Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 280
Apply for PAR 14 280
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Centers for Precision Disease Modeling (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351 Research Infrastructure Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 15, 2014 and posted on Jul 15, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 1, 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 $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments City or township governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Small businesses County governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education 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 not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH Pilot Centers for Precision Disease Modeling (U54) funding opportunity (PAR-14-280) was designed to create a small number of collaborative, multidisciplinary centers that directly connect human personalized medicine data with cutting-edge animal genomics and advanced genetic engineering approaches. The central idea is to close the gap between what is observed in patients and what can be tested and predicted in preclinical settings by building "precision" animal models that better reflect specific patient biology. By functionally linking patient-derived clinical and molecular information with technologies for targeted genetic manipulation and the creation of interspecies somatic hybrids, the program aims to improve how well preclinical studies forecast human disease behavior and treatment responses.
These Pilot Centers were expected to stand up practical, end-to-end demonstration pipelines for preclinical scientific discovery, disease modeling, and the development and testing of interventions. In other words, the centers were not just intended to produce isolated model organisms or one-off experiments; they were intended to develop integrated workflows that start with patient information, move through computational analysis and model development, and culminate in testing hypotheses or candidate interventions in innovative animal models. Over time, the vision was that these pipelines would become part of the broader translational ecosystem supporting diagnosis, patient care decisions, and therapeutic development, with preclinical model systems serving as a more reliable bridge between bench research and clinical reality.
A key requirement of the FOA was that each Center include specific organizational components to ensure the work was both coordinated and scalable. First, a Coordination Section was required to provide strong multidisciplinary leadership, manage communication across teams, and keep projects aligned with center goals. Second, a Preclinical/Co-clinical Section was required to collect, manage, and distribute patient-related information to support modeling and co-clinical research, reflecting an emphasis on tying model development to real patient datasets and clinical context. Third, a Bioinformatics Section was required to supply the computational and analytical capabilities needed to integrate heterogeneous data types, support model design, and enable interpretation of model results alongside human data. Finally, as the major emphasis of the program, each center needed a Disease Modeling Unit responsible for creating and testing at least three precision animal model projects, demonstrating the ability to generate and validate multiple tailored models rather than focusing narrowly on a single system.
Even though each center was expected to concentrate on a limited number of focused projects, the program also expected broader, multifaceted research activities that would build adaptable core model systems and shared capabilities. The goal was not simply to solve one disease problem at a time, but to establish model-building platforms and technical resources that could be adjusted and extended to address a wider range of diseases as new needs and opportunities emerged. This platform mindset is central to the FOA: investing in reusable infrastructure, data pipelines, and modeling approaches that outlast individual projects and can be redirected as precision medicine evolves.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, this was a discretionary NIH opportunity using the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically implies substantial NIH scientific and/or programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant. The opportunity was posted July 15, 2014, with an application closing date of October 1, 2014, and it was archived November 1, 2014. The FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $4,000,000 and an award ceiling of $4,000,000, with no cost sharing or matching requirement noted. The activity category was Health, and it was associated with CFDA 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs).
Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations and governments, including for-profit organizations (including small businesses), nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, and multiple types of local, state, tribal, and regional governmental entities. The FOA also clarified that a range of specialized institution types could apply (for example HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and other designated serving institutions), along with faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. At the same time, foreign organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed, including non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations.
Overall, PAR-14-280 focused on building pilot-scale center infrastructure that combines patient-centered precision medicine with sophisticated animal model engineering and data science, with the practical objective of making preclinical disease modeling more predictive and more directly useful for developing and testing interventions that matter to patients.
FAQs: NIH Pilot Centers for Precision Disease Modeling (U54) (PAR-14-280)
What is PAR-14-280?
PAR-14-280 is an NIH funding opportunity that supported the creation of a small number of collaborative, multidisciplinary Pilot Centers for Precision Disease Modeling using the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What was the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The main goal was to directly connect human personalized medicine data (clinical and molecular information from patients) with advanced animal genomics and genetic engineering approaches to build "precision" animal models that better reflect specific patient biology and improve how predictive preclinical research is for human disease and treatment response.
What problem was the program designed to address?
