Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program Biobank (U24) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the name of this funding opportunity?

The funding opportunity is titled "The Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program Biobank (U24)" and is identified as RFA-PM-16-004.

What is the main purpose of RFA-PM-16-004?

This opportunity is intended to stand up and operate a centralized, high-capacity biobank that supports the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program by managing biospecimens at national scale with consistent, secure, high-quality methods.

How does the biobank fit into the larger Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program?

The larger program aims to assemble and sustain a U.S. research cohort of one million or more volunteers who participate long-term and are treated as active partners in research. The biobank is the component responsible for ensuring biological samples from this large and diverse participant population are collected and managed in a standardized way so they remain useful for research over many years.

What research goals does the overall cohort program support?

The cohort is designed to enable large-scale, longitudinal studies that clarify how genetics, environment, lifestyle, and other factors interact to influence health and disease over time, with the long-term goal of improving the ability to tailor prevention and treatment to individuals.

What specifically is NIH funding under this FOA?

NIH is funding the biobank function: building and running state-of-the-art biospecimen collection and full lifecycle management operations, along with the operational infrastructure and support services required to make biospecimen collection work reliably at national scale.

What does "full lifecycle management" mean in the context of this biobank?

Based on the FOA description, lifecycle management includes establishing standardized approaches for how biospecimens are collected, received, processed, handled, tracked, stored, and retrieved over time.

What kinds of standards or procedures are expected for biospecimen operations?

The biobank is expected to establish standardized approaches across key operational steps, including collection, receipt, processing, handling, tracking, storage, and retrieval, so that samples are managed consistently and remain high quality and useful for many research purposes over many years.

Why is centralized biobanking emphasized in this opportunity?

The FOA describes a centralized, high-capacity biobank to support uniform procedures and simplify national coordination, helping ensure consistent quality and secure management for biospecimens collected from a very large cohort.

What is the funding mechanism, and what does it imply?

The mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement. This signals that NIH anticipates substantial involvement beyond a typical grant, with close collaboration between the awardee, NIH, and other program partners to meet shared milestones, coordinate operations, and maintain uniform standards.

Is this opportunity primarily research-focused or infrastructure/operations-focused?

As described, it is primarily infrastructure and operations-focused. Rather than funding an investigator-led research plan, it supports complex, programmatic infrastructure to operate a national-scale biobank for the cohort program.

What activity category is associated with this opportunity?

The activity category is Health.

What CFDA listing is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA listing includes 93.310, reflecting NIH support for research and research infrastructure aligned with this initiative.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other eligible tribal organizations; public and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other applicants as further clarified in the FOA text.

Why does the FOA allow such broad eligibility?

The description emphasizes that biobanking is operational and logistics-heavy, and that qualified capabilities may exist in academic centers, healthcare-affiliated laboratories, nonprofit research organizations, or specialized private-sector operators.

How many awards does NIH expect to make under this FOA?

The FOA anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1), indicating NIH intended to fund one primary biobank entity to serve the cohort program.

When was this opportunity posted, and when were applications due?

The opportunity was posted on November 16, 2015, and the application closing date was February 4, 2016.

Is there an award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

No award ceiling is specified in the provided information. Applicants would typically need to consult the full announcement for budget guidance, anticipated costs, and any constraints tied to scope, performance requirements, or negotiated milestones.

What is the expected role of the biobank awardee within the program?

The awardee is expected to build and operate the biobank and to deliver scalable, modern, high-quality biospecimen operations end to end, supporting consistent and secure management of samples so they retain scientific value for long-term, broad research use.

What makes this biobank "high-capacity" and "national scale" as described?

The FOA positions the biobank to support biospecimens coming from a very large and diverse participant population (one million or more volunteers over time) and to do so reliably with standardized procedures, operational infrastructure, and support services.

What does NIH mean by treating participants as "active partners in research"?

The provided description states that participants will participate over the long term and be treated as active partners in research. The FOA text excerpt does not add further detail beyond that characterization.

What is the long-term value of the biospecimens managed under this program?

The biobank is expected to ensure samples are managed with high quality and consistency so they remain useful for many different research purposes over many years, enabling future studies into drivers of health and disease.