Research Consortium for 2 Year Bisphenol A Toxicity Study (U01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What agency is offering this funding opportunity?

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was issued by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the main purpose of this FOA?

The FOA is intended to support the creation of a research consortium focused on adding disease-focused endpoints to a two-year chronic toxicity study of bisphenol A (BPA). The goal is to strengthen the scientific value of a long-duration BPA study by incorporating targeted, hypothesis-driven outcome measures that are grounded in existing scientific literature on BPA-related health effects.

Is this funding meant for a general BPA toxicity screening study?

No. The FOA is not asking for broad screening. It is asking for targeted additions to an ongoing or planned long-term BPA study, specifically disease-relevant endpoints and mechanistic signals that the existing study design might otherwise miss.

What kind of study is this consortium expected to support?

The consortium is focused on a two-year chronic toxicity study of bisphenol A (BPA), with added disease-focused endpoints proposed and carried out by a coordinated group of investigators.

What does it mean that the award mechanism is a U01 cooperative agreement?

A U01 cooperative agreement indicates that the work is expected to involve substantial scientific involvement from the NIH compared with a standard research grant. In practical terms, the project is expected to be conducted in a cooperative NIH-led framework rather than operating as a fully independent investigator-driven award.

What types of research approaches are expected to be competitive?

Competitive applications would typically propose clearly justified, disease-focused endpoints and use hypothesis-driven approaches tied to what the scientific literature already suggests about BPA-related health effects. Applications are expected to explain why each endpoint matters, how it connects to prior BPA evidence, what hypotheses will be tested, and how data collection will be reproducible and integrated across the consortium.

What is NIEHS specifically looking for in applicants?

NIEHS is looking for applications that demonstrate strong, specific expertise in particular disease areas that have been implicated or plausibly linked to BPA exposure, along with rigorous plans for measuring and interpreting proposed endpoints during the chronic study.

What are "disease-focused endpoints" in the context of this FOA?

In this FOA, disease-focused endpoints are outcome measures added to the chronic BPA study to evaluate meaningful disease outcomes and related mechanistic signals. The endpoints should be chosen and justified based on existing BPA-related scientific literature and framed around specific hypotheses.

How should proposed endpoints be justified?

Endpoints should be clearly justified by explaining their relevance, their connection to prior evidence on BPA-related health effects, and the hypotheses they will test. The application should also include rigorous plans for how the endpoints will be measured, interpreted, and integrated across the consortium in a reproducible way.

When was this FOA posted, and what were the key dates?

The FOA was posted on December 6, 2010. The application deadline was February 18, 2011. The FOA was later archived on March 21, 2011.

What program area and CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity falls under the Environmental Health program area and is associated with CFDA 93.113.

How much funding was available under this FOA?

NIEHS estimated total funding at approximately $2,000,000. The listed award ceiling was $150,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA states that no cost sharing or matching was required.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad and included many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations and certain nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status); and for-profit entities including small businesses and other for-profits.

Does the eligibility language include mission-driven or community-focused institutions?

Yes. The eligibility description explicitly included categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations, as well as certain eligible federal agencies and regional organizations.

Are foreign organizations allowed to apply?

No. The FOA explicitly excluded non-U.S. entities. Foreign organizations could not apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations were not allowed.

What does the restriction on foreign components mean for U.S. organizations?

Based on the FOA description, the consortium's work and administration needed to remain domestic because foreign components of U.S. organizations were not allowed.

Where can applicants find the full FOA details?

The listing provides a link to the full FOA in the NIH Grants Guide.

Who should be contacted for technical problems accessing or linking to the FOA?

The contact guidance routes technical access or linking problems to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.

What is the overall takeaway of this announcement?

The FOA was designed to assemble a coordinated team that strengthens and expands the scientific value of a two-year chronic BPA toxicity study by adding carefully chosen, literature-justified disease endpoints and mechanistic outcome measures under a cooperative NIH-led framework.