds of capabilities described include computational identification and prioritization of biosynthetic gene clusters, experimental capture or refactoring of pathways, heterologous expression, and analytical chemistry workflows to verify and characterize resulting metabolites. High-throughput approaches and standardized design-build-test cycles are consistent with the FOA's emphasis.
Is this opportunity focused on discovering specific natural products?
Not primarily. The FOA emphasizes methods development and platform-building that make natural products discovery faster, more systematic, and more reproducible across many organisms and datasets. While discovery of new compounds may result, the stated emphasis is on broadly usable approaches rather than a small number of specific targets.
What scientific disciplines are expected to be integrated in proposed projects?
The FOA explicitly highlights integration across disciplines, particularly synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and natural products chemistry/biology. NIH is seeking well-coordinated collaborative teams that can connect computational mining to experimental pathway access and downstream chemical/biological characterization.
What does "genome-driven" natural products discovery mean in the context of this FOA?
In this context, it means using the rapidly expanding body of genome and metagenome sequencing data to identify promising biosynthetic gene clusters computationally, and then using synthetic biology and related experimental strategies to access, express, and characterize the metabolites those pathways can produce.
What is a U01 cooperative agreement, and how is it different from a standard NIH research grant?
This opportunity uses the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism, which means awardees should expect substantial scientific involvement and coordination with NIH beyond what is typical for standard investigator-initiated grants. The FOA also requires planning for participation in trans-network activities and collaborations with other network participants.
What level of NIH involvement should awardees expect?
Awardees should expect substantial scientific involvement and coordination with NIH. The program is described as consortium-like, where coordination, shared progress, and participation in network activities are part of the expected operating model.
Are applicants required to collaborate with other funded groups?
Yes. The FOA requires applicants to plan for participation in trans-network activities, including collaborative projects with other network participants. Funded groups are expected to contribute to and benefit from a broader network where tools, data, standards, and lessons learned are shared.
What does "trans-network activities" imply for a funded project?
It implies that a funded team should not operate as an isolated lab. The project should include a realistic plan for consortium-style participation, coordination, and collaboration, including engagement in network-level efforts where methods, data, and standards are shared across participants.
What kinds of high-throughput approaches are consistent with this FOA?
The FOA points toward approaches that can scale across many gene clusters and conditions, such as automated design-build-test cycles, standardized expression platforms, rapid assembly methods, and computational triage systems that prioritize clusters likely to yield novel or useful chemistry.
How many awards did NIH anticipate making under this announcement?
NIH anticipated making about three awards under this funding opportunity.
What was the estimated total program funding?
The estimated total program funding was approximately $6.75 million.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The award ceiling is listed as $2.25 million, indicating NIH was prepared to support relatively substantial, multi-component efforts per project.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement is stated for this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad for U.S.-based organizations and includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit structures), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, and various designated institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply under this FOA.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
Are foreign components allowed at all?
Yes. The FOA indicates that foreign components (as defined under NIH policy) are allowed, which generally means some internationally performed elements may be permissible if they meet NIH's definition and are justified.
When was this FOA posted, and what were the key dates?
The FOA was posted on March 1, 2013. The original and current closing date was July 17, 2013, and the archive date was August 17, 2013.
Which agency and funding mechanism are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and uses the U01 cooperative agreement mechanism.
How is this opportunity categorized?
It is categorized as a health-related research funding opportunity under the NIH umbrella.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this FOA?
The FOA lists CFDA numbers 93.213 (Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health) and 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training).
What is the overarching vision for the kinds of outcomes NIH is seeking?
The overarching vision is to enable scalable natural products discovery by combining genome and metagenome mining with synthetic biology and natural products expertise, producing broadly usable tools and pipelines that accelerate discovery and improve systematic, reproducible progress across the field.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health
Next opportunity: Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship Program
Previous opportunity: READ Alliance
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for RFA GM 14 002
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA GM 14 002) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Investigator Initiated Multi Site Clinical Trials (Collaborative R01) Apply for PAR 13 128 Funding Number: PAR 13 128 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Alzheimers Disease Research Centers (P50) Apply for RFA AG 13 019 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Small Business Innovation Research on Rare Musculoskeletal, Rheumatic and Skin Diseases (SBIR) (R43) Apply for RFA AR 14 005 Funding Number: RFA AR 14 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $225,000 |
| Collaborations for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (R01) Apply for RFA GM 14 004 Funding Number: RFA GM 14 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54) Apply for RFA GM 14 005 Funding Number: RFA GM 14 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| NIH Directors Biomedical Research Workforce Innovation Award Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) (DP7) Apply for RFA RM 12 022 Funding Number: RFA RM 12 022 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| NGO Health Service Delivery Program Apply for RFA 442 13 000001 Funding Number: RFA 442 13 000001 Agency: Cambodia USAID Phnom Penh Category: Health Funding Amount: $6,600,000 |
| Advancing Eating Disorders Research through Dimensional Studies of Biology and Behavior (R01) Apply for RFA MH 14 030 Funding Number: RFA MH 14 030 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Program for Extramural/Intramural Alcohol Research Collaborations (U01) Apply for PAR 13 133 Funding Number: PAR 13 133 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| HIV Prevention with Key Populations Mali Apply for RFA 688 13 000004 Funding Number: RFA 688 13 000004 Agency: Mali USAID Bamako Category: Health Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Supporting a Caribbean Regional Educational Institution to Deliver Leadership and Management Training to Health Professionals in Eleven Caribbean Partnership Framework Countries under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Apply for CDC RFA GH13 1348 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH13 1348 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Preclinical Innovation Program (PIP) (R01) Apply for RFA AI 13 008 Funding Number: RFA AI 13 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Mechanisms of Cellular Immunity in the Female Reproductive Tract (R01) Apply for RFA AI 12 054 Funding Number: RFA AI 12 054 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Planning Grants for the NIH National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) (P20) Apply for RFA RM 13 002 Funding Number: RFA RM 13 002 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $130,000 |
| Planning Grants for the NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative (P20) Apply for RFA RM 13 001 Funding Number: RFA RM 13 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| PsychENCODE Identification and Characterization of Non coding Functional Elements in the Brain, and their Role in the Development of Mental Disorders (R01) Apply for RFA MH 14 020 Funding Number: RFA MH 14 020 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Dimensional Approaches to Research Classification in Psychiatric Disorders (R01) Apply for RFA MH 14 050 Funding Number: RFA MH 14 050 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Gut Microbiome Brain Interactions and Mental Health (R21/R33) Apply for RFA MH 14 080 Funding Number: RFA MH 14 080 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Human Tissue Core (HTC)(U01) Apply for RFA HL 14 007 Funding Number: RFA HL 14 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Research Center (RC) (U01) Apply for RFA HL 14 008 Funding Number: RFA HL 14 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA GM 14 002", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.