The program was designed to close the gap between what is observed in patients and what can be tested and predicted in preclinical settings, by creating animal models tailored to patient-specific biology and linking those models back to human datasets for interpretation.
What kind of work were Centers expected to perform?
Centers were expected to build practical, end-to-end demonstration pipelines that start with patient information, proceed through computational analysis and model development, and culminate in testing hypotheses or candidate interventions in innovative animal models. The intent was to go beyond one-off model creation and instead deliver integrated workflows.
What is meant by an "end-to-end demonstration pipeline" in this FOA?
In this context, an end-to-end pipeline refers to an integrated workflow that links patient-derived clinical and molecular data to computational analysis, precision model design and construction, and downstream testing/validation in animal models, enabling interpretation of model results alongside human data.
How were these Centers expected to support translation to patient care and therapeutics?
The vision was that these pipelines would become part of the broader translational ecosystem supporting diagnosis, patient care decisions, and therapeutic development, by making preclinical model systems a more reliable bridge between bench research and clinical reality.
What technologies and approaches did the FOA emphasize?
The FOA emphasized cutting-edge animal genomics, targeted genetic manipulation, and the creation of interspecies somatic hybrids, functionally linked to patient-derived clinical and molecular information.
What major organizational components were required in each Center?
Each Center was required to include: (1) a Coordination Section, (2) a Preclinical/Co-clinical Section, (3) a Bioinformatics Section, and (4) a Disease Modeling Unit.
What was the role of the Coordination Section?
The Coordination Section was required to provide strong multidisciplinary leadership, manage communication across teams, and keep projects aligned with overall Center goals.
What was the role of the Preclinical/Co-clinical Section?
The Preclinical/Co-clinical Section was required to collect, manage, and distribute patient-related information to support disease modeling and co-clinical research, reflecting the emphasis on tying model development to real patient datasets and clinical context.
What was the role of the Bioinformatics Section?
The Bioinformatics Section was required to provide computational and analytical capabilities to integrate heterogeneous data types, support model design, and enable interpretation of model results alongside human data.
What was the role of the Disease Modeling Unit?
The Disease Modeling Unit was the major emphasis of the program and was responsible for creating and testing at least three precision animal model projects, demonstrating the ability to generate and validate multiple tailored models rather than focusing on a single system.
How many disease modeling projects did each Center need to pursue?
Each Center needed to create and test at least three precision animal model projects through its Disease Modeling Unit.
Was the program focused on a single disease area per Center?
Each Center was expected to concentrate on a limited number of focused projects, but the program also expected broader, multifaceted research activities that build adaptable core model systems and shared capabilities that could be extended to other diseases over time.
What does the FOA mean by a "platform" mindset?
It refers to investing in reusable infrastructure, shared technical resources, data pipelines, and modeling approaches that outlast individual projects and can be redirected as new diseases, needs, and precision medicine opportunities emerge.
What type of NIH award mechanism supported this program?
This opportunity used the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (U54)?
The FOA described the U54 as typically implying substantial NIH scientific and/or programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant.
What was the estimated total funding amount for the FOA?
The FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $4,000,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The FOA listed an award ceiling of $4,000,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was noted in the FOA.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on July 15, 2014.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date was October 1, 2014.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The FOA was archived on November 1, 2014.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category was Health.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
This opportunity was associated with CFDA 93.351 (Research Infrastructure Programs).
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad across U.S.-based organizations and governments, including for-profit organizations (including small businesses), nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status), public and private institutions of higher education, and local, state, tribal, regional, and other governmental entities.
Were minority-serving and other designated institutions eligible?
Yes. The FOA noted that specialized institution types could apply, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, and other designated serving institutions.
Could faith-based or community-based organizations apply?
Yes. The FOA included faith-based and community-based organizations among eligible applicants.
Were federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA included eligible federal agencies among the eligible applicant types.
Were foreign organizations or foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply.
Were foreign components allowed under NIH policy?
No. Foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) were not allowed, including non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations.
What was the overarching intended impact of the Pilot Centers?
The overarching intent was to make preclinical disease modeling more predictive and more directly useful for developing and testing interventions that matter to patients, by tightly linking patient data, computational analysis, and precision-engineered animal models.
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