Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 14 014
Apply for RFA RM 14 014
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Novel and Innovative Tools to Facilitate Identification, Tracking, Manipulation, and Analysis of Glycans and their Functions (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310 Trans NIH Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 30, 2014 and posted on Sep 30, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 10, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Special district governments Private institutions of higher education Independent school districts.
- 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) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) 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:
This NIH R21 funding opportunity (RFA-RM-14-014) sits under the NIH Common Fund effort called Accelerating Translation of Glycoscience: Integration and Accessibility. The basic problem it is trying to solve is that glycans (complex carbohydrate structures attached to proteins, lipids, and other molecules) play major roles in biology, but they are notoriously difficult to study with standard, widely available lab methods. Because the tools and workflows for glycan analysis often require specialized expertise, expensive instrumentation, or non-routine procedures, many researchers outside of dedicated glycoscience groups avoid glycan-related questions altogether. The aim of this program is to prevent that drop-off by pushing the field toward tools that are practical, affordable, and usable by the broader biomedical research community.
The FOA specifically solicits early-stage, novel tool and technology development projects that make it easier to identify, track, manipulate, and analyze glycans and their interactions with biological binding partners, and to connect those measurements to biological function. In other words, the goal is not simply to generate another descriptive dataset or to perform a one-off study in a single disease area, but to create enabling capabilities that other labs can adopt to study glycan structure, dynamics, and function in diverse experimental systems. The announcement also emphasizes that proposed work can build on existing technologies and procedures, especially when the key innovation is to make those approaches more accessible, easier to use, or more broadly deployable, rather than inventing everything from scratch.
A central theme of the opportunity is usability and translation. Applicants are expected to think beyond proof-of-concept performance in a specialized setting and consider what would be required to scale up and disseminate the tool so it can be used widely and cost-effectively. That includes practical considerations like robustness, workflow simplicity, throughput, and affordability for end users, as well as whether instrumentation concepts can realistically be manufactured or distributed at scale. Another explicit expectation is data compatibility: where applicable, the FOA asks applicants to ensure that the data produced by the tool can integrate into existing databases, implying attention to data formats, metadata standards, and interoperability with current bioinformatics resources in glycoscience and related areas.
Mechanistically, this is an R21 exploratory/developmental grant, which typically fits high-risk, high-reward methods development, feasibility demonstrations, and strong conceptual advances that may still require further maturation after the award period. The FOA anticipates approximately 8 awards, with an estimated total funding level of about $3,000,000. The award ceiling is listed as $400,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on September 30, 2014, with an original (and current) closing date of December 10, 2014, and an archive date of January 10, 2015.
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types across academia, government, and the private sector. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, public housing authorities, independent school districts, and special district governments, among others. The FOA also explicitly includes a range of mission-focused and capacity-building institution categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISIs, as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply directly, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply; however, foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed, which typically means a U.S. applicant can include a foreign component when it is well-justified and consistent with NIH rules.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted push to make glycoscience more routine and less specialized by funding practical tool creation: new reagents, platforms, assays, labeling or tracking methods, analytical workflows, interaction-mapping approaches, or other technologies that lower the barrier to studying glycans and glycan-mediated biology. The success criterion implied by the FOA is not only technical novelty, but also whether the resulting capability can realistically spread beyond expert glycan labs, generate database-compatible outputs, and help mainstream biomedical researchers connect glycan structures and interactions to function in health and disease.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is an NIH R21 exploratory/developmental funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled RFA-RM-14-014, under the NIH Common Fund initiative "Accelerating Translation of Glycoscience: Integration and Accessibility."
What problem is the FOA trying to solve?
The FOA targets a practical bottleneck in biomedical research: glycans are biologically important but are difficult to study using standard, widely available laboratory methods. Because glycan analysis often needs specialized expertise, expensive instrumentation, or non-routine workflows, many researchers outside dedicated glycoscience labs avoid glycan-related questions. This program aims to reduce that barrier by advancing tools and workflows that are practical, affordable, and broadly usable.
What is the overall goal of the program?
