Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 15 021
Apply for RFA DK 15 021
- The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDDK Cooperative Hematology Specialized Core Centers (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 18, 2015 and posted on Aug 18, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 12, 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 $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Small businesses Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) State governments Private institutions of higher education City or township governments Independent school districts Special district governments 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) 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) 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 eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIDDK Cooperative Hematology Specialized Core Centers (U54) funding opportunity (RFA-DK-15-021) was a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement designed to build and operate multidisciplinary “core center” hubs focused on nonmalignant hematologic diseases. The central idea is to strengthen the national research effort by making it easier for investigators to share specialized resources, standardize advanced methods, and collaborate across institutions. Rather than funding a single research project, the program supports a coordinated center structure that can reliably provide services, expertise, and infrastructure that many investigators can use, especially when the work involves complex assays, specialized equipment, or hard-to-produce reagents.
A key goal of the program is efficiency and cost effectiveness. The announcement emphasizes that certain needs in nonmalignant hematology, such as preparing critical reagents, maintaining state-of-the-art shared equipment, and performing multi-step molecular biology workflows, are often too expensive or too technically demanding for individual labs to sustain alone. By concentrating these activities in specialized cores that serve multiple users, each funded center is expected to reduce duplication, improve quality control, and accelerate the pace of discovery. Collectively, the centers are intended to function not only as local institutional resources but as a broader national resource for the nonmalignant hematology research community.
Structurally, each U54 center application was required to include at least three distinct Cores, plus two additional program elements: a Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) program and an Enrichment program. The cores are the operational backbone, typically providing high-value shared services such as sophisticated laboratory assays, biostatistics and data support, specimen processing, technology development, or other specialized capabilities relevant to hematologic disease research. The Pilot and Feasibility program is meant to seed new ideas by providing smaller-scale support for early-stage projects, often helping investigators generate the preliminary data needed for future independent grants. The Enrichment program is intended to strengthen the field by supporting career development and community-building activities, with an emphasis on helping scientists who are early in their careers enter and thrive in nonmalignant hematology research.
Because this is a cooperative agreement (U54) rather than a standard grant mechanism, awardees were expected to work closely with NIDDK. The FOA highlights active cooperation to facilitate research collaborations and interactions within and among the funded centers and with the larger research community. In practice, that means centers would not operate as isolated facilities; instead, they would coordinate, share best practices, and contribute to a consortium-style effort aligned with NIDDK program priorities.
In terms of funding and scale, the FOA anticipated making about two awards, with an estimated total funding amount of approximately $2,000,000 and an award ceiling of $650,000. Cost sharing or matching was not required. The opportunity was posted on August 18, 2015, with an original and current closing date of November 12, 2015, and it was archived on December 13, 2015.
Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations, spanning public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as eligible tribal governments and housing authorities. The FOA also explicitly included a range of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISIs, along with faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions where applicable. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) were not eligible to apply, although non-domestic components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components as defined by NIH policy were allowed.
Overall, this opportunity was aimed at building cooperative, service-and-collaboration driven hematology centers that could raise the technical ceiling for the entire field of nonmalignant blood disease research. By requiring multiple shared cores, a pilot mechanism, and an enrichment component, the FOA tried to balance immediate research support (through high-end shared infrastructure) with longer-term field development (through new pilot projects and workforce/career enrichment), all within an NIDDK-coordinated consortium model.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NIDDK Cooperative Hematology Specialized Core Centers (U54) opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement run by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to build and operate multidisciplinary "core center" hubs focused on nonmalignant hematologic (blood) diseases. The intent is to strengthen national research capacity by supporting shared resources, standardized methods, and collaboration across institutions.
What is the goal of this program?
The program aims to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness in nonmalignant hematology research by concentrating expensive, technically demanding capabilities into specialized shared cores. This model is designed to reduce duplication, improve quality control, and speed scientific progress by making high-end services and infrastructure broadly available to multiple investigators.
Is this funding for a single research project?
