Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 12 211
Apply for RFA HD 12 211
- The National Institutes of Health in the education environment health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tools to Enhance Studies of Glial Cell Development, Aging, Disease and Repair (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs 93.286 Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health 93.361 Nursing Research 93.389 National Center for Research Resources 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders 93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 93.866 Aging Research 93.867 Vision Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2011 and posted on Dec 21, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 29, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments County governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education State governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions 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 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:
Tools to Enhance Studies of Glial Cell Development, Aging, Disease and Repair (R21) is an NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research funding opportunity designed to speed progress in glial biology by fixing a basic, field-wide problem: too few rigorous, broadly usable tools exist to reliably identify, target, and study glial cells across their many types and states. The NIH Blueprint is a partnership across 16 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices that coordinates neuroscience investments to accelerate discovery and ultimately reduce the burden of nervous system disorders. Within that larger effort, this FOA focuses specifically on enabling technology for glial research in both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The core purpose of the announcement is tool building rather than hypothesis-driven biology alone. Applicants are expected to develop brand-new technologies or substantially modify and extend existing cutting-edge methods so they become truly useful for glial research questions. The emphasis is on overcoming practical barriers that currently slow the field, especially the difficulty of targeting and identifying glial cells in a rigorous way. Competitive projects are those that can plausibly shift everyday practice for many labs, not just produce a one-off solution for a single research group. In other words, NIH is looking for enabling platforms, reagents, methods, or approaches that will be adopted broadly by the neuroscience community and that make previously hard or impossible glial experiments realistic.
The FOA highlights two main categories of deliverables. First are tools that let researchers manipulate and identify glial cells in ways that reflect real biological complexity, including differences in glial heterogeneity (distinct subtypes), developmental stage, and functional state. Second are tools that enable direct investigation of glial functions and processes, with the explicit goal of improving understanding of both normal neural function and abnormal function in disease, aging, and injury/repair contexts. The announcement also frames this as supporting discovery-based work on glial diversity, development, and function, meaning it is meant to open up exploration and characterization, not only test a narrow predefined mechanism.
Administratively, this is an R21 mechanism, which is typically used by NIH to support early-stage, exploratory, and potentially high-impact projects where feasibility data may be limited but the upside is large. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, and there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted December 21, 2011, with an original and current closing date of March 29, 2012, and an archive date of April 29, 2012. The funding opportunity number is RFA-HD-12-211, and the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic and international organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit structures), small businesses and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses are also listed as eligible), and multiple levels of government organizations such as state, county, city/township, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also explicitly includes a wide range of additional eligible entities such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies. Foreign institutions may apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy.
For applicants seeking the complete details, the full FOA text is linked at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-12-211.html. Technical access issues are directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the funding opportunity?
This opportunity is titled "Tools to Enhance Studies of Glial Cell Development, Aging, Disease and Repair (R21)." It is an NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research funding opportunity focused on accelerating progress in glial biology by supporting the development of broadly usable research tools.
What is the main goal of this FOA?
The core purpose is tool building: creating brand-new technologies or substantially modifying and extending existing cutting-edge methods so they become truly useful for glial research. The FOA is aimed at solving a field-wide problem: there are too few rigorous, broadly usable tools to reliably identify, target, and study glial cells across many types and states.
Is this opportunity intended for hypothesis-driven biology projects?
The emphasis is not on hypothesis-driven biology alone. Projects are expected to focus on enabling technologies (platforms, reagents, methods, or approaches) rather than only producing biological findings without delivering a broadly useful tool.
What kinds of tool deliverables are specifically emphasized?
The FOA highlights two main categories of deliverables: (1) tools that let researchers manipulate and identify glial cells in ways that reflect real biological complexity (including glial heterogeneity, developmental stage, and functional state), and (2) tools that enable direct investigation of glial functions and processes, with the goal of improving understanding of normal neural function and abnormal function in disease, aging, and injury/repair contexts.
Which parts of the nervous system are included?
The FOA supports enabling technology for glial research in both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
What is the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research?
The NIH Blueprint is a partnership across 16 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices that coordinates neuroscience investments to accelerate discovery and ultimately reduce the burden of nervous system disorders. This FOA sits within that broader Blueprint effort and focuses specifically on glial research tools.
What makes a project competitive under this FOA?
Competitive projects are those that can plausibly shift everyday practice for many laboratories, not just produce a one-off solution for a single research group. NIH is looking for enabling tools that will be adopted broadly by the neuroscience community and make previously hard or impossible glial experiments realistic.
Does this FOA support discovery-based work?
Yes. The announcement frames the work as supporting discovery-based research on glial diversity, development, and function. The intent is to open up exploration and characterization capabilities, not only to test a narrow, predefined mechanism.
What funding mechanism is used?
This opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically used to support early-stage, exploratory, and potentially high-impact projects where feasibility data may be limited but the upside is large.
What is the award ceiling?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who is the sponsoring agency?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is RFA-HD-12-211.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on December 21, 2011.
What are the closing date and archive date?
The original and current closing date is March 29, 2012. The archive date is April 29, 2012.
What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes domestic and international organizations. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) and other nonprofit structures); small businesses; other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses are also listed as eligible); and multiple levels of government organizations (state, county, city/township, special district governments, independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities).
Are minority-serving institutions included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and other similar eligible entities listed in the announcement summary.
Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are explicitly listed as eligible.
Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes faith-based and community-based organizations as eligible applicants.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly listed as eligible.
Can foreign institutions apply?
Yes. Foreign institutions may apply. In addition, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy.
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. Eligible federal agencies are listed among the eligible applicant types.
Where can applicants find the full FOA text?
The full FOA text is linked at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-12-211.html
Who should be contacted for technical access issues with the FOA link or page?
Technical access issues are directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
What problem in the field is this FOA trying to solve?
The FOA targets a basic, field-wide bottleneck: the lack of enough rigorous and broadly usable tools to reliably identify, target, and study glial cells across their many types and states. This limitation slows progress across many glial research areas, including development, aging, disease, and repair.
What aspects of glial biology does the FOA call out as important for tool design?
The FOA stresses that tools should reflect real biological complexity, including glial heterogeneity (distinct subtypes), developmental stage, and functional state, rather than treating glia as a single uniform cell class.
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