Limited Competition: Renewal of Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)(P20) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this grant opportunity?

This is the "Limited Competition: Renewal of Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) (P20)" grant opportunity. It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity administered by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). It supports renewal applications from institutions that already hold an eligible COBRE award and are seeking continued funding to build on progress made during an earlier project period.

Who is the funding agency and institute for this opportunity?

The agency is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH). The administering institute is the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

What is the opportunity number?

The opportunity number is PAR-16-241.

What activity mechanism does this funding use?

The funding mechanism is a P20 activity mechanism, and the award type is described as a discretionary grant.

What program is this opportunity part of?

This opportunity is part of NIH's Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program. The IDeA Program focuses on strengthening biomedical research competitiveness in jurisdictions commonly referred to as IDeA states.

What is the main purpose of the COBRE program?

The core purpose of COBRE is institutional capacity-building. It is designed to strengthen an institution's biomedical research infrastructure by establishing or sustaining a focused, multi-disciplinary research center organized around a coherent scientific theme.

What does COBRE renewal funding aim to accomplish beyond continuing existing projects?

COBRE renewals are intended to demonstrate that the center structure, shared resources, mentoring, and research environment are measurably strengthening the institution and producing investigators who can secure independent, external, peer-reviewed funding (including NIH individual research grants).

Is this a new COBRE award or a renewal opportunity?

This is a renewal opportunity. It supports renewal applications from institutions that already have an eligible COBRE award and are seeking continued support based on progress made during an earlier project period.

What does "limited competition" mean for this announcement?

"Limited competition" means not every institution can apply in practice. Even though a broad range of organization types may appear in the general eligibility list, this announcement is explicitly for renewal of eligible COBRE grants. Practical eligibility is constrained to organizations that already hold a qualifying COBRE award and meet NIH/NIGMS renewal requirements.

What scientific structure is expected of a COBRE center?

The center is expected to be organized around a coherent scientific theme and designed as a focused, multi-disciplinary research center that strengthens biomedical research infrastructure and supports collaboration.

How does this opportunity support investigators?

At the investigator level, COBRE is intended to move researchers toward long-term independence by improving their ability to compete successfully for NIH individual research grants and other forms of external, peer-reviewed research support.

What types of outcomes are emphasized for renewals?

The description emphasizes measurable outcomes tied to institutional strengthening and investigator development, including evidence that the center environment and supports are increasing competitiveness for independent, externally funded biomedical research.

What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is listed as $1,500,000. The provided summary does not specify whether this ceiling is per year or per project period, so applicants typically confirm how the ceiling is applied in the full announcement text.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.859.

What is the posting date and the creation date shown in the record?

The posting and creation dates shown are May 9, 2016.

What closing date is provided for this opportunity?

The closing date listed in the provided record is September 28, 2018. The record indicates that the original and current closing dates match in the provided source.

What organizations are listed as eligible in the summary data?

The summary eligibility list includes a wide range of organization types commonly seen in NIH opportunities, such as public and private institutions of higher education, state and local governments, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and other entities as clarified in the full eligibility section.

Does the broad eligibility list mean any of those organizations can apply?

Not necessarily. While the summary data lists many organization types, this is a limited competition renewal specifically for eligible COBRE awardees. In practice, an organization would need to already hold a qualifying COBRE award and meet renewal requirements to be eligible to apply under this announcement.

What research area does this opportunity fall under?

The opportunity is described as being aligned with a health-related research funding category and focuses on biomedical research infrastructure and competitiveness through a themed, multi-disciplinary center model.

How does this opportunity relate to IDeA states?

The COBRE program sits within the IDeA Program, which aims to broaden participation in biomedical research nationally by improving research competitiveness in jurisdictions that historically receive a smaller proportion of NIH funding (often referred to as IDeA states).

What is the overall "big picture" goal of this renewal opportunity?

The opportunity functions as a continuation and performance-based scaling of a center-building investment. The emphasis is on sustaining a thematic research center that strengthens institutional research capability, supports multi-disciplinary collaboration, and produces measurable investigator development and competitiveness for independent, externally funded biomedical research.