Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA GM 14 005
Apply for RFA GM 14 005
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 4, 2013 and posted on Mar 4, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities State governments Small businesses City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses County governments Independent school districts Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
- 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) 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:
Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54) is an NIH funding opportunity from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) focused on building interdisciplinary, collaborative research networks that can push forward the study of how macromolecules interact inside living cells and how those interactions relate to cellular function. The central idea is to connect and strengthen groups of investigators so they can tackle biological questions about macromolecular function in ways that individual labs often cannot, especially when the work requires a mix of expertise, specialized methods, or coordinated experimentation across different disciplines.
The FOA is designed to expand and integrate research strategies into NIGMS existing base of laboratories that study macromolecular function in living systems. It explicitly encourages network-style collaboration where participating teams complement one another, such as combining capabilities in biochemistry, genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, and related fields. A key emphasis is that the novelty can be driven by the biology and the questions being asked, not necessarily by inventing brand-new technology from scratch. In other words, applicants can be competitive by using strong biological insight and creative experimental design while leveraging existing or emerging technical approaches as needed.
Four broad types of activities are highlighted as appropriate uses of funds. First, teams may combine strengths across disciplines to address biological problems that benefit from integrated perspectives, where collaboration itself enables questions to be answered more effectively. Second, applicants may apply proven technologies that are difficult to implement in typical cell biology settings because they are technically demanding, expensive, or not yet widely adopted, with examples including mass spectrometry and high-throughput screening. Third, networks may develop, pilot, evaluate, and/or apply emerging technologies that are starting to transform cell biology, such as super-resolution light microscopy. Fourth, the FOA also leaves room for feasibility studies and early-stage research and development on unproven but potentially high-impact technological concepts, specifically when those concepts could open new doors for studying macromolecular interactions.
The announcement is also notable for welcoming unconventional research strategies and goals. It explicitly invites exploratory, descriptive, and statistical approaches, and it signals that discovery-oriented work and hypothesis generation are acceptable endpoints, not just hypothesis testing. This gives applicants flexibility to propose network activities that map interaction landscapes, characterize dynamic molecular assemblies, or build data-rich frameworks that later support mechanistic hypotheses.
Mechanistically, the award uses the U54 Specialized Center Cooperative Agreement, meaning it is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant and typically involves a more substantial programmatic partnership with NIH staff during the project. It also uses the NIH Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) model, which is intended to support genuinely shared leadership across collaborating investigators and institutions when that structure matches how the work will be managed.
From the funding details provided, the opportunity was posted March 4, 2013 under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-GM-14-005, with an original and current closing date of May 30, 2013, and an archive date of June 30, 2013. The estimated total funding listed is $1,500,000, with an award ceiling of $500,000. No cost sharing or matching is required. The program is categorized under Health, with CFDA number 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training).
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many types of domestic entities such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and special district or regional organizations. The eligibility list explicitly includes a variety of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities. At the same time, foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and foreign components are not allowed, including non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations.
In practical terms, this FOA is aimed at teams that want to create a coordinated network to study macromolecular interactions in cells using a combination of complementary expertise and appropriately chosen technologies, ranging from established platforms that are hard to access to emerging or higher-risk methods at the proof-of-concept stage. The intended output is a stronger, more connected research ecosystem that can generate new biological insights into molecular interaction systems inside cells and lay groundwork for further discovery-driven research.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Research Networks for Macromolecular Interactions in Cells (U54)" opportunity?
It is an NIH funding opportunity from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to support interdisciplinary, collaborative research networks focused on understanding how macromolecules interact inside living cells and how those interactions relate to cellular function.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The goal is to build and strengthen coordinated networks of investigators so they can tackle biological questions about macromolecular function that are difficult for individual laboratories to address alone, especially when the research requires mixed expertise, specialized methods, or coordinated experiments across disciplines.
What makes this program "network" focused?
The FOA emphasizes collaboration among participating teams whose expertise complements one another (for example, combining biochemistry, genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, and related fields) so that the collaboration itself enables stronger or more comprehensive research than separate, independent projects.
