Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 14 030
Apply for RFA RM 14 030
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Nuclear Organization and Function Interdisciplinary Consortium (NOFIC)(U54)" 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 Dec 22, 2014 and posted on Dec 22, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 23, 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 $10,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments Small businesses Special district governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) City or township governments Independent school districts Nonprofits that do not have 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 not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Nuclear Organization and Function Interdisciplinary Consortium (NOFIC) (U54) funding opportunity (RFA-RM-14-030) is an NIH cooperative agreement program designed to build a set of integrated centers that push forward how scientists measure, model, and interpret the three-dimensional organization of mammalian genomes inside the nucleus. The core aim is not simply to generate more genomic data, but to develop and harden the next generation of high-throughput tools and shared resources that can reliably map genome structure and function in 3D, connect those maps to biological outcomes, and establish broadly usable standards so results can be compared across labs, platforms, and biological systems.
At a practical level, the FOA calls for technology development and data production centers with a mission to develop, benchmark, standardize, and validate methods that can produce three-dimensional physical and functional maps of mammalian genomes. That includes improving experimental and computational approaches for capturing genome folding, nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin interactions, and related functional readouts, and then rigorously testing those approaches so performance, reproducibility, limits, and appropriate uses are well understood. A strong emphasis is placed on producing high-quality datasets and reference resources that the wider community can use, rather than one-off data products tied to a single lab or biological question.
A second major theme is prediction: the FOA highlights the need to develop predictive models that link genome structure to genome function. In other words, awardees are expected to move beyond descriptive maps and toward models that can anticipate how changes in nuclear organization influence gene regulation, replication timing, genome stability, or other functional outputs. This implies significant interdisciplinary work, combining experimental mapping technologies with statistical learning, physics-inspired modeling, polymer and chromatin biophysics, and integrative computation that can reconcile different data types into coherent, testable frameworks.
A third focus is biological relevance and validation. The program explicitly calls for testing the relevance of new principles of nuclear organization within specific biological paradigms and systems. That means proposed technologies and models should be exercised in real biological contexts (for example, developmental transitions, disease-relevant cell states, perturbations to architectural proteins, or other well-motivated systems) to show that the methods and organizing principles actually explain something meaningful about biology. The intent is to ensure that advances in measurement and modeling translate into interpretable insights about how genomes work in living cells.
Structurally, this is a discretionary NIH award using the cooperative agreement mechanism (U54), which typically indicates substantial NIH programmatic involvement and coordination across awardees. The expectation is that centers operate as part of a consortium, aligning on shared goals such as common standards, validation strategies, benchmarking datasets, data sharing practices, and cross-center interoperability. The cooperative agreement format generally supports multi-component, team science efforts where NIH helps steer consortium-level activities to maximize community impact.
The opportunity was posted December 22, 2014, with an original and current closing date of February 23, 2015, and an archive date of March 26, 2015. The estimated total funding amount listed is $10,000,000, suggesting NIH planned a sizable investment to stand up multiple centers or a small number of high-capacity hubs capable of producing both technology advances and community-facing data resources.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, public housing authorities, and independent school districts). The FOA also explicitly includes many institution types in its additional eligibility language, such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISISs, among others. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, although foreign components as defined by NIH policy are allowed, which typically means specific elements of a project may be carried out abroad when well justified and compliant with NIH rules. Cost sharing or matching is not required.
In short, NOFIC (U54) was set up to accelerate the field of 3D genome biology by funding consortium centers that can (1) create and validate scalable technologies for mapping nuclear genome organization and function, (2) establish standards and benchmarking so the field can compare results confidently, (3) produce high-value datasets and resources for broad reuse, and (4) develop and test predictive models and organizing principles in biologically meaningful systems, with NIH playing an active coordinating role through the cooperative agreement structure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NOFIC (U54) funding opportunity?
The Nuclear Organization and Function Interdisciplinary Consortium (NOFIC) (U54) opportunity (RFA-RM-14-030) is an NIH cooperative agreement program intended to build an integrated set of centers. These centers are meant to advance how researchers measure, model, and interpret the three-dimensional (3D) organization of mammalian genomes inside the nucleus.
What is the main goal of this program?
The core goal is to develop and harden the next generation of high-throughput tools and shared resources for reliably mapping genome structure and function in 3D. The program emphasizes broadly usable standards and methods so results can be compared across labs, platforms, and biological systems, rather than simply producing more genomic data.
What types of centers does the FOA call for?
