George M. OBrien Kidney Research Core Centers (P30) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the George M. OBrien Kidney Research Core Centers (P30) grant opportunity?

This opportunity is an NIH funding program (RFA-DK-11-008) that supports George M. OBrien Kidney Research Core Centers using the P30 center grant mechanism. The focus is on strengthening and expanding kidney disease research by funding centralized, shared research infrastructure (cores) that provide services, technologies, and resources to multiple investigators.

What is the main purpose of this P30 core center program?

The purpose is to build and maintain shared core resources that make advanced methods more accessible, more cost-effective, and more consistent across multiple kidney-related research teams. Rather than funding a single research project, the center model emphasizes shared infrastructure that can accelerate discovery and translation in kidney disease.

How is a P30 core center different from a traditional single-project research grant?

A traditional single-project grant primarily supports a defined research plan from one team or project. In contrast, this P30 model is designed to support a core center that provides shared technologies, services, and resources used by a broad group of investigators working on kidney-related basic and clinical research.

What kinds of research does the program aim to support?

The program is intended to support kidney-related basic science and clinical research by enabling investigators to access state-of-the-art technologies and shared services. It also emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches and directions in basic science that have clear translational potential (for example, pathways that could plausibly lead to improved diagnostics, prevention strategies, or therapies).

What are the major priorities highlighted in the opportunity?

The program highlights four main priorities:

• Bringing new scientific expertise into kidney research (attracting investigators who may not traditionally work in nephrology).
• Encouraging multidisciplinary approaches to understand causes of kidney diseases and disorders.
• Supporting exploration of new basic science directions with clear translational potential.
• Generating Developmental Research (DR) and Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) studies to test novel ideas and help investigators compete for larger awards.

What does it mean to "bring new scientific expertise" into kidney research?

It means the center is expected to help attract and involve investigators whose primary work may be outside nephrology but whose tools, skills, or perspectives could advance kidney research. This could include expertise from fields such as genetics, bioinformatics, engineering, immunology, epidemiology, or related disciplines.

What does the FOA mean by multidisciplinary approaches?

Multidisciplinary approaches typically imply integrating expertise across multiple fields to address kidney diseases and disorders. The FOA description references areas such as physiology, immunology, genetics, bioinformatics, engineering, epidemiology, and clinical medicine as examples of disciplines that may be combined.

What are Developmental Research (DR) studies in this program?

Developmental Research (DR) studies are smaller, early-stage projects supported through the center that are intended to explore novel ideas, establish feasibility, and generate preliminary results that can position investigators for larger independent research awards.

What are Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) studies?

Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) studies are early-stage, smaller projects intended to test innovative concepts and produce preliminary data. The program expects the center to generate these studies as part of its role in catalyzing future, more substantial kidney research projects.

Which NIH institute is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is under the NIH umbrella and is tied to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), as reflected in the program context and the CFDA listing for kidney-related extramural research.

What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The CFDA number listed is 93.847, titled "Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research."

Is this a discretionary grant program?

Yes. The listing describes it as a discretionary grant opportunity under NIH.

Does the program allow both new applications and renewals?

Yes. The opportunity supports both new applications and renewals. This means existing centers could apply to continue and enhance their core capabilities, while new institutions could propose building comparable shared-resource capacity.

What is the estimated total funding for this announcement?

The total estimated funding listed for the announcement is $3.6 million.

What is the award ceiling?

The award ceiling is listed as $750,000, which sets an upper limit on the annual budget level NIH would consider under this FOA (as stated in the provided source data).

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. Cost sharing or matching is not required for this opportunity.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes:

• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status)
• Small businesses
• Other for-profit organizations (with eligibility details potentially clarified in the FOA)
• Governmental entities such as city/township governments, county governments, state governments, special district governments, and certain housing authorities

Are mission-focused and minority-serving institutions included in eligibility?

Yes. The announcement explicitly recognizes eligibility for a range of institutions and organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, tribally controlled organizations, faith-based or community-based organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply?

No. The FOA states that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply.

Are foreign components allowed if a U.S. organization applies?

No. Foreign components are not allowed, including non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, consistent with the restrictions described in the opportunity details.

When was this FOA posted and what were the key dates?

The listing shows the FOA was posted/created on June 22, 2011. The original and current closing date is November 15, 2011, and the archive date is December 16, 2011.

Is this specific funding announcement still open?

No. Based on the provided dates (closing date in 2011 and archive date in 2011), this specific announcement is historical (archived).

What does it mean that the opportunity is archived?

It means the specific FOA (RFA-DK-11-008) and its application window have closed. The summary still describes the structure and intent of the OBrien Kidney Research Core Center program as presented in that FOA, but applications would not be submitted under the archived announcement.

Where can applicants find the official FOA requirements and review criteria?

The authoritative source is the full FOA text on the NIH Grants Guide page: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-11-008.html

Is there additional context about existing OBrien Kidney Research Core Centers?

Yes. The NIH/NIDDK provided a link to additional program information about existing OBrien Kidney Research Core Centers, which is typically used to understand the current center landscape and program expectations.

Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the announcement?

The opportunity includes NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact details for technical issues accessing the announcement, which is standard for NIH postings.