Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 14 016
Apply for RFA RM 14 016
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 26, 2014 and posted on Sep 25, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 16, 2014. (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.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: County governments Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Small businesses City or township governments Independent school districts For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity RFA-RM-14-016, titled "Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) (U54)," is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund initiative designed to create a centralized center that can rapidly test whether gene variants found in people with mysterious, unsolved conditions are actually disease-causing and what those variants do biologically. The core idea is to bridge the gap between DNA sequencing results and real clinical answers by using experimental systems where gene function can be tested quickly and in a way that mirrors patient symptoms as closely as possible. The center is expected to evaluate around 200 gene variants each year coming from the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, which is a national effort focused on diagnosing patients who have not received answers through standard clinical and genetic approaches.
The funded center is expected to operate as a screening platform, meaning it should have an organized, repeatable pipeline for taking in candidate variants from the UDN, prioritizing them, generating corresponding models or assays, and producing interpretable evidence about pathogenicity and function. At minimum, applications must include both Drosophila (fruit fly) and zebrafish as model organisms, reflecting NIH's emphasis on using complementary small-animal systems that are well-suited for fast genetics, developmental biology, and phenotype screening. The announcement also allows (and implicitly encourages, where scientifically justified) the inclusion of other small animal models or cell-based assays to strengthen conclusions, increase throughput, or better match particular disease phenotypes. The center's work is meant to be connected directly to real UDN cases, so the functional studies should be designed in the context of the patients' observed clinical features rather than being purely exploratory basic research.
This FOA uses a U54 cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally signals that NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement and coordination, not just standard grant reporting. In practice, that typically means the awardee would need to work closely with NIH and the broader UDN consortium on workflow design, variant triage, data sharing, and meeting network needs on timelines that support clinical interpretation. The activity area is health research, and the project is framed as cross-cutting and high-impact, consistent with the NIH Common Fund's role in supporting programs intended to accelerate progress across many disease areas rather than focusing on one condition or organ system.
Funding details in the announcement indicate that NIH anticipated making a single award ("ExpectedAwards: 1"), with an award ceiling of $1,000,000. No cost sharing or matching is required. The opportunity was posted September 25, 2014, with a closing date of December 16, 2014, and it was later archived January 16, 2015, meaning it was a time-limited competition and is no longer open under that posting.
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations: public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and a wide range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, and certain school districts), as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations. The eligibility language also called out several institution types and community-based entities as eligible (for example, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and faith-based or community-based organizations), and it allowed eligible agencies of the federal government and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excluded non-U.S. entities and foreign components: non-domestic organizations were not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed, reinforcing that the center was intended to be built and operated within the United States.
Administratively, the sponsoring agency is NIH, and the program is listed under CFDA number 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support), aligning with the Common Fund's trans-NIH structure. The announcement provides a link to the full FOA on the NIH Grants Guide and notes that technical issues accessing the announcement should be directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as funding a single, high-throughput, highly collaborative functional genomics center that can turn candidate variants from unsolved clinical cases into experimentally supported insights, using a standardized pipeline anchored in fly and zebrafish models and tailored to the diagnostic goals of the UDN.
FAQs: RFA-RM-14-016 - Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) (U54)
What is RFA-RM-14-016?
RFA-RM-14-016 is an NIH Common Fund grant opportunity titled "Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) (U54)." It supports the creation of a centralized screening center that can test whether gene variants identified in people with unsolved conditions are disease-causing and clarify what those variants do biologically.
What problem is this grant trying to solve?
The opportunity is meant to bridge the gap between DNA sequencing results and real clinical answers. Many patients in the UDN have candidate gene variants, but it is not always clear whether a variant causes disease or how it relates to the patient's symptoms. This center is intended to generate functional evidence that can support clinical interpretation.
What is the overall goal of the funded center?
The goal is to build and operate a centralized, high-throughput screening platform that can rapidly evaluate candidate variants from UDN cases and produce interpretable evidence about pathogenicity (whether a variant is disease-causing) and biological function.
How many variants is the center expected to evaluate each year?
The center is expected to evaluate around 200 gene variants per year originating from the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN).
What is meant by a "screening platform" in this FOA?
In this announcement, a screening platform means the center should have an organized, repeatable pipeline for: receiving candidate variants from the UDN, prioritizing them, generating corresponding models or assays, and delivering results that can be interpreted for pathogenicity and function.
Which model organisms are required?
Applications must include both Drosophila (fruit fly) and zebrafish as model organisms. This reflects NIH's emphasis on complementary small-animal systems that support fast genetics, developmental biology, and phenotype screening.
Can applicants include other model systems besides fruit fly and zebrafish?
Yes. The FOA allows (and implicitly encourages when scientifically justified) adding other small animal models or cell-based assays to strengthen conclusions, increase throughput, or better match particular disease phenotypes.
Are the studies supposed to be basic research or case-driven?
The center's work is intended to be connected directly to real UDN cases. Functional studies should be designed in the context of patients' observed clinical features, rather than being purely exploratory basic research.
What is the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) and how does it relate to this center?
The UDN is a national effort focused on diagnosing patients who have not received answers through standard clinical and genetic approaches. This center is expected to receive candidate variants from UDN cases and provide functional evidence to help move those cases toward diagnosis and biological understanding.
What funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This FOA uses a U54 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does a U54 cooperative agreement imply about NIH involvement?
A U54 cooperative agreement generally signals substantial programmatic involvement and coordination by NIH. Based on the description in this opportunity, the awardee would be expected to work closely with NIH and the broader UDN consortium on workflow design, variant triage, data sharing, and meeting network needs on timelines that support clinical interpretation.
How many awards did NIH expect to make under this FOA?
NIH anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).
What is the maximum award amount mentioned in the announcement?
The announcement indicates an award ceiling of $1,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states that no cost sharing or matching is required.
What is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and it is described as an NIH Common Fund initiative.
What is the activity area for this opportunity?
The activity area is health research, framed as cross-cutting and high-impact, consistent with the NIH Common Fund's role in accelerating progress across many disease areas.
Which CFDA number is associated with this program?
The program is listed under CFDA 93.310 (Trans-NIH Research Support).
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on September 25, 2014, and the closing date was December 16, 2014.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. It was archived on January 16, 2015, indicating that it was a time-limited competition and is no longer open under that posting.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and a range of government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, and certain school districts), as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations. Eligible agencies of the federal government and U.S. territories or possessions were also allowed.
Were specific institution types explicitly included as eligible?
Yes. The eligibility language explicitly called out institution types and community-based entities such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and faith-based or community-based organizations as eligible.
Are non-U.S. entities or foreign components allowed to apply?
No. The announcement excluded non-U.S. entities and foreign components. Non-domestic organizations were not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations were not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed.
What kinds of outputs or results is the center expected to produce?
The center is expected to produce interpretable evidence about variant pathogenicity and biological function, generated through a standardized pipeline and anchored in functional testing that mirrors patient symptoms as closely as possible.
How is throughput and speed emphasized in this FOA?
The center is described as needing to "rapidly" test variants and to function as an organized, repeatable screening platform. The use of Drosophila and zebrafish is emphasized because these systems are well-suited for fast genetics and phenotype screening.
Where is the full FOA posted?
The announcement references the NIH Grants Guide as the location of the full FOA.
Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the announcement?
Technical issues accessing the announcement should be directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster, as noted in the opportunity description.
What is the simplest way to describe this opportunity in one sentence?
It funds a single, centralized, highly collaborative functional genomics screening center that uses fly and zebrafish models (and optionally other systems) to turn candidate variants from unsolved UDN clinical cases into experimentally supported insights on disease causality and mechanism.
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