The FOA calls for technology development and data production centers. These centers are expected to develop, benchmark, standardize, validate, and produce methods and datasets that generate 3D physical and functional maps of mammalian genomes.
What kinds of methods or technologies are expected to be developed or improved?
The opportunity emphasizes improving experimental and computational approaches to capture genome folding, nuclear compartmentalization, chromatin interactions, and related functional readouts. A key expectation is rigorous testing so performance, reproducibility, limitations, and appropriate use cases are clearly understood.
Is the program focused on one-off datasets or community resources?
The program places strong emphasis on producing high-quality datasets and reference resources that the wider research community can use, rather than one-off data products tied to a single laboratory or a narrow biological question.
What does the FOA mean by developing "standards" and "benchmarking"?
It means awardees are expected to align on shared approaches that support comparability and interoperability across centers and across the field. This includes common standards, validation strategies, benchmarking datasets, and data-sharing practices so that results can be evaluated consistently across different labs, platforms, and biological systems.
What is the "prediction" theme in this FOA?
A major theme is moving beyond descriptive 3D genome maps to predictive models that link genome structure to genome function. The intent is to develop models that can anticipate how changes in nuclear organization influence functional outputs such as gene regulation, replication timing, genome stability, or other outcomes.
What kinds of disciplines or approaches are implied for the predictive modeling work?
The FOA implies significant interdisciplinary work combining experimental mapping technologies with statistical learning, physics-inspired modeling, polymer and chromatin biophysics, and integrative computation that can reconcile multiple data types into coherent and testable frameworks.
How does the FOA address biological relevance and validation?
The program explicitly calls for testing the relevance of new principles of nuclear organization in specific biological paradigms and systems. Technologies and models are expected to be exercised in real biological contexts to demonstrate that methods and proposed organizing principles provide meaningful biological explanations.
What are examples of biological contexts mentioned for testing and validation?
The opportunity describes examples such as developmental transitions, disease-relevant cell states, and perturbations to architectural proteins, as well as other well-motivated systems. These examples illustrate the expectation that advances translate into interpretable biological insight in living cells.
What is the award mechanism and what does it imply?
This is a discretionary NIH award using the cooperative agreement mechanism (U54). The U54 cooperative agreement format typically indicates substantial NIH programmatic involvement and coordination across awardees, supporting multi-component, team-science efforts with consortium-level alignment.
What does it mean that this is a consortium?
It means funded centers are expected to operate as part of an integrated group with shared goals. The FOA anticipates cross-center coordination on standards, validation strategies, benchmarking datasets, data sharing practices, and interoperability so outputs have broad community impact.
When was this opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The opportunity was posted on December 22, 2014. The original and current closing date was February 23, 2015. The archive date was March 26, 2015.
How much total funding was estimated for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount listed is $10,000,000, indicating NIH planned a sizable investment to establish multiple centers or a small number of high-capacity hubs supporting technology advances and community-facing data resources.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. Cost sharing or matching is not required.
Which organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. This includes public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities); for-profit organizations (including small businesses); and various government entities (state, county, city/township, special districts, public housing authorities, and independent school districts).
Does the FOA include specific institution types in its eligibility language?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes many institution types in additional eligibility language, such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and AANAPISISs, among others.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) institutions eligible to apply?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed in projects under this FOA?
Yes. Although foreign institutions cannot apply, foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed. This typically means specific elements of a project may be carried out abroad when well justified and compliant with NIH rules.
What is meant by "three-dimensional physical and functional maps" of mammalian genomes?
In the context of this FOA, it refers to mapping genome organization in the nucleus (physical structure such as folding and chromatin interactions) along with functional readouts that help connect 3D structure to biological outcomes.
What kinds of outputs are awardees expected to produce?
Based on the FOA description, expected outputs include validated and standardized high-throughput technologies, benchmarking and reference resources, high-quality community datasets, and predictive models connecting nuclear genome organization to functional outcomes, all developed and tested in biologically relevant systems.
Why does the FOA emphasize reproducibility and validation?
The FOA highlights the need for rigorous testing so that methods have clearly understood performance characteristics, reproducibility, limits, and appropriate uses. This supports reliable comparisons across labs and platforms and strengthens the value of community datasets and standards.
What is the program trying to accelerate in the field?
NOFIC (U54) was set up to accelerate 3D genome biology by funding consortium centers that can create scalable, validated mapping technologies; establish standards and benchmarking; produce broadly reusable datasets and resources; and develop and test predictive models and organizing principles in meaningful biological systems, with NIH playing an active coordinating role.
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