Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 16 002
Apply for RFA NS 16 002
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research (P50)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 1, 2015 and posted on Jul 1, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 15, 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 $1,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) State governments City or township governments Special district governments County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Independent school districts Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private 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 not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research (P50) funding opportunity (RFA-NS-16-002) is an NIH center grant program designed to build and sustain a connected network of high-impact Parkinsons disease (PD) research centers. The central purpose is twofold: first, to support centers that can work collaboratively across the national Udall network while also pursuing independent, cutting-edge work at their home institutions; and second, to accelerate discoveries that clarify the causes of PD and lead to better treatments. Each Udall Center is expected to operate as a national leader in PD research, bringing together multiple disciplines in a coordinated way so the combined output is stronger than what individual labs or standalone projects could accomplish.
A key feature of this FOA is the expectation that every application is organized around a clearly defined, overarching research theme that represents a critical challenge in PD research. The theme is not meant to be a broad mission statement like "understanding PD," but rather a focused scientific problem that benefits from multiple, interlocking projects and shared scientific infrastructure. The research supported by the Center must inform PD etiology, pathogenesis, or treatment. Studies of related synucleinopathies can be included, but only when they directly help answer the PD-focused challenge the Center has identified. In other words, the work must stay anchored in Parkinsons disease, even if some experiments draw from closely related disorders to strengthen the science.
Structurally, the FOA lays out several concrete requirements that define what an Udall Center must include. The Center must propose at least three distinct research projects. In addition, it must include shared research cores that provide essential services, expertise, or resources. Each proposed core must be demonstrably necessary to accomplish the aims of at least two of the research projects, reinforcing the idea that the Center is built on meaningful integration rather than a loose collection of independent efforts. Alongside the scientific cores, an Administrative Core is required to manage operations, coordination, and overall stewardship of the Center, which is especially important given the expectation that centers will collaborate across the larger Udall network.
Beyond the research itself, the program requires centers to function as engines for both workforce development and community engagement. Applicants must provide a mission statement and a concrete career enhancement plan aimed at supporting and developing Center researchers. This typically implies intentional activities such as mentoring structures, training opportunities, seminar series, support for early-stage investigators, and mechanisms that encourage cross-disciplinary growth within the Center. The FOA also requires a plan for outreach to the local PD patient and advocacy community, reflecting NIHs expectation that Udall Centers serve as local hubs of information exchange, engagement, and connection, not only as research units. Outreach is framed as periodic and organized, emphasizing genuine interaction with the community rather than symbolic or occasional communication.
Review and funding priorities emphasize innovation, integration, and synergy. NINDS is explicit that successful applications must show a considerable degree of synergy among the projects and cores, to the point where the work could not be completed in the same way without the P50 Center structure. That means reviewers are looking for shared hypotheses, complementary methods, coordinated experimental pipelines, shared datasets or resources, and intentional interdependencies across projects, not simply shared disease interest. Funding decisions are also shaped by the likelihood that the proposed Center will make significant contributions to PD research and by the Centers ability and readiness to collaborate effectively across the national Udall Centers program, reinforcing the networked nature of the initiative.
Leadership and institutional commitment are treated as central to feasibility. The Udall Center Director (the PD/PI) is expected to be an established scientific leader with visionary leadership skills and demonstrated experience managing large-scale research programs. This is more than a scientific qualification; it is a management and coordination expectation, given the complexity of multi-project centers with multiple cores and required outreach and career development components. Institutions applying must also show commitment and support for establishing and/or continuing the Center, signaling that NINDS expects tangible institutional backing rather than a grant operating in isolation.
In terms of administrative details from the posted opportunity record, this was a discretionary NIH grant in the health category with an expected number of awards listed as 1 and an estimated total funding amount of $1,500,000, under CFDA 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders). The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching. The posting date and creation date were July 1, 2015, with an original and current closing date of December 15, 2015, and an archive date of January 15, 2016, indicating this specific FOA is no longer open. Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based organization types, including various levels of government, higher education institutions (public and private), nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) categories), and for-profit entities other than small businesses as well as small businesses. The eligibility description also included a range of mission- or population-focused institution categories (such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, and others). Foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible to apply, although foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement were allowed.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as support for a highly coordinated PD research center: a minimum three-project, core-supported program with strong internal integration, clear leadership, active researcher development, and real outreach to the PD community, all positioned to contribute meaningfully to both local progress and a larger national network of Parkinsons research excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research (P50)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH NINDS center grant program (P50) called the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research (RFA-NS-16-002). It is designed to build and sustain a connected national network of high-impact Parkinsons disease (PD) research centers.
2) What is the main purpose of the Udall Center program?
The program has two central goals: (1) support centers that can collaborate across the national Udall network while also doing independent, cutting-edge work at their home institutions, and (2) accelerate discoveries that clarify the causes of PD and lead to better treatments.
