Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (Limited Competition U42) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRC) Limited Competition U42 opportunity?

This funding opportunity (RFA RR 09 003) is an NIH announcement issued through the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to continue and strengthen the Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Centers (MMRRC) program. Its purpose is to support a nationwide resource that preserves, documents, and distributes valuable mutant mouse strains so they remain available and easy to access for biomedical research.

What problem is this program designed to solve?

Many research labs develop important genetically altered mouse lines (for example, transgenic and knockout strains). Without an organized system to preserve and distribute these models, they can be lost, duplicated unnecessarily, or become difficult for other scientists to obtain. The MMRRC program exists to prevent loss and improve broad usability of these mouse models.

What is the overall objective of the opportunity?

The objective is to ensure the continued availability, long-term preservation, quality control, documentation, and distribution of mutant mouse models to qualified U.S. biomedical researchers, while also advancing technologies and practices that make the system more effective.

Which agency and NIH center are associated with this announcement?

The announcement is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity issued through the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

How is the MMRRC system structured under this program?

The program supports a coordinated regional network of three mouse repositories operating together as a consortium. The intent is a standardized, aligned system rather than separate independent mouse banks.

How many awards are anticipated?

The opportunity anticipates three awards, consistent with the three-center network structure described for the MMRRC consortium.

What does each MMRRC center do as part of the consortium?

Each center is responsible for receiving mouse lines from assigned donating investigators, verifying and evaluating donated materials, characterizing strains as needed, preserving them long-term via cryopreservation, and using the cryopreserved inventory to rederive and distribute lines to investigators who request them.

What types of biological materials may be cryopreserved?

The cryopreserved inventory can include sperm, embryos, and related biological materials used for efficient rederivation and distribution.

Who are the intended users of the preserved and distributed mouse lines?

The program is intended to make mutant mouse models broadly usable by qualified investigators across the United States who request them for biomedical research.

Why does the announcement emphasize standard operating procedures (SOPs)?

The three centers are expected to work under mutually agreed SOPs so that quality, consistency, and service expectations are aligned across the network. This standardization supports reliable preservation, quality control, and distribution across the consortium.

Does the opportunity include research activities beyond repository operations?

Yes. Each MMRRC center principal investigator is required to pursue a high-risk, high-return research pilot project that complements consortium needs and advances mouse resource management.

What kinds of pilot project topics are mentioned as examples?

Example topics include mouse cloning, improved or novel germplasm preservation methods, health monitoring approaches that may include biosensors, and assisted reproductive technologies.

What is the intent of requiring a high-risk, high-return pilot project?

The intent is to keep the resource program innovative by enabling centers to address technical bottlenecks affecting preservation quality, biosecurity, rederivation efficiency, or distribution speed, rather than only maintaining existing operations.

What funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?

The opportunity uses the U42 cooperative agreement mechanism.

What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (U42) rather than a standard grant?

The announcement indicates that a U42 cooperative agreement generally involves substantial NIH program involvement and coordination compared with a standard grant.

Is this an open competition?

No. This is a limited competition.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is restricted to institutions that have previously been funded as an MMRRC. The opportunity notes eligibility includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, with the critical limitation that applicants must be prior MMRRC awardees.

Are new MMRRC centers being created through this funding opportunity?

No. The eligibility restriction (prior MMRRC awardees only) reflects that the program is intended to continue supporting established centers rather than create new ones.

Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?

No. The posted opportunity indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What is the estimated total funding amount listed for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding amount listed is $300,000.

How is the opportunity categorized?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with a health and education activity category.

What are the key dates for the announcement?

The opportunity was posted on November 21, 2008. It had an original closing date of March 3, 2009, which was later updated to a current closing date of March 18, 2009. The archive date is April 18, 2009.

What is the CFDA number associated with the announcement?

The CFDA number listed is 93.389 (National Center for Research Resources).

What does the MMRRC program help prevent in the research community?

It helps prevent valuable mutant mouse strains from being lost, reduces unnecessary duplication of effort across laboratories, and avoids situations where important models become difficult for other researchers to obtain.

How does cryopreservation support distribution and long-term availability?

Cryopreservation enables long-term storage of key materials (such as sperm and embryos) and supports efficient rederivation, allowing the centers to distribute lines more effectively to requesting investigators.

What does it mean that centers receive mouse lines from “assigned donating investigators”?

Within the consortium structure, each center takes responsibility for receiving mouse lines from specific donating investigators assigned to that center, then performing evaluation, characterization (as needed), preservation, and distribution functions for those lines.