NIAMS Building Interdisciplinary Research Team (BIRT) Revision Awards (U01, U54, P01, P50, and P60) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NIAMS Building Interdisciplinary Research Team (BIRT) Revision Awards opportunity (RFA-AR-09-002) is a limited-competition NIH funding announcement from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). It is designed to add short-term, targeted support to existing NIAMS-funded cooperative agreements and program/center grants so they can form genuinely new interdisciplinary collaborations. The core idea is to help research groups that do not traditionally work together join forces around a shared scientific opportunity within NIAMS mission areas, in ways that are expected to produce advances that would not occur if each group continued working separately. NIAMS explicitly frames this as potentially high-risk work, but also potentially high-impact, and it is meant to jump-start team science that can open new directions rather than simply extend routine ongoing aims.

This FOA uses the NIH "revision" mechanism (what many people previously called an administrative supplement) tied specifically to active NIAMS parent awards in the U01, U54, P01, P50, or P60 activity codes. In practical terms, that means you cannot apply for this funding as a standalone grant; you have to request it as an add-on to an active qualifying NIAMS award. NIAMS ran this solicitation in parallel with a companion FOA of identical scientific scope that used the R01 mechanism (RFA-AR-09-001), but RFA-AR-09-002 is specifically for revisions to existing larger/team-based or cooperative awards.

Scientifically, NIAMS set out particular cross-disciplinary pairings and themes it wanted to pilot under the BIRT concept. The solicitation highlights collaborations spanning areas such as autoimmunity, immunology, systems biology, developmental biology, regenerative medicine, soft tissue biology, tissue engineering, imaging technologies, and consideration of gender and sex factors. The expectation is that applicants will bridge disciplines and toolkits (for example, integrating systems biology approaches with autoimmunity questions, or combining tissue engineering with regenerative medicine and advanced imaging) in a way that materially expands the scope of the parent award rather than duplicating what is already underway.

The support is intentionally modest and time-limited to force focus on building the collaboration and generating early proof-of-concept results. Each revision project can last no more than one year, and direct costs are capped at $100,000. NIAMS also notes that equipment requests will only be considered in exceptional situations, and those require prior approval from NIAMS program leadership, with the equipment request flagged at the letter-of-intent stage. To ensure there is enough runway for the collaboration to take hold, the parent grant must extend far enough beyond the supplement period; specifically, NIAMS required that the parent award not end earlier than January 31, 2011. The research plan itself is also constrained: the application research plan component cannot exceed five pages, reinforcing that this is meant to be a tightly written, sharply justified expansion rather than a full new grant.

In terms of overall funding, NIAMS planned to commit about $1,000,000 in FY 2009 direct costs to support up to 10 total BIRT awards across both the revision FOA (this one) and the parallel R01 FOA. Actual awards were contingent on available funds and on submitting applications judged strong and responsive to the goals of the program.

Eligibility is the key gatekeeper. Only current active NIAMS U01, U54, P01, P50, or P60 grantees can submit under this FOA, making it a limited competition by design. The initiative is aimed at helping an existing NIAMS PD/PI (or, in certain cases, a subproject PI on a multi-component award) bring in independent investigators from other disciplines, whether those collaborators are supported by NIAMS, other NIH Institutes and Centers, or other funding organizations. Subproject PIs on U54/P01/P50/P60 awards may lead the collaborative effort, but the submission must be structured as a multi-PI application and the parent award PD/PI must serve as the Contact PI. If a subproject PI leads the revision request, the parent award PI must also provide a letter agreeing that the revision funds will be used for the proposed collaboration. Multiple PDs/PIs are allowed, and applicants can submit more than one application as long as each submission is scientifically distinct. Importantly, NIAMS makes clear that BIRT funds are not intended to support collaborations that already exist formally within the parent grant or other funded projects; the point is to create new interdisciplinary connections rather than pay again for ongoing teamwork.

Administrative details place this opportunity in the NIH health research assistance ecosystem. The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and the CFDA listing is 93.846 (Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research). There is no cost sharing requirement. The FOA was posted December 3, 2008, with a closing date of February 19, 2009, and it was later archived in March 2009. A wide range of institution types are generally listed as eligible under NIH rules (including higher education, nonprofits, for-profits, small businesses, governments, and certain non-U.S. entities), but this FOA effectively narrows eligibility to entities holding the qualifying active NIAMS parent awards. NIAMS also reiterates standard NIH encouragement for applications involving investigators from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities.

Finally, there are notable limitations on follow-on submissions. Resubmissions are not permitted in response to this FOA, and no competing renewals are allowed under this announcement. In other words, NIAMS intended BIRT revision awards to be a one-time, rapid catalyst for interdisciplinary team formation and early collaborative results, not a multi-cycle funding stream.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Institutes of Health

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health

Next opportunity: Sharing Data and Tools Federation using the BIRN and caBIG Infrastructures (R01)

Previous opportunity: Transition to Teaching Grant Program National/Regional Projects CFDA 84.350C

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for RFA AR 09 002

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA AR 09 002) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA AR 09 002", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.