Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 15 012
Apply for RFA ES 15 012
- The National Institutes of Health in the environment health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Nanomaterials Health Implications Research (NHIR) Engineered Nanomaterials Resource and Coordination Core (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 9, 2015 and posted on Jul 9, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) 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 allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
This opportunity, titled "Nanomaterials Health Implications Research (NHIR) Engineered Nanomaterials Resource and Coordination Core (U24)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-ES-15-012), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement meant to stand up a central resource and coordination hub for the broader NHIR research effort. The core idea is to create one dedicated Engineered Nanomaterials Resource and Coordination Core (ERCC) that can reliably supply the NHIR consortium with engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that are consistently prepared and thoroughly characterized, so the consortium's biological and health-related studies are comparable across multiple research sites and projects.
The ERCC is expected to serve the NHIR consortium of U01 research projects being solicited under a companion announcement (RFA-ES-15-013). Those U01 projects collectively aim to generate biological response profiles for a carefully selected set of engineered nanomaterials that reflect real-world nanotechnology applications. In practical terms, the ERCC functions as the backbone that makes a multi-project consortium workable: instead of each lab sourcing or making its own nanomaterials with potentially different properties, the ERCC provides standardized materials and standardized characterization so downstream toxicology, exposure, and mechanistic studies can be interpreted side-by-side.
The scope of work for the ERCC is both technical and organizational. On the technical side, the ERCC must procure and/or synthesize the selected ENMs, then perform comprehensive physicochemical characterization. While the FOA summary does not list every assay, the intent is clear: the materials need to be "well characterized" in a way that supports reproducibility and cross-study comparisons, which typically means documenting key attributes that influence biological activity (for example, particle size distribution, morphology, surface area, composition, surface chemistry or functionalization, agglomeration behavior, purity/contaminants, and stability in relevant media). After characterization, the ERCC distributes these ENMs to the funded U01 research teams in the NHIR consortium, implying responsibilities such as packaging, chain-of-custody documentation, quality control/quality assurance, and maintaining consistency from batch to batch so consortium results do not get confounded by material variability.
On the coordination side, the ERCC is responsible for organizing and supporting collaborative activities across the consortium, including planning and running annual consortium meetings. This part of the mission recognizes that a consortium does not succeed on materials alone; it also needs active management of shared timelines, common practices, communication channels, and group decision-making around issues like material selection, prioritization, data harmonization, and troubleshooting. Because the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U24), NIH is signaling substantial programmatic involvement, meaning the funded ERCC will typically work closely with NIH staff on priorities and coordination expectations rather than operating as a completely independent investigator-initiated project.
The funding profile reflects a single, centralized award. NIH anticipated making 1 award, with an estimated total funding amount of $800,000 and an award ceiling of $500,000 (as listed in the opportunity data). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The activity category is Environmental Health, under CFDA number 93.113 (Environmental Health), aligning the program with health implications and risk-relevant research rather than purely materials engineering.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations that can credibly run a resource core, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the specified limitation), and additional institution types specifically noted such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and AANAPISIs. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, though foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which typically means certain discrete foreign collaborations may be permitted when justified and compliant with NIH policy.
Key dates in the posting indicate the FOA was posted July 9, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 30, 2015, and an archive date of October 31, 2015, meaning it is a historical opportunity rather than an open one today. The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants guide site (link provided in the source), and the general NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact information is included for access or technical issues.
In short, this FOA was designed to fund one national-level core that would (1) supply standardized, rigorously characterized engineered nanomaterials to a set of NHIR consortium research projects and (2) actively coordinate consortium-wide collaboration, with the goal of producing coherent, comparable biological response profiles across a representative landscape of engineered nanomaterials used in modern nanotechnology applications.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity is titled "Nanomaterials Health Implications Research (NHIR) Engineered Nanomaterials Resource and Coordination Core (U24)" and has Funding Opportunity Number (FON) RFA-ES-15-012. It is an NIH cooperative agreement intended to establish a single, central resource and coordination hub for the broader NHIR research effort.
What is the main purpose of the Engineered Nanomaterials Resource and Coordination Core (ERCC)?
The ERCC is meant to serve as the backbone of the NHIR consortium by reliably supplying engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that are consistently prepared and thoroughly characterized. This standardization supports comparability and reproducibility across multiple research sites and projects conducting biological and health-related studies.
