Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 12 004
Apply for RFA RM 12 004
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Health and Heredity in Africa (H3Africa) Research Grants (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172 Human Genome Research 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.989 International Research and Research Training.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2011 and posted on Dec 21, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 6, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,250,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $275,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) African institutions that are eligible for the NIH awards
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Opportunity Summary:
The Human Health and Heredity in Africa (H3Africa) Research Grants (U01) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-12-004) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to strengthen and expand genomics-related health research led by institutions based in African countries. Backed by the NIH Common Fund along with participating NIH Institutes and Centers, and carried out in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, the program aims to support cutting-edge research that helps explain how genetic, genomic, and environmental factors influence health and disease in African populations. A central theme is building sustainable research capacity on the continent so that high-quality, locally led biomedical research can continue beyond the life of any single award.
The scientific purpose of the announcement is to fund research projects that investigate contributors to human health and disease in Africa using modern genomic and related tools. The projects are expected to deepen understanding of diseases and health conditions affecting African populations, while also advancing the broader NIH mission: generating fundamental knowledge about living systems and using that knowledge to improve health outcomes, extend life, and reduce the burden of illness and disability. In practice, this means proposals should be both scientifically strong and meaningfully connected to health priorities, with a clear plan for how genomic or genetic approaches (and environmental considerations) will be integrated to produce insights that would be difficult to achieve otherwise.
Capacity building is not treated as an optional add-on; it is a core expectation. The opportunity emphasizes growing African biomedical research infrastructure, including resources for data generation, management, and sharing, as well as broader research resources that enable genomic studies to be conducted effectively within Africa. It also highlights the need to increase genomic proficiency among researchers and expand the pipeline of trainees, suggesting that funded projects should incorporate training and mentorship components and contribute to developing a skilled workforce able to design, run, analyze, and translate genomics research locally. The overall intent is to help establish durable platforms, expertise, and networks that make future discovery and public health impact more likely.
This FOA uses the U01 mechanism, meaning it is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. Under a cooperative agreement, NIH typically expects substantial programmatic involvement during the project period, such as coordination, shared milestones, and collaborative oversight. While the announcement description provided does not list specific required milestones, applicants generally need to be prepared for a more interactive relationship with NIH program staff than they would have under a traditional investigator-initiated award.
Eligibility is focused on non-U.S. entities in Africa. The FOA invites applications from foreign institutions located in African countries, including eligible public or state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, along with other eligible applicants as described in the full announcement. The intent is clearly to place leadership and primary project activity within Africa, aligning with the initiative's goals of sustainable African research leadership and infrastructure growth. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated for this opportunity.
On the funding side, the announcement projected approximately four awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $1,250,000 and an award ceiling of $275,000. The activity category is listed under Education and Health, reflecting the combined emphasis on research outputs and training/capacity development. The FOA was posted on December 21, 2011, with an original and current closing date of January 6, 2012, and an archive date of February 6, 2012, indicating this specific call is historical, though it represents the broader H3Africa program approach to building genomics-driven health research capacity in Africa.
Programmatically, the FOA is associated with multiple CFDA listings, reflecting NIH’s cross-cutting and trans-institute interest in genomics and health research, including areas such as human genome research, drug abuse and addiction research programs, trans-NIH research support, neurosciences and neurological disorders, and international research and research training. This spread signals that proposed projects could align with a range of disease and health domains, as long as they are within NIH’s mission scope and centered on genetic/genomic and environmental contributors relevant to African populations.
For applicants seeking the official requirements and application details, the NIH provided an additional information link to the full FOA text on the NIH grants site (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-12-004.html). The contact information included is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for technical access and linking problems, which is typical for archived or older NIH announcements where applicants may need help retrieving the full electronic document.
FAQs: H3Africa Research Grants (U01) - RFA-RM-12-004
What is the H3Africa Research Grants (U01) opportunity?
This opportunity is an NIH cooperative agreement (U01) under the Human Health and Heredity in Africa (H3Africa) initiative. It is designed to strengthen and expand genomics-related health research led by institutions based in African countries.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number) for this call?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-RM-12-004.