Does the FOA require inventing brand-new technology to be competitive?
No. The FOA states that novelty can be driven by the biology and the questions being asked, not necessarily by inventing entirely new technology. Applicants may leverage existing or emerging approaches as needed, supported by strong biological insight and creative experimental design.
What kinds of activities are appropriate uses of funds under this FOA?
The FOA highlights four broad activity types: (1) integrating strengths across disciplines to address biological problems that benefit from combined perspectives; (2) applying proven technologies that are technically demanding, expensive, or not widely adopted in typical cell biology settings (examples given include mass spectrometry and high-throughput screening); (3) developing, piloting, evaluating, and/or applying emerging technologies transforming cell biology (example given includes super-resolution light microscopy); and (4) conducting feasibility studies and early-stage R&D on unproven but potentially high-impact technological concepts that could open new approaches for studying macromolecular interactions.
Are exploratory or discovery-driven approaches allowed?
Yes. The announcement explicitly welcomes unconventional strategies and goals, including exploratory, descriptive, and statistical approaches. It also indicates that discovery-oriented work and hypothesis generation can be acceptable endpoints, not only hypothesis testing.
What types of scientific outcomes does the FOA appear to support?
Based on the description, the FOA supports outcomes such as mapping interaction landscapes, characterizing dynamic molecular assemblies, and building data-rich frameworks that can enable later mechanistic hypotheses and broader discovery-driven research.
What NIH activity code and award mechanism does this opportunity use?
This opportunity uses the U54 Specialized Center Cooperative Agreement mechanism.
What does it mean that this is a "cooperative agreement" (U54) rather than a standard grant?
It means the award is a cooperative agreement, which typically involves a more substantial programmatic partnership with NIH staff during the project compared with a standard grant.
Does the FOA allow multiple leaders across the network?
Yes. It uses the NIH Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) model to support shared leadership across collaborating investigators and institutions when that structure fits how the work will be managed.
Which NIH institute is sponsoring this FOA?
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of NIH, is the sponsoring institute.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-GM-14-005.
When was this opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
It was posted on March 4, 2013. The original and current closing date listed is May 30, 2013. The archive date is June 30, 2013.
How much total funding is estimated for this FOA?
The estimated total funding listed is $1,500,000.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed is $500,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The information provided states that no cost sharing or matching is required.
What program category and CFDA number are associated with this opportunity?
The program is categorized under Health, and the CFDA number listed is 93.859 (Biomedical Research and Research Training).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. The list includes public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) organizations); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; state and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and special district or regional organizations.
Are minority-serving institutions and tribally controlled institutions included in the eligibility list?
Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed as part of an application?
No. Foreign components are not allowed, including non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations.
What research theme is this FOA centered on?
It is centered on studying macromolecular interactions inside living cells and understanding how those interactions relate to cellular function.
What kinds of team expertise does the FOA encourage?
It encourages teams with complementary capabilities spanning fields such as biochemistry, genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, and related disciplines, particularly when those combinations enable coordinated experimentation and integrated perspectives.
Does the FOA support use of established but hard-to-access technologies?
Yes. It specifically identifies applying proven technologies that are difficult to implement in typical cell biology settings because they are technically demanding, expensive, or not widely adopted, with examples including mass spectrometry and high-throughput screening.
Does the FOA support emerging technologies?
Yes. It highlights developing, piloting, evaluating, and/or applying emerging technologies that are beginning to transform cell biology, with super-resolution light microscopy provided as an example.
Does the FOA allow higher-risk, early-stage technology concepts?
Yes. It allows feasibility studies and early-stage research and development on unproven but potentially high-impact technological concepts when those concepts could create new ways to study macromolecular interactions.
What is the intended broader impact of funding these networks?
The intended impact is a stronger, more connected research ecosystem that can generate new biological insights into molecular interaction systems inside cells and lay groundwork for further discovery-driven research.
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