Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 11 011
Apply for RFA NS 11 011
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition for Continuation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Resources promoting Translational Research Advancements in Neurodegenerative Diseases (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 14, 2011 and posted on Apr 14, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Foreign (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
This opportunity, RFA-NS-11-011, was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement issued by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to continue supporting existing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) consortia that were originally launched with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding. It used a U24 Cooperative Agreement mechanism, meaning the work was expected to be carried out in close coordination with NIH program staff and with an emphasis on shared infrastructure, community resources, and collaborative governance rather than a single stand-alone research project. The overall intent was to sustain and expand widely accessible iPSC-based resources focused on neurodegenerative diseases, with the explicit goal of making these resources more useful for translational work, especially drug discovery.
The core scientific purpose was to build out a stronger, better-characterized collection of iPSC lines and associated know-how that the broader research community could use to model neurodegenerative disease and test therapeutic ideas. NINDS highlighted the need to increase both the breadth and depth of what was available: more cell lines, more genetic variants and disease-relevant mutations represented, more engineered reporter modifications that allow researchers to track cell states or disease phenotypes, and more standardized or well-documented protocols for cell maintenance and differentiation. Just as important as generating lines was the expectation that applicants would improve the accompanying characterization, such as confirming genetic identity and quality, documenting phenotypes and assay readiness, and providing practical guidance on how to culture and differentiate the lines in reproducible ways. In other words, the emphasis was not simply on producing iPSCs, but on delivering robust, community-ready tools that could support screening and preclinical decision-making.
A major programmatic goal was to facilitate scientific evaluation of these iPSC resources for drug discovery purposes. That framing signals that NINDS wanted these lines and protocols to be fit for translational pipelines: enabling disease modeling that can be compared across labs, supporting assay development, and reducing barriers for groups (including industry teams) that need consistent, well-validated cellular systems. The announcement also positioned the initiative as a partnership effort involving government, non-government organizations, and pharmaceutical companies, reflecting an intent to align resource development with real-world therapeutic development needs and to encourage shared standards, broader adoption, and cross-sector collaboration.
Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity in the health domain (CFDA 93.853, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders). It did not require cost sharing or matching funds. The award ceiling was listed as $1,000,000, indicating the maximum funding level per award under the announcement. The competition was limited, aimed at continuation of specific consortia originally supported under ARRA, rather than open to all applicants proposing de novo iPSC resource programs. Eligibility notes indicated that additional eligibility details were provided in the full announcement, and that foreign (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations were allowed, which can matter for consortia that rely on specialized international capabilities or collaborations.
Key dates show the FOA was posted and created on April 14, 2011, with an original and current closing date of June 22, 2011, and an archive date of July 23, 2011, meaning it was a time-limited solicitation and is no longer active. The full details, including the specific expectations for consortium structure, data and resource sharing, quality control standards, and reporting requirements typical of U24 cooperative agreements, were provided in the linked NIH funding announcement page. For access issues, NIH listed the Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact.
FAQs: NIH NINDS Funding Opportunity RFA-NS-11-011 (U24)
1. What is RFA-NS-11-011?
RFA-NS-11-011 was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement issued by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to continue supporting existing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) consortia that were originally launched with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding.
2. Which NIH institute released this opportunity?
The opportunity was released by NINDS, a component of NIH.
3. What funding mechanism did this opportunity use?
This opportunity used the U24 Cooperative Agreement mechanism. This type of award is designed for activities that require substantial programmatic coordination and typically emphasizes shared infrastructure, community resources, and collaborative governance.
4. What does it mean that this was a cooperative agreement (U24)?
Under a U24 cooperative agreement, the work is expected to be carried out in close coordination with NIH program staff, with an emphasis on building and sustaining shared resources rather than running a single stand-alone research project.
5. What was the overall intent of this funding announcement?
The overall intent was to sustain and expand widely accessible iPSC-based resources focused on neurodegenerative diseases, with an explicit goal of making these resources more useful for translational work, especially drug discovery.
6. What scientific area was this program focused on?
The program focused on iPSC-based resources for neurodegenerative diseases, with the goal of enabling disease modeling and translational applications such as drug discovery.
7. What kinds of deliverables were expected from awardees?
Applicants were expected to deliver community-ready tools and resources, including a stronger, better-characterized collection of iPSC lines and associated know-how that could be broadly used for neurodegenerative disease modeling and therapeutic testing.
8. Was the goal simply to generate more iPSC lines?
No. The emphasis was not only on producing iPSCs, but on delivering robust, well-characterized, widely usable resources, including quality confirmation, phenotype documentation, assay readiness information, and practical guidance for reproducible culture and differentiation.
9. What did NINDS want to improve in the iPSC resource collection?
NINDS highlighted the need to expand both the breadth and depth of available resources, including more cell lines, representation of more genetic variants and disease-relevant mutations, more engineered reporter modifications, and more standardized or well-documented protocols.
10. What are “engineered reporter modifications†in the context of this announcement?
Engineered reporter modifications were described as modifications that allow researchers to track cell states or disease phenotypes, supporting more informative disease modeling and experimental readouts.
11. What types of characterization and quality information were emphasized?
The announcement emphasized improved characterization such as confirming genetic identity and quality, documenting phenotypes and assay readiness, and providing practical guidance for reproducible culturing and differentiation.
12. How did this opportunity support translational research and drug discovery?
A major goal was to facilitate scientific evaluation of iPSC resources for drug discovery, aiming for resources and protocols that were fit for translational pipelines, including assay development and cross-lab comparability.
13. Why did the announcement emphasize “drug discovery�
The drug discovery framing reflected NINDS interest in ensuring the iPSC lines and protocols could reduce barriers for translational teams (including industry) by providing consistent, well-validated cellular systems for screening and preclinical decision-making.
14. Was this positioned as a cross-sector partnership?
Yes. The initiative was described as a partnership effort involving government, non-government organizations, and pharmaceutical companies, intended to align resource development with therapeutic development needs and encourage broader adoption and shared standards.
15. What was the program type or domain for this opportunity?
This was a discretionary grant opportunity in the health domain.
16. What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity referenced CFDA 93.853, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
17. Did the opportunity require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The announcement specified that cost sharing or matching funds were not required.
18. What was the maximum award amount listed?
The award ceiling was listed as $1,000,000, indicating the maximum funding level per award under the announcement.
19. Was this an open competition for any applicant to propose a new iPSC consortium?
No. The competition was described as limited and aimed at continuation of specific consortia originally supported under ARRA, rather than open to all applicants proposing new iPSC resource programs.
20. Who was eligible to apply?
The eligibility focus was continuation of specific ARRA-supported iPSC consortia. The summary also notes that additional eligibility details were provided in the full announcement.
21. Were foreign (non-U.S.) components allowed?
Yes. The opportunity indicated that foreign (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations were allowed, which could support consortia with specialized international collaborations.
22. When was the funding announcement posted?
The FOA was posted and created on April 14, 2011.
23. What was the application due date?
The original and current closing date were both listed as June 22, 2011.
24. Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. The opportunity is archived. The archive date was July 23, 2011, indicating it was time-limited and is no longer active.
25. Where were the detailed requirements and expectations described?
The full details were provided on the linked NIH funding announcement page, including expectations for consortium structure, data and resource sharing, quality control standards, and reporting requirements typical of U24 cooperative agreements.
26. Who was listed as a contact for access issues with the announcement materials?
For access issues, NIH listed the Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact.
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