The goal is to accelerate translation of glycoscience by funding early-stage tool and technology development that makes it easier for a wide range of biomedical researchers (not just glycoscience specialists) to identify, track, manipulate, and analyze glycans and their interactions, and to connect glycan-related measurements to biological function.
What types of projects does the FOA specifically solicit?
The FOA solicits early-stage, novel tool and technology development projects that enable easier glycan-related measurement and experimentation. This includes approaches to identify, track, manipulate, and analyze glycans and to study glycan interactions with biological binding partners, with an emphasis on connecting those measurements to biological function.
Does the FOA focus on descriptive datasets or one-off studies?
No. The FOA emphasizes enabling capabilities rather than projects that primarily generate descriptive datasets or conduct a one-off study in a single disease area. The intent is to create tools, technologies, and workflows that other labs can adopt across diverse experimental systems.
Does the proposed technology have to be completely new?
No. The FOA states that projects can build on existing technologies and procedures, particularly when the key innovation is making an approach more accessible, easier to use, or more broadly deployable rather than inventing a new method from scratch.
What does the FOA mean by a focus on usability and translation?
Applicants are expected to think beyond a proof-of-concept in a specialized setting and address what would be needed for wider adoption and dissemination. The FOA highlights practical considerations such as robustness, simplicity of workflow, throughput, affordability, and whether any instrumentation concepts could realistically be manufactured or distributed at scale.
What kinds of practical adoption factors are explicitly emphasized?
The FOA points to several adoption factors: robustness, workflow simplicity, throughput, affordability for end users, and realistic pathways for scaling manufacturing or distribution of instrumentation concepts.
Is data compatibility or interoperability part of the expectation?
Yes. Where applicable, the FOA expects that data produced by the tool can integrate into existing databases. This implies attention to data formats, metadata standards, and interoperability with current bioinformatics resources in glycoscience and related areas.
What grant mechanism is being used?
The FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically suited for exploratory/developmental projects, including high-risk/high-reward methods development, feasibility demonstrations, and strong conceptual advances that may still need additional maturation after the award period.
How many awards does NIH expect to make under this FOA?
The FOA anticipates approximately 8 awards.
What is the estimated total funding level for the FOA?
The FOA lists an estimated total funding level of about $3,000,000.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is listed as $400,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted, and what are the key dates?
The opportunity was posted on September 30, 2014. The closing date is December 10, 2014, and the archive date is January 10, 2015.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types across academia, government, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (including small businesses); state and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public housing authorities; independent school districts; and special district governments, among others.
Are mission-focused and capacity-building institutions included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes categories such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and AANAPISIs. It also notes eligibility for faith-based or community-based organizations, and eligible federal agencies.
Are foreign organizations eligible to apply directly?
No. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply directly under this FOA.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed at all?
Yes. The FOA indicates that foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed. In practical terms, this means a U.S. applicant organization may include a foreign component when it is well-justified and consistent with NIH rules.
What kinds of tools or technologies fit the intent of this FOA?
The FOA is framed as a targeted push for practical tool creation that makes glycoscience more routine. Examples of tool categories described in the opportunity include new reagents, platforms, assays, labeling or tracking methods, analytical workflows, interaction-mapping approaches, and other technologies that lower the barrier to studying glycans and glycan-mediated biology.
What is the implied success criterion for funded projects?
Based on the FOA description, success is not just technical novelty. A strong project also demonstrates that the capability can realistically spread beyond expert glycan labs, generate database-compatible outputs (when applicable), and help mainstream biomedical researchers connect glycan structures and interactions to biological function in health and disease.
Is this FOA aligned with a broader NIH initiative?
Yes. It sits under the NIH Common Fund effort "Accelerating Translation of Glycoscience: Integration and Accessibility."
What stage of development is the FOA aiming to fund?
It emphasizes early-stage development, including feasibility demonstrations and exploratory tool/technology work that can open up new practical capabilities, even if additional maturation is expected after the award period.
What is the main audience for the tools developed under this FOA?
The tools are intended to be usable by the broader biomedical research community, especially researchers who are not part of specialized glycoscience groups, with the goal of making glycan-related research more routine and accessible.
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