Pediatric Heart Network Clinical Research Centers (UG1) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Pediatric Heart Network Clinical Research Centers (UG1) - RFA-HL-17-004

What is the Pediatric Heart Network Clinical Research Centers (UG1) opportunity?

This funding opportunity (RFA-HL-17-004) is an NHLBI-supported cooperative agreement (UG1) to fund qualified institutions to serve as Clinical Research Centers (CRCs) within the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN). The emphasis is on building and sustaining a coordinated, multi-center clinical research infrastructure rather than supporting isolated, single-site projects.

Which agency is offering this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

What is the main purpose of the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN) and these Clinical Research Centers?

The core purpose is to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people affected by heart disease that begins in childhood. This includes children and adults living with congenital heart disease and children with acquired heart disease, using a network approach that supports coordinated, multi-center clinical research.

What does it mean that this program focuses on multi-center clinical research rather than single-site projects?

The program is designed to enable collaborative studies that require multiple clinical centers to participate. This helps produce findings that are more reliable and broadly applicable and that are more likely to influence or change clinical care, particularly in areas where patients are dispersed and conditions may be rare or heterogeneous.

What kinds of studies are CRCs expected to support within the PHN?

Funded CRCs are expected to plan and carry out rigorous multi-center evaluations of medical, interventional, and surgical therapies. The network is intended to support trials and other collaborative studies that address complex questions in pediatric and congenital cardiology.

What is meant by "team-based network science" in this FOA?

The FOA emphasizes coordinated, team-based work across the network. CRCs are expected to collaborate closely with the PHN Data Coordinating Center and other stakeholders to implement standardized protocols, collect high-quality data, and execute multi-center studies efficiently and consistently.

What is the role of the PHN Data Coordinating Center in relation to the CRCs?

CRCs are expected to work closely with the PHN Data Coordinating Center as part of the network. Based on the description, this collaboration supports planning and executing multi-center studies, maintaining consistent methods across sites, and enabling high-quality clinical data collection across the network.

What operational capabilities are CRCs expected to have?

The FOA describes CRC responsibilities that include the ability to recruit and follow participants, implement standardized protocols, collect high-quality clinical data, and contribute to network trials and other collaborative studies.

Why is a network structure especially important for congenital heart disease research?

The network approach is particularly valuable in congenital heart disease because patient populations can be heterogeneous and geographically dispersed. A multi-center structure can speed study start-up, improve enrollment capacity for rare conditions, and ensure consistent research methods across participating sites.

Does this opportunity include training or workforce development expectations?

Yes. Workforce development is described as an explicit outcome of participation. CRCs serve as training platforms for fellows, junior faculty, and nurses by involving them in the design and conduct of network research.

Does the FOA emphasize innovation, and if so, what kinds?

Yes. The FOA highlights innovation as an explicit outcome, including the development of new techniques and methodologies that can advance the field. Examples mentioned include improved clinical trial design, better outcome measures, and more efficient approaches to evaluating therapies in children and patients with lifelong congenital conditions.

Are CRCs expected to disseminate results from PHN studies?

Yes. Active dissemination of study results is described as an expectation so that evidence generated by the network strengthens the scientific basis for care and can be translated into practice.

What type of funding mechanism is UG1, and what does "cooperative agreement" imply?

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (UG1). The description indicates that, compared with a standard research project grant, NHLBI typically has substantial involvement in programmatic direction and stewardship of the network under this mechanism.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category listed is Health.

What CFDA number(s) are associated with this opportunity?

The associated CFDA number listed is 93.837.

Who is eligible to apply based on the information provided?

Eligibility is described as broad and includes various levels of government entities, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and certain tribal governments and organizations. The listing notes that additional eligibility clarification is referenced in the announcement text.

What are the key dates shown for this funding opportunity?

The listing provides a posted/creation date of December 2, 2015, and an original and current closing date of March 2, 2016.

What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The award ceiling listed in the opportunity information is $220,000.

The listing shows "expected awards: 0." Does that mean no awards were made?

Not necessarily. The information provided notes that "expected awards" listed as 0 often reflects how the opportunity was recorded in that dataset rather than definitively indicating that no awards were made.

Is this opportunity intended to fund independent research projects at a single institution?

No. The opportunity is positioned as support for institutions to function as high-performing sites within a national network, enabling collaborative multi-center studies rather than isolated, single-site projects.

Who ultimately benefits from the research supported by this network?

The described target populations include children and adults living with congenital heart disease and children with acquired heart disease, with the overall aim of improving outcomes and quality of life and strengthening evidence that can translate into clinical practice.