Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 15 014
Apply for RFA AG 15 014
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Planning Infrastructure to Develop Therapeutic Target ID Strategies Based on Favorable Genetic Variants of Human Longevity or Health Span (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866 Aging Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 13, 2014 and posted on Aug 13, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 6, 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 $1,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $700,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments City or township governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses Special district governments Independent school districts Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Small businesses 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) 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 eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH funding opportunity RFA-AG-15-014 is a discretionary grant competition for a cooperative agreement (U24) focused on building a research planning infrastructure, not on running a full-scale therapeutic development program. The central goal is to organize and coordinate a multidisciplinary team that can turn robust human genetics findings related to longer life span and/or improved health span into practical target identification (ID) strategies. In this context, a "target ID strategy" means a structured, step-by-step plan of analyses and experiments, using appropriate methods in the right sequence, to pinpoint genes, pathways, or molecules whose activity could potentially be modified in a beneficial way for aging-related outcomes. The emphasis is on planning and infrastructure that makes future target validation and therapeutic efforts more feasible, coherent, and faster.
A major part of the work described involves integrating existing knowledge and data on favorable genetic variants associated with human longevity or healthy aging. The U24 is expected to support creation of an integrated database that brings together relevant datasets and evidence streams, along with informatics and computational tools designed to evaluate how these favorable variants exert their effects. This includes methods to assess variant function and impact, prioritize targets, and judge whether a particular genetic signal is promising enough to justify downstream translational work. The FOA also calls for the development of concrete plans for the analyses and experiments that would be needed to move from a genetic association to one or more actionable therapeutic targets, such as defining mechanistic hypotheses, identifying model systems or experimental platforms, sequencing experiments logically, and specifying decision points for go/no-go progression.
The planned infrastructure is meant to be broadly useful to the research community, not locked inside a single lab. A key deliverable is establishing a publicly available resource, implying that the database, tools, and planning outputs should be accessible and usable by others working in genetics of aging, translational genomics, and early-stage drug discovery. The intention is to create a shared foundation that can help the field systematically translate protective or longevity-associated human variants into therapeutic hypotheses and target candidates, rather than relying on scattered, one-off efforts.
The FOA is explicit that the project should be conducted by a multidisciplinary collaborative team and identifies core expertise areas that should be represented. These include genetics and genomics (to interpret and prioritize human variants and loci), epidemiology (to understand population-level evidence and robustness of associations), aging research (to connect genetic effects to aging biology and phenotypes), translational genomics and drug development (to frame findings in a therapeutically actionable way), statistics (to ensure analytical rigor and appropriate inference), and bioinformatics (to build and maintain databases and computational tools). Because this is a U24 cooperative agreement, NIH program staff are typically expected to have substantial involvement, which often means active coordination, milestone-oriented progress, and ongoing interaction with NIH to keep the planning infrastructure aligned with program goals.
This opportunity is not designed to fund new discovery studies that collect fresh population or family data to find additional longevity genes. In other words, launching new cohort recruitment or new family-based genetic studies to identify longevity variants falls outside the scope. The focus is on leveraging genetic factors that are already "reliably associated" with increased life span or health span and then building the analytic, computational, and planning pipeline needed to translate those established findings toward therapeutically relevant targets.
In terms of administrative details, the program was posted August 13, 2014, with an original and current closing date of November 6, 2014, and it was later archived December 7, 2014. NIH anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1) with an estimated total funding amount of $1,000,000 and an award ceiling of $700,000. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The activity category is health, with CFDA 93.866 (Aging Research). Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based entity types, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal organizations, small businesses and other for-profit entities (other than small businesses are listed separately but included), and various special districts and authorities. The FOA also lists multiple types of minority-serving institutions and community-based or faith-based organizations as eligible where applicable. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply directly, but non-domestic components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined under NIH policy) were allowed.
Finally, the FOA makes clear that while this U24 builds the roadmap and shared infrastructure for target identification strategies, actual implementation of those strategies, meaning the later-stage experimental execution to validate targets and push toward therapeutic development, would likely need to be supported through future, separate funding opportunities. This sets the U24 up as a field-building, coordination-heavy award intended to standardize and accelerate how the aging research community converts protective human genetic variation into credible therapeutic target candidates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the NIH opportunity RFA-AG-15-014 about?
RFA-AG-15-014 is an NIH discretionary grant competition for a cooperative agreement (U24) focused on building a research planning infrastructure. The purpose is to organize and coordinate a multidisciplinary effort that translates robust human genetics findings linked to longer life span and/or improved health span into practical target identification (ID) strategies for aging-related outcomes.
What does U24 mean in this funding opportunity?
U24 is a cooperative agreement mechanism. In this context, it indicates the project is expected to involve substantial NIH program staff involvement, often including active coordination, milestone-oriented progress, and ongoing interaction with NIH to keep the planning infrastructure aligned with program goals.
Is this grant meant to fund a full therapeutic development program?
No. This opportunity is explicitly focused on planning and infrastructure, not on running a full-scale therapeutic development program. It is intended to make later target validation and therapeutic efforts more feasible, coherent, and faster, but those later-stage efforts would typically require separate future funding.