Who is backing and partnering on this program?
The program is backed by the NIH Common Fund along with participating NIH Institutes and Centers, and it is carried out in partnership with the Wellcome Trust.
What is the main goal of the program?
The main goal is to support cutting-edge research that explains how genetic, genomic, and environmental factors influence health and disease in African populations, while building sustainable research capacity so high-quality, locally led biomedical research can continue beyond the life of any single award.
What kinds of research projects are expected to be funded?
The FOA is intended to fund research projects that investigate contributors to human health and disease in Africa using modern genomic and related tools. Projects are expected to deepen understanding of diseases and health conditions affecting African populations, and to align with NIHs broader mission to generate knowledge that improves health outcomes and reduces the burden of illness and disability.
Do projects need to address specific diseases?
The information provided does not list a required disease area. It indicates projects may align with a range of disease and health domains as long as they fit within NIH mission scope and are centered on genetic/genomic and environmental contributors relevant to African populations.
How important is capacity building in this FOA?
Capacity building is a core expectation, not an optional add-on. The opportunity emphasizes growing African biomedical research infrastructure and increasing genomic proficiency among researchers, including expanding the pipeline of trainees through training and mentorship components.
What types of capacity building activities are emphasized?
The FOA highlights strengthening resources for data generation, management, and sharing, along with broader research resources that enable genomic studies to be conducted effectively within Africa. It also emphasizes training, mentorship, and workforce development so researchers can design, run, analyze, and translate genomics research locally.
What does it mean that this FOA uses the U01 mechanism?
U01 is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. Under a cooperative agreement, NIH typically expects substantial programmatic involvement during the project period, such as coordination, shared milestones, and collaborative oversight, meaning applicants should be prepared for a more interactive relationship with NIH program staff than under a traditional investigator-initiated award.
Is NIH involvement described in detail in the summary provided?
The summary notes that cooperative agreements typically involve substantial NIH programmatic involvement, but it also states that the description provided does not list specific required milestones.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is focused on non-U.S. entities in Africa. The FOA invites applications from foreign institutions located in African countries, including eligible public or state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, along with other eligible applicants as described in the full announcement.
Does this opportunity allow U.S.-based institutions to apply as the lead applicant?
Based on the information provided, the intent is to place leadership and primary project activity within Africa, and eligibility is described as focused on non-U.S. entities in African countries.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated for this opportunity.
How many awards were expected to be made?
The announcement projected approximately four awards.
What was the estimated total funding amount for this FOA?
The estimated total funding amount was $1,250,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was $275,000.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed under Education and Health, reflecting a combined emphasis on research outputs and training/capacity development.
When was this FOA posted, and what were the closing dates?
The FOA was posted on December 21, 2011. The original and current closing date was January 6, 2012. The archive date was February 6, 2012.
Is this a current funding opportunity?
The dates provided (including the archive date) indicate this specific call is historical, though it represents the broader H3Africa program approach.
Where can applicants find the official FOA text and application details?
The NIH provided a link to the full FOA text on the NIH grants site: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-12-004.html
What NIH contact information is provided for help?
The contact information included is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for technical access and linking problems, which is typical for archived or older NIH announcements.
What does the FOA indicate about NIH-wide involvement or relevant program areas?
The FOA is associated with multiple CFDA listings reflecting cross-cutting NIH interest, including areas such as human genome research, drug abuse and addiction research programs, trans-NIH research support, neurosciences and neurological disorders, and international research and research training.
Does the FOA emphasize environmental factors in addition to genetics and genomics?
Yes. A central theme is understanding how genetic, genomic, and environmental factors influence health and disease in African populations.
What is the broader long-term intent of the program beyond individual research results?
The opportunity is intended to help establish durable platforms, expertise, and networks in Africa that make future discovery and public health impact more likely, supporting continued locally led research beyond a single award.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education Health
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Previous opportunity: NIST Research Experience for Teachers (NIST RET) Program
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