Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MD 15 013
Apply for RFA MD 15 013
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research Focused on Precision Medicine (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.307 Minority Health and Health Disparities Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2015 and posted on May 20, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 17, 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 $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions 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:
The NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research Focused on Precision Medicine (U54) funding opportunity (RFA-MD-15-013) was a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement program designed to build multi-disciplinary research centers that use precision medicine approaches to advance health equity. The central idea behind the FOA is that precision medicine, which considers differences in genes, environment, and lifestyle, can be leveraged to better understand why certain populations experience worse health outcomes and to develop more effective, more equitable prevention and treatment strategies. Rather than supporting isolated projects, the program emphasizes collaborative, center-based efforts that bring together expertise across fields to tackle complex drivers of health disparities.
A key feature of this opportunity is its focus on transdisciplinary collaboration. Applicants were expected to create Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers (TCCs) that connect researchers across domains such as genomics and pharmacogenomics, clinical research, epidemiology, biostatistics and informatics, behavioral and social sciences, implementation science, and community-engaged research. The intent was to accelerate discoveries and ensure that research findings could move beyond the lab to real-world settings, especially in communities that have historically been underserved or underrepresented in biomedical research.
The FOA highlighted four priority research areas. First, it encouraged the development of new tools and analytic methods that can integrate individual-level patient data with contextual, community-level, or population-level factors that shape health, such as neighborhood conditions, environmental exposures, access to care, socioeconomic stressors, and other social determinants. This reflects an understanding that health disparities rarely stem from biology alone and that precision medicine becomes more powerful and more equitable when it accounts for both personal and contextual influences.
Second, the opportunity prioritized development of pharmacogenomic and other precision medicine tools that can identify biomarkers linked to disease progression and variation in drug response in diverse populations. This focus responds to longstanding gaps in biomedical evidence caused by underrepresentation of many racial and ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged populations in genomic datasets and clinical studies. By emphasizing diversity, the FOA aimed to improve the validity and generalizability of biomarkers and precision approaches, reducing the risk that precision medicine innovations only benefit populations already well represented in research.
Third, the FOA stressed translation, meaning applicants were encouraged not only to discover pharmacogenomic relationships but also to move those discoveries into treatments, clinical decision-making, or practice improvements. This could include developing evidence that supports clinical implementation, creating tools to guide prescribing and dosing, testing whether biomarker-informed strategies improve outcomes in real patient populations, and addressing practical steps needed for adoption in health systems. The translational emphasis is closely tied to the program's health equity goal: discoveries are not enough unless they can be used to reduce disparities in care and outcomes.
Fourth, the program called for research on facilitators and barriers to implementing precision medicine in disadvantaged populations. This is an explicit implementation science and equity-oriented priority, recognizing that even effective innovations can widen disparities if they are difficult to access, too costly, poorly communicated, culturally misaligned, or not trusted due to historical and ongoing inequities. Research under this priority could examine issues like patient and provider trust, health literacy, ethical and privacy concerns, access to genetic testing, clinical workflow integration, reimbursement barriers, and differences in healthcare infrastructure across settings.
Administratively, this FOA used the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH would have substantial involvement in the funded centers compared to a typical grant. The expected scale of the program was relatively focused: about three awards were anticipated, with an estimated total funding amount of $6,000,000 and an award ceiling of $1,500,000 per award. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement listed, reducing a common barrier for institutions seeking to compete for federal research support.
Eligibility included a range of U.S.-based institutions, notably public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, along with other eligible organizations as specified in the announcement. The FOA explicitly mentioned institutions that often play major roles in training and serving populations affected by health disparities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible; however, foreign components as defined by NIH policy were allowed, which can enable certain international collaborations when justified and compliant.
In terms of timing, the announcement was posted on May 20, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 17, 2015, and it was archived on October 18, 2015. The program is associated with CFDA number 93.307 (Minority Health and Health Disparities Research). The full archived announcement and details were provided through the NIH grants guide link included in the source information.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research Focused on Precision Medicine (U54) opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement program from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The opportunity (RFA-MD-15-013) was designed to build multi-disciplinary research centers that use precision medicine approaches to advance health equity and reduce health disparities.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The main goal is to leverage precision medicine (differences in genes, environment, and lifestyle) to better understand why certain populations experience worse health outcomes and to develop more effective and more equitable prevention and treatment strategies.
Is this opportunity intended to fund single research projects or research centers?
It emphasizes collaborative, center-based efforts rather than isolated projects. Applicants were expected to create Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers (TCCs) that bring together multiple disciplines to address complex drivers of health disparities.
What does "precision medicine" mean in the context of this FOA?
Precision medicine refers to approaches that consider differences in genes, environment, and lifestyle. In this FOA, the idea is that combining these factors can improve understanding of health disparities and support strategies that are effective across diverse populations.