What is meant by a "target ID strategy" in this FOA?
A target identification (ID) strategy is described as a structured, step-by-step plan of analyses and experiments, using appropriate methods in the right sequence, to pinpoint genes, pathways, or molecules whose activity could potentially be modified in a beneficial way for aging-related outcomes.
What is the central goal of the U24 project?
The central goal is to organize and coordinate a multidisciplinary team that can turn robust human genetics findings related to longer life span and/or improved health span into practical target ID strategies, with an emphasis on planning outputs and shared infrastructure that supports future translational work.
What kinds of genetic findings are in scope?
The FOA focuses on leveraging genetic factors that are already reliably associated with increased life span or health span. The work is centered on integrating and translating established, favorable genetic variants associated with human longevity or healthy aging.
Are new discovery studies (like new cohort recruitment) supported under this U24?
No. The opportunity is not designed to fund new discovery studies that collect fresh population or family data to find additional longevity genes. New cohort recruitment or new family-based genetic studies to identify longevity variants are outside the scope.
What are the major expected components of the work?
Major components described include integrating existing knowledge and datasets related to favorable longevity/healthy-aging variants, building an integrated database, developing informatics and computational tools to evaluate variant effects, and producing concrete, stepwise plans for analyses and experiments that move from genetic associations toward actionable therapeutic targets.
What is the integrated database expected to contain or do?
The database is expected to bring together relevant datasets and evidence streams related to favorable genetic variants and provide informatics and computational tools to evaluate how these variants exert their effects. It should support assessing variant function and impact, prioritizing targets, and judging whether a genetic signal is promising enough to justify downstream translational work.
What kinds of tools or capabilities are expected as part of the informatics and computational work?
Based on the FOA description, the tools should help evaluate variant function and impact, prioritize candidate targets, integrate evidence streams, and support decision-making about whether a signal is sufficiently promising to pursue translational follow-up.
What planning outputs are expected besides the database and tools?
The FOA calls for concrete plans for the analyses and experiments needed to move from a genetic association to one or more actionable therapeutic targets. This includes defining mechanistic hypotheses, identifying model systems or experimental platforms, logically sequencing experiments, and specifying decision points for go/no-go progression.
Is the resulting infrastructure meant to be shared broadly?
Yes. The planned infrastructure is intended to be broadly useful to the research community. A key deliverable is establishing a publicly available resource, implying the database, tools, and planning outputs should be accessible and usable by others working in genetics of aging, translational genomics, and early-stage drug discovery.
Will the database and resources be publicly available?
Yes. The FOA indicates that a key deliverable is a publicly available resource, meaning the database, tools, and planning outputs should be made accessible to the wider research community rather than being confined to a single lab.
What expertise is expected on the multidisciplinary team?
The FOA identifies several core expertise areas that should be represented: genetics and genomics, epidemiology, aging research, translational genomics and drug development, statistics, and bioinformatics.
Why is epidemiology expertise highlighted for this project?
Epidemiology is called out to help understand population-level evidence and the robustness of associations, which is important when working with genetic variants described as reliably associated with longevity or healthy aging.
Why are statistics and bioinformatics considered core areas for this U24?
Statistics is included to ensure analytical rigor and appropriate inference, while bioinformatics is needed to build and maintain databases and computational tools that integrate datasets and support target prioritization and evaluation.
What role does NIH staff typically play in a U24 cooperative agreement?
The FOA notes that, because this is a U24 cooperative agreement, NIH program staff are typically expected to have substantial involvement. This often includes active coordination, milestone-oriented progress, and ongoing interaction with NIH during the project.
How many awards did NIH anticipate making under this FOA?
NIH anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).
What was the estimated total funding amount and the award ceiling?
The FOA lists an estimated total funding amount of $1,000,000 and an award ceiling of $700,000.
Is there a cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The FOA states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the CFDA number and program area associated with this opportunity?
The activity category is health, and the CFDA is 93.866 (Aging Research).
When was the FOA posted, and what were the closing dates?
The program was posted on August 13, 2014. The original and current closing date listed was November 6, 2014. The FOA was later archived on December 7, 2014.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad across many U.S.-based entity types. The FOA lists public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status); state and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; small businesses; and other for-profit entities (with small businesses listed separately but other for-profits included), plus various special districts and authorities. It also lists multiple types of minority-serving institutions and notes community-based or faith-based organizations as eligible where applicable.
Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply directly?
No. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and foreign institutions were not eligible to apply directly.
Can foreign components participate in any way?
Yes. The FOA indicates that non-domestic components of U.S. organizations could participate, and foreign components (as defined under NIH policy) were allowed.
What is the practical outcome NIH is trying to achieve with this U24?
The intended outcome is a shared foundation that helps the field systematically translate protective or longevity-associated human variants into therapeutic hypotheses and target candidates, reducing reliance on scattered, one-off efforts and accelerating future translational work through standardized planning and infrastructure.
Does this U24 fund the actual execution of target validation experiments?
The FOA emphasizes planning and infrastructure for target identification strategies. It also states that actual implementation of those strategies, including later-stage experimental execution to validate targets and move toward therapeutic development, would likely require future, separate funding opportunities.
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