Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RR 09 009
Apply for RFA RR 09 009
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health recovery act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition Enabling National Networking of Scientists and Resource Discovery (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.389 National Center for Research Resources 93.701 Trans NIH Recovery Act Research Support.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 20, 2009 and posted on Apr 20, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $7,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $7,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Eligible institutions are limited to those who hold current NCRR Center and Center like Programs, including Animal and Biologic Material Resources (ABMR) Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) NCRR Biomedical Technology Research Centers (BTRC) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) National Primate Research Centers (NPRC) Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN) Foreign organizations/institutions are not permitted as the applicant organization.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition Enabling National Networking of Scientists and Resource Discovery (U24) grant opportunity (RFA-RR-09-009) was an NIH initiative funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Its central goal was to strengthen and expand national-scale research infrastructure that helps scientists and students find one another and locate useful scientific resources more easily. In practical terms, the program aimed to make it simpler for researchers to identify potential collaborators across institutions and disciplines, and to discover shared resources such as tools, datasets, facilities, specialized materials, or expertise that might otherwise remain hard to find. By improving how people and resources are connected, the FOA sought to accelerate interdisciplinary collaboration and promote broader scientific exchange across the country.
A defining feature of the announcement was its emphasis on producing working national prototypes, not just plans or isolated local tools. Over a two-year project period, awardees were expected to implement and evaluate, across all participating institutions, a prototype for research networking (focused on discovering individuals, expertise, and collaboration opportunities) and a prototype for resource discovery (focused on discovering scientific assets and capabilities). The expectation was that these prototypes would be deployed in real institutional environments and assessed in a way that demonstrates usefulness, feasibility, and potential for broader adoption. The focus on implementation plus evaluation indicates that NIH wanted evidence that the proposed infrastructure could function at scale and generate measurable benefits for the research community.
The competition was limited and designed to involve a diverse set of participating institutions so that the resulting prototypes would be broadly applicable nationwide. The FOA explicitly called for diversity in institutional size and in existing infrastructure maturity, and it also highlighted the importance of including institutions from urban, suburban, and rural settings as well as ensuring racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity. This requirement reflects an intent to avoid solutions tailored only to highly resourced research universities and instead produce approaches that can work across the wider biomedical research ecosystem, including institutions that serve diverse populations and regions.
Funding was provided through a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24, Resource-Related Research Projects Cooperative Agreement). A cooperative agreement typically means NIH anticipated having substantial involvement during the project, such as participating in steering, coordination, milestones, or oversight activities, rather than simply providing funds with minimal interaction. The FOA was posted April 20, 2009, with an application due date of June 15, 2009, and it was later archived July 16, 2009. The opportunity anticipated making two awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $7.5 million and an award ceiling of $7.5 million. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement stated.
Eligibility was restricted. The eligible applicant types included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, but the FOA further limited eligible institutions to those already holding specific NCRR Center and Center-like programs. Examples listed included Animal and Biologic Material Resources (ABMR), Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN), Biomedical Technology Research Centers (BTRC), Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), National Primate Research Centers (NPRC), Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), and the RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN). Foreign organizations were not allowed to apply as the applicant organization. The administering agency was NIH, with the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) referenced in the program context and CFDA listings that included 93.389 (NCRR) and 93.701 (Trans-NIH Recovery Act Research Support).
Overall, this FOA can be read as a time-limited Recovery Act investment in shared research cyberinfrastructure and coordination: building and testing national prototypes that help people find people (networking/expertise discovery) and people find assets (resource discovery). The intended payoff was a more connected national biomedical research community where collaboration is easier to initiate, duplication is reduced, and valuable resources become more visible and usable across a wide range of institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the official name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "The Recovery Act 2009 Limited Competition Enabling National Networking of Scientists and Resource Discovery (U24)" and it is associated with FOA number RFA-RR-09-009.
Which federal agency administered the opportunity?
The administering agency was the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program context references the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).
What was the main purpose of this FOA?