How does the ERCC support the broader NHIR consortium?
The ERCC supports the NHIR consortium of U01 research projects solicited under a companion announcement (RFA-ES-15-013). By providing standardized ENMs and standardized characterization, the ERCC enables consortium studies to be interpreted side-by-side rather than being confounded by differences in how materials were sourced or prepared at different labs.
What companion funding opportunity is associated with this U24 ERCC award?
The ERCC is expected to serve U01 research projects being solicited under a companion announcement: RFA-ES-15-013.
What do the companion U01 projects aim to do?
The U01 projects collectively aim to generate biological response profiles for a carefully selected set of engineered nanomaterials that reflect real-world nanotechnology applications.
What kinds of activities are included in the ERCC scope of work?
The ERCC scope includes both technical and organizational responsibilities: procuring and/or synthesizing selected ENMs; performing comprehensive physicochemical characterization; distributing ENMs to the funded U01 research teams; and coordinating consortium-wide collaborative activities such as annual consortium meetings and support for shared practices and communication.
What is meant by providing "standardized" engineered nanomaterials?
Standardized ENMs means the consortium receives materials that are consistently prepared and well characterized so that research results across sites are comparable. The intent is to avoid variability that can occur when each lab independently sources or produces nanomaterials with potentially different properties.
What types of characterization are expected for the engineered nanomaterials?
While the summary does not list every assay, the expectation is comprehensive physicochemical characterization sufficient to support reproducibility and cross-study comparisons. Examples of key attributes typically relevant to biological activity include particle size distribution, morphology, surface area, composition, surface chemistry or functionalization, agglomeration behavior, purity/contaminants, and stability in relevant media.
Does the ERCC only purchase nanomaterials, or can it also synthesize them?
The ERCC is expected to procure and/or synthesize the selected engineered nanomaterials.
What responsibilities are implied by distributing ENMs to consortium sites?
Distribution implies responsibilities such as packaging, chain-of-custody documentation, quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA), and maintaining consistency from batch to batch so consortium results are not confounded by material variability.
Why is batch-to-batch consistency important in this program?
Batch-to-batch consistency helps ensure that differences in biological or health-related findings across consortium studies are due to real experimental factors rather than unintended differences in the nanomaterials themselves.
What coordination duties does the ERCC have beyond supplying materials?
The ERCC is responsible for organizing and supporting collaborative activities across the consortium, including planning and running annual consortium meetings. It also supports shared timelines, common practices, communication channels, and group decision-making on topics like material selection, prioritization, data harmonization, and troubleshooting.
What does it mean that this award uses the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism?
As a cooperative agreement (U24), this mechanism signals substantial NIH programmatic involvement. The funded ERCC would typically work closely with NIH staff on priorities and coordination expectations rather than operating as a fully independent, investigator-initiated project.
How many awards did NIH anticipate making under this opportunity?
NIH anticipated making one (1) award, reflecting the intent to create a single, centralized national-level core.
What is the estimated funding amount and award ceiling listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity data lists an estimated total funding amount of $800,000 and an award ceiling of $500,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the activity category and CFDA number?
The activity category is Environmental Health. The CFDA number is 93.113 (Environmental Health).
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations capable of operating a resource core, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the specified limitation). The opportunity also notes institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and AANAPISIs.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) institutions eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
Are foreign components allowed in any form?
Yes, foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. This typically means discrete foreign collaborations may be permitted when justified and compliant with NIH policy.
When was the FOA posted, and what were the closing and archive dates?
The FOA was posted on July 9, 2015. The original and current closing date was September 30, 2015. The archive date was October 31, 2015.
Is this a currently open funding opportunity?
No. Based on the listed close date (September 30, 2015) and archive date (October 31, 2015), this is a historical opportunity rather than an open one today.
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants guide website (link referenced in the source information).
Who is listed as a contact for access or technical issues?
The NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster contact information is included for access or technical issues.
What is the overall goal of funding a single ERCC?
The goal is to fund one national-level core that (1) supplies standardized, rigorously characterized engineered nanomaterials to NHIR consortium research projects and (2) actively coordinates consortium-wide collaboration so the consortium can produce coherent, comparable biological response profiles across a representative set of engineered nanomaterials used in real-world applications.
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