No. The program is designed to fund a coordinated center structure rather than a single stand-alone research project. Centers are expected to provide services, expertise, and infrastructure that many investigators can use, especially for complex assays, specialized equipment, multi-step workflows, or hard-to-produce reagents.
What kinds of research areas does it focus on?
The focus is on nonmalignant hematologic diseases (non-cancerous blood disorders). The center model is meant to support the broader nonmalignant hematology research community through shared capabilities and cross-institution collaboration.
What makes this a "cooperative agreement" (U54) instead of a standard grant?
As a U54 cooperative agreement, awardees are expected to work closely with NIDDK, with active cooperation to facilitate collaborations and interactions within and among funded centers and with the larger research community. Centers are intended to operate in a coordinated, consortium-style model aligned with NIDDK program priorities.
What is the role of the "core center" structure?
The core center structure is the operational backbone of each funded center. It is intended to centralize specialized resources and services so that multiple users can access capabilities that are often too expensive or technically challenging for individual laboratories to sustain independently.
How many Cores were required in each U54 center application?
Each application was required to include at least three distinct Cores.
What additional program elements were required besides the Cores?
In addition to at least three Cores, each application was required to include two program elements: (1) a Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) program and (2) an Enrichment program.
What is a Pilot and Feasibility (P and F) program in this FOA?
The Pilot and Feasibility program is intended to seed new ideas by providing smaller-scale support for early-stage projects. A common purpose is to help investigators generate preliminary data that can support future independent grant applications.
What is the Enrichment program in this FOA?
The Enrichment program is intended to strengthen the field through career development and community-building activities, with an emphasis on helping early-career scientists enter and thrive in nonmalignant hematology research.
What types of services might the Cores provide?
The FOA describes cores as high-value shared services that can include sophisticated laboratory assays, biostatistics and data support, specimen processing, technology development, and other specialized capabilities relevant to hematologic disease research.
Why does the FOA emphasize shared cores and standardization?
The FOA highlights that key needs in nonmalignant hematology (such as preparing critical reagents, maintaining state-of-the-art shared equipment, and performing complex molecular biology workflows) can be too costly or technically demanding for single labs. Shared cores are expected to standardize advanced methods, strengthen quality control, and make specialized resources more widely accessible.
Are funded centers expected to serve only their home institution?
No. While centers may function as local institutional resources, the FOA also frames them as broader national resources for the nonmalignant hematology research community.
How many awards were anticipated?
The FOA anticipated making about two awards.
What was the estimated total funding amount for the opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount was approximately $2,000,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was $650,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. Cost sharing or matching was not required.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on August 18, 2015. The original and current closing date was November 12, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. It was archived on December 13, 2015.
What is the FOA number for this opportunity?
The FOA number is RFA-DK-15-021.
Which agency and institute offered this funding opportunity?
This was an NIH opportunity offered through NIDDK (the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants included public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as eligible tribal governments and housing authorities.
Did the FOA mention eligibility for specific institution types (such as MSIs)?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISIs. It also included faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions where applicable.
Were foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) were not eligible to apply.
Could foreign or non-domestic components participate in any way?
Yes. The FOA stated that non-domestic components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed.
What kind of collaboration was expected among funded centers?
The FOA emphasizes active cooperation to facilitate collaborations and interactions within and among the funded centers and with the larger research community. Centers were expected to coordinate, share best practices, and contribute to a consortium-style effort.
What problem is the program trying to solve for investigators?
It is designed to remove practical barriers to high-end research by making specialized resources easier to access. By centralizing complex assays, specialized equipment, and difficult-to-produce reagents in shared cores, investigators can avoid duplicating expensive infrastructure and can rely on standardized, high-quality services.
What is the main "value proposition" of a U54 hematology core center under this FOA?
The main value is a reliable, coordinated hub that provides shared services and infrastructure to multiple investigators, supports new pilot projects, builds the research workforce through enrichment activities, and operates with close coordination with NIDDK and other centers to expand impact beyond a single institution.
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