What does "transdisciplinary collaboration" mean for applicants?
Applicants were expected to connect researchers across multiple domains and integrate expertise to accelerate discovery and support real-world impact. The FOA specifically highlighted collaboration across areas such as genomics and pharmacogenomics, clinical research, epidemiology, biostatistics and informatics, behavioral and social sciences, implementation science, and community-engaged research.
What kinds of expertise were expected to be included in a Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC)?
The FOA described centers that connect researchers across domains including genomics and pharmacogenomics, clinical research, epidemiology, biostatistics and informatics, behavioral and social sciences, implementation science, and community-engaged research.
What are the priority research areas highlighted by the FOA?
The FOA highlighted four priority research areas: (1) developing tools and analytic methods that integrate individual-level patient data with contextual, community-level, or population-level factors; (2) developing pharmacogenomic and other precision medicine tools and biomarkers in diverse populations; (3) translating discoveries into treatments, clinical decision-making, or practice improvements; and (4) studying facilitators and barriers to implementing precision medicine in disadvantaged populations.
What does the FOA mean by integrating individual-level and community-level or population-level factors?
The FOA encouraged new tools and analytic methods that combine patient-level data with contextual factors that shape health, such as neighborhood conditions, environmental exposures, access to care, socioeconomic stressors, and other social determinants of health.
Why does the FOA emphasize social and contextual determinants of health?
Because the FOA recognizes that health disparities rarely stem from biology alone. Precision medicine is described as more powerful and more equitable when it accounts for both personal factors and contextual influences like environment, access to care, and social determinants.
What is the focus on pharmacogenomics and biomarkers intended to address?
It is intended to identify biomarkers linked to disease progression and variation in drug response in diverse populations, addressing gaps created by the underrepresentation of many racial and ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged populations in genomic datasets and clinical studies.
How does the FOA connect diversity in research participation to health equity?
By emphasizing diverse populations, the FOA aimed to improve the validity and generalizability of biomarkers and precision approaches, reducing the risk that precision medicine innovations primarily benefit populations that are already well represented in research.
What does "translation" mean in this funding opportunity?
Translation refers to moving discoveries beyond identifying relationships (such as pharmacogenomic findings) into practical use, including treatments, clinical decision-making, or practice improvements. The FOA encouraged work that supports clinical implementation and adoption in health systems.
What kinds of translational activities did the FOA encourage?
Examples described include developing evidence to support clinical implementation, creating tools to guide prescribing and dosing, testing whether biomarker-informed strategies improve outcomes in real patient populations, and addressing practical steps needed for adoption in health systems.
Why does the FOA prioritize studying barriers and facilitators to implementation in disadvantaged populations?
The FOA explicitly recognizes that even effective innovations can widen disparities if they are difficult to access, too costly, poorly communicated, culturally misaligned, or not trusted due to historical and ongoing inequities.
What implementation-related topics could be examined under this FOA?
The FOA mentioned topics such as patient and provider trust, health literacy, ethical and privacy concerns, access to genetic testing, clinical workflow integration, reimbursement barriers, and differences in healthcare infrastructure across settings.
What funding mechanism does this FOA use?
It uses the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does a U54 cooperative agreement imply about NIH involvement?
It means NIH would have substantial involvement in the funded centers compared to a typical grant, consistent with the cooperative agreement structure described in the FOA.
How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
About three awards were anticipated.
What was the estimated total program funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount was $6,000,000.
What was the award ceiling per award?
The award ceiling was $1,500,000 per award.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA indicated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Which organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility included U.S.-based institutions such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, along with other eligible organizations as specified in the announcement.
Did the FOA explicitly mention certain institution types as part of the eligible landscape?
Yes. It explicitly mentioned Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.
Were foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions were not eligible to apply.
Were non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible under the FOA.
Were any international collaborations allowed under this opportunity?
Yes, foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were allowed, which can support certain international collaborations when justified and compliant.
When was the announcement posted and when did it close?
The announcement was posted on May 20, 2015. The original and current closing date was September 17, 2015.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. It was archived on October 18, 2015.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The program is associated with CFDA number 93.307 (Minority Health and Health Disparities Research).
What is the identifier for this specific FOA?
The FOA identifier is RFA-MD-15-013.
What is the overall emphasis of the program beyond discovery?
The FOA emphasized ensuring research findings can move beyond the lab to real-world settings, particularly in communities that have historically been underserved or underrepresented in biomedical research.
How does this opportunity define the relationship between precision medicine and health disparities?
It frames precision medicine as a way to understand and address disparities by combining biological information with environmental and lifestyle factors, while also emphasizing implementation, access, and trust so that resulting innovations support health equity.
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