Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) (U01) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-DK-11-026, titled "Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) (U01)," was a discretionary grant announcement issued by the National Institutes of Health to establish a cooperative research network focused on lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). The goal of the LURN initiative was to improve how LUTD is measured and described in both men and women by creating and qualifying symptom-based measurement tools and by developing clearer, more clinically meaningful patient phenotypes. In practical terms, the program aimed to move beyond broad or imprecise labels and instead capture the real-world patterns of urinary symptoms as they appear over time, including symptoms that are early or late in the course of illness, short-lived (transient), or long-lasting (persistent).

A central purpose of the network was the development and qualification of symptom-based instruments, meaning structured tools (often questionnaires or standardized assessments) designed to reliably measure patient-reported urinary symptoms. The emphasis on qualifying these instruments signals a push for rigorous testing so that the tools are not only well designed but also validated for consistency, sensitivity to change, and usefulness across different patient groups. Because LUTD symptoms can vary widely by sex, age, and underlying causes, the FOA explicitly targeted measurement approaches applicable to both males and females, helping ensure that resulting instruments and definitions would not be limited to one population or a single clinical presentation.

Another major objective was to "better define the phenotypes" of individuals with LUTD. Phenotyping in this context refers to identifying distinct subgroups of patients based on symptom patterns, severity, timing, and persistence, potentially integrating clinical characteristics and other measurable features. The overall direction of the announcement suggests NIH wanted a network capable of systematically collecting comparable data across sites, analyzing symptom clusters, and producing refined categories that could be used in research and, eventually, to guide more tailored clinical care. Better phenotypes can improve research studies by ensuring that participants are grouped in ways that reflect meaningful biological or clinical differences, rather than being lumped together under overly broad diagnoses.

This opportunity used the U01 mechanism, which is a cooperative agreement. That indicates NIH anticipated having substantial programmatic involvement, with NIH staff working collaboratively with awardees rather than operating purely as a hands-off funder. Cooperative agreements are commonly used when the agency wants to coordinate activities across multiple sites, harmonize protocols, and ensure shared milestones and data standards. The FOA anticipated making about four awards, with an estimated total funding level of $1,250,000 and an award ceiling of $250,000. The announcement stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, reducing the need for applicants to bring non-federal funds to the project.

The program was associated with CFDA number 93.847, which corresponds to Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research, aligning with NIH's NIDDK mission area where urinary tract and related disorders are often housed. The activity category is listed under health, reflecting the biomedical and clinical research focus rather than service delivery or infrastructure-only projects. The FOA was posted on December 6, 2011, with an original and current closing date of March 14, 2012, and an archive date of April 14, 2012, indicating it was a time-limited competition that is now closed.

Eligibility was broad and inclusive. Eligible applicants included many types of U.S. government entities (state, county, city/township, special district governments), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), small businesses, and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The FOA also explicitly included a wide range of mission-driven and community-connected institutions such as historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Notably, non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) were eligible to apply, and foreign components of U.S. organizations were allowed consistent with NIH policy, which can be important for assembling the best expertise or for including diverse populations in symptom research.

For anyone seeking the original full text, NIH provided an additional information link to the archived FOA page on the NIH grants site. For technical issues accessing the announcement or resolving link problems, the contact point listed was the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster via FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV. Overall, the LURN (U01) opportunity was designed to build a coordinated, multi-site research effort capable of producing standardized, validated symptom measurement tools and more precise patient phenotypes, with the broader aim of improving the science underlying LUTD diagnosis, classification, and future treatment research.

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