3) What is meant by a "connected network" of centers?
The FOA emphasizes that Udall Centers are expected to collaborate effectively across the broader national Udall Centers program. This is not framed as a standalone local center effort; it is intended to contribute to and benefit from a wider PD research network.
4) Is each center expected to be a leader in Parkinsons research?
Yes. Each Udall Center is expected to operate as a national leader in PD research by coordinating multiple disciplines so that the combined output is stronger than what individual labs or standalone projects could achieve.
5) Does an application need an overarching scientific theme?
Yes. Every application is expected to be organized around a clearly defined, overarching research theme that represents a critical challenge in PD research.
6) How focused does the research theme need to be?
The theme is expected to be a focused scientific problem, not a broad mission statement (for example, not simply "understanding PD"). The theme should be something that benefits from multiple interlocking projects and shared infrastructure.
7) What kinds of research topics are within scope?
The research supported by the Center must inform Parkinsons disease etiology, pathogenesis, or treatment, and it should remain anchored in PD.
8) Can the Center include studies of related disorders (such as other synucleinopathies)?
Yes, studies of related synucleinopathies can be included, but only when they directly help answer the PD-focused challenge the Center has identified. The work must stay centered on Parkinsons disease.
9) How many research projects are required in an Udall Center application?
The FOA requires at least three distinct research projects.
10) Are shared research cores required?
Yes. The Center must include shared research cores that provide essential services, expertise, or resources for the research projects.
11) What is the requirement for how cores support projects?
Each proposed core must be demonstrably necessary to accomplish the aims of at least two research projects. This reinforces the expectation of meaningful integration rather than a collection of independent efforts.
12) Is an Administrative Core required?
Yes. An Administrative Core is required to manage operations, coordination, and overall stewardship of the Center, especially given the cross-center collaboration expectations.
13) Beyond research, what workforce or career development elements are required?
Applicants must provide a mission statement and a concrete career enhancement plan aimed at supporting and developing Center researchers. The FOA indicates this typically involves intentional activities such as mentoring structures, training opportunities, seminar series, support for early-stage investigators, and mechanisms that promote cross-disciplinary growth within the Center.
14) Is community outreach required?
Yes. The FOA requires a plan for outreach to the local PD patient and advocacy community. Udall Centers are expected to serve as local hubs of information exchange and engagement, not only research units.
15) What does "outreach" mean in this FOA?
Outreach is described as periodic and organized, emphasizing genuine interaction with the community rather than symbolic or occasional communication.
16) What do reviewers and NINDS prioritize in these applications?
Review and funding priorities emphasize innovation, integration, and synergy. Successful applications are expected to show a considerable degree of synergy among projects and cores, and a strong likelihood of making significant contributions to PD research.
17) What does "synergy" mean in the context of this center grant?
Synergy means the work is intentionally interdependent and would not be completed in the same way without the P50 Center structure. Reviewers are looking for shared hypotheses, complementary methods, coordinated experimental pipelines, shared datasets or resources, and clear interconnections across projects and cores.
18) How important is the Centers ability to collaborate across the national Udall network?
It is a stated factor in funding decisions. The FOA reinforces that Centers should be ready and able to collaborate effectively across the national Udall Centers program.
19) Who is expected to lead the Udall Center?
The Udall Center Director (PD/PI) is expected to be an established scientific leader with visionary leadership skills and demonstrated experience managing large-scale research programs.
20) Why is leadership experience emphasized so strongly?
The Center structure is complex (multiple projects, multiple cores, required administration, required outreach and career development, and national network collaboration). The FOA frames the PD/PI role as both scientific leadership and management/coordination leadership.
21) Is institutional commitment part of the evaluation of feasibility?
Yes. Institutions must show commitment and support for establishing and/or continuing the Center, indicating NINDS expects tangible institutional backing rather than a grant operating in isolation.
22) What is the estimated award information listed in the opportunity record?
The opportunity record lists an expected number of awards of 1 and an estimated total funding amount of $1,500,000.
23) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA listed is 93.853 (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders).
24) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity record states that cost sharing or matching was not required.
25) What were the key posted dates for this FOA?
The posting date and creation date were July 1, 2015. The original and current closing date was December 15, 2015, and the archive date was January 15, 2016.
26) Is this specific FOA currently open?
No. Based on the listed closing date (December 15, 2015) and archive date (January 15, 2016), this specific FOA is no longer open.
27) What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based organization types, including various levels of government, higher education institutions (public and private), nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) categories), and for-profit entities other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.
28) Were specific institution categories explicitly included in eligibility?
Yes. The eligibility description included several mission- or population-focused institution categories, such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, TCCUs, and others.
29) Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible to apply.
30) Are any foreign components allowed at all?
Yes. Foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) were allowed, even though foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were not eligible to apply.
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