The central goal was to strengthen and expand national-scale research infrastructure that helps scientists and students find one another and locate useful scientific resources more easily. In practice, it aimed to improve (1) discovery of people, expertise, and collaborators across institutions and disciplines, and (2) discovery of shared scientific resources such as tools, datasets, facilities, specialized materials, or expertise.
How was this FOA connected to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)?
This was an NIH initiative funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act), positioned as a time-limited investment in shared research cyberinfrastructure and coordination.
What kinds of outcomes were applicants expected to deliver?
A defining expectation was the creation of working national prototypes, not just plans or isolated local tools. Awardees were expected to implement and evaluate prototypes in real institutional environments and demonstrate usefulness, feasibility, and potential for broader adoption.
What prototypes were required under the program?
Over the project period, awardees were expected to implement and evaluate, across all participating institutions:
- A prototype for research networking (focused on discovering individuals, expertise, and collaboration opportunities).
- A prototype for resource discovery (focused on discovering scientific assets and capabilities).
How long was the project period?
The FOA described a two-year project period.
Was implementation required, or was this mainly a planning grant?
Implementation was a core feature. The emphasis was on deploying and evaluating prototypes across participating institutions, indicating NIH wanted functioning, scalable infrastructure with evidence of measurable benefits.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated making two awards.
What was the estimated total funding amount and the award ceiling?
The FOA listed an estimated total funding amount of $7.5 million and an award ceiling of $7.5 million.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was stated.
What funding mechanism was used?
Funding was provided through a cooperative agreement mechanism: U24 (Resource-Related Research Projects Cooperative Agreement).
What does the cooperative agreement (U24) imply about NIH involvement?
A cooperative agreement typically indicates NIH anticipated substantial involvement during the project, such as participation in steering, coordination, milestones, or oversight activities, rather than providing funds with minimal interaction.
Was this a limited competition?
Yes. The FOA was explicitly described as a limited competition, with eligibility restricted to specific types of institutions and programs.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicant types included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and eligibility was further limited to institutions already holding specific NCRR Center and Center-like programs.
Which existing programs were referenced as eligible or relevant examples?
The FOA listed examples of eligible NCRR Center and Center-like programs, including:
- Animal and Biologic Material Resources (ABMR)
- Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN)
- Biomedical Technology Research Centers (BTRC)
- Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)
- Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA)
- IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)
- National Primate Research Centers (NPRC)
- Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI)
- RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN)
Could foreign organizations apply as the applicant organization?
No. Foreign organizations were not allowed to apply as the applicant organization.
Did the FOA specify expectations about the mix of participating institutions?
Yes. The competition was designed to involve a diverse set of participating institutions so the resulting prototypes would be broadly applicable nationwide. The FOA emphasized diversity in institutional size and infrastructure maturity and highlighted inclusion of institutions from urban, suburban, and rural settings, along with racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity.
Why did the FOA emphasize institutional diversity?
The intent was to avoid solutions tailored only to highly resourced research universities and instead produce approaches that can work across the wider biomedical research ecosystem, including institutions serving diverse populations and regions.
What kinds of resources were in scope for "resource discovery"?
The FOA described shared resources such as tools, datasets, facilities, specialized materials, or expertise that might otherwise be difficult to locate.
What is meant by "research networking" in this FOA?
Research networking refers to improving the ability to discover individuals, expertise, and collaboration opportunities across institutions and disciplines.
When was the FOA posted and when were applications due?
The FOA was posted on April 20, 2009. The application due date was June 15, 2009.
When was the opportunity archived?
The FOA was archived on July 16, 2009.
Which CFDA numbers were referenced?
The program context referenced CFDA listings that included 93.389 (NCRR) and 93.701 (Trans-NIH Recovery Act Research Support).
What broader impact was NIH aiming for with these prototypes?
The FOA aimed for a more connected national biomedical research community where collaboration is easier to initiate, duplication is reduced, and valuable resources become more visible and usable across a wide range of institutions.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education Health Recovery Act
Next opportunity: Tribal Title IV E Plan Development Grants
Previous opportunity: Recovery Act Limited Competition Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for RFA RR 09 009
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA RR 09 009", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.