Limited Competition for the Continuation of the Clinical Centers for The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) Study (UC4) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This funding opportunity, RFA-DK-12-504, is a limited-competition NIH cooperative agreement (UC4) designed to keep the Clinical Centers (CCs) of the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study operating for an additional five years. TEDDY is a large, long-running epidemiological study focused on understanding what triggers type 1 diabetes (T1D), particularly which environmental exposures may contribute to the development of T1D or to the appearance of T1D-related autoimmune markers. The core idea behind the FOA is continuity: the existing TEDDY Clinical Centers have recruited and followed participants for roughly a decade, built standardized procedures, and collected extensive longitudinal clinical data and biospecimens. NIH is offering this one-time solicitation so those same centers can retain participants, continue scheduled clinical follow-up, and keep collecting high-quality biosamples needed to link environmental factors with disease-related outcomes over time.

The scientific purpose of the continuation is to preserve and extend the value of the TEDDY cohort by maintaining rigorous, consistent follow-up of enrolled children and families. TEDDY’s strength lies in its ability to connect real-world exposures to biological and clinical endpoints using repeated measures over many years. Through ongoing clinic visits and the continued collection of samples and data, the study can support analyses aimed at identifying infectious agents, dietary patterns or components, and other environmental influences that correlate with the onset of islet autoimmunity and progression to clinical T1D. Because the study relies heavily on standardized, longitudinal procedures and the trust and participation of established families, NIH structured this as a limited competition restricted to the current TEDDY Clinical Centers, rather than opening it broadly to new applicants who would not have the same cohort access or operational history.

This FOA is explicitly limited to the Principal Investigators of the six existing TEDDY Clinical Centers. In practice, that means it is not an open call for new institutions to join the consortium; it is intended to prevent disruption in participant retention and data/biospecimen continuity. The announcement notes that the six centers have been involved since the start of the consortium, including the original study design and the long-term acquisition of data and biosamples. The continuation period is meant to keep those same sites functioning so that participants can be followed clinically and biospecimens can continue to be gathered under consistent protocols, which is essential for valid comparisons across time and across sites.

From a funding and administration standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, signaling that NIH expects substantial scientific and programmatic involvement in the work as it proceeds, rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The NIH is the sponsoring agency, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding. The estimated total funding listed is $30,000,000, with an expected number of awards equal to six, aligning with the number of existing Clinical Centers being supported. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated, which means applicants are not required to provide non-federal matching funds as a condition of award.

The FOA is associated with multiple CFDA numbers, reflecting the multi-institute, multi-disciplinary nature of TEDDY and the broad range of scientific domains it touches. These include 93.847 (Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research), 93.855 (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research), 93.856 (Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research), and 93.865 (Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research). This mix underscores that TEDDY is not just a diabetes study in a narrow sense; it is built to evaluate how immune development, infections, diet, and pediatric growth and development intersect with autoimmune processes that can lead to T1D.

Although the eligible applicant categories listed in the source data span many organization types (state and local governments, nonprofits, higher education institutions, U.S. territories, and even foreign institutions and components), the practical eligibility for this particular announcement is constrained by the limited-competition language: only the current TEDDY Clinical Centers, through their Principal Investigators, are invited to apply. The broader eligibility language is standard in many NIH listings, but here it sits alongside the clear statement that this is a targeted continuation solicitation for the six existing sites. The announcement also indicates that foreign institutions and foreign components are allowed, which is consistent with TEDDY’s international footprint and the broader NIH policy framework for supporting research components conducted outside the U.S. when scientifically justified.

Timing details in the listing show the FOA was posted on February 22, 2012, created on July 13, 2012, with an original closing date of July 17, 2012 and a current closing date of August 7, 2012, and it was archived on September 7, 2012. These dates indicate the solicitation window was relatively short, consistent with a continuation competition among established centers that already have the operational infrastructure and historical performance required to submit a responsive application quickly.

In short, this TEDDY continuation FOA is about protecting a major longitudinal research investment and ensuring the cohort remains intact and productive. By funding the six established Clinical Centers for five more years, NIH aims to maintain participant retention, preserve standardized clinical follow-up, and keep biospecimen collection going so investigators can continue evaluating how infections, diet, and other environmental determinants relate to the emergence of autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes. For reference, the full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants site under the RFA-DK-12-504 listing, and the general technical contact for access and linking issues is the NIH Office of Extramural Research webmaster (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV).

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