Developing Predictive Models of the Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 20 047

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 20 047

This funding opportunity, titled "Developing Predictive Models of the Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (RFA HG 20 047), is an NIH discretionary grant mechanism offered as a cooperative agreement (U01). Its central aim is to support Predictive Modeling and Analysis Projects that create and apply new computational approaches to forecast how genomic variation changes genome function and/or observable outcomes such as molecular or organism-level phenotypes. The emphasis is on building innovative models that help translate DNA-level differences into functional consequences, ultimately improving understanding of how genetic variation contributes to human health and disease. Because it is a "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" opportunity, proposed work should not be designed as a clinical trial; instead, it should focus on computational modeling, analysis, and related research activities that do not meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.

A key feature of this FOA is that funded projects will not operate in isolation. Awardees will become part of the Impact of Genomic Variation on Function Consortium, meaning each project is expected to collaborate actively with other consortium members and related components. Practically, that consortium participation implies coordinated planning around data collection strategies, shared analytical approaches where appropriate, and a general commitment to working together to speed progress on common scientific goals. The cooperative agreement structure also signals that NIH will likely have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a typical investigator-initiated grant, with an expectation of coordination, communication, and shared milestones across the consortium.

The scientific scope centers on predicting the functional impact of genomic variation. That can include models that interpret variants in coding regions, noncoding regulatory regions, structural variants, or other types of genetic changes, as long as the work advances the ability to predict how variation affects genome function or phenotype. The FOA description highlights innovation in computational models, which often includes statistical modeling, machine learning, integrative multi-omics approaches, and methods that leverage large-scale functional genomics resources. While the opportunity text is brief, the consortium framing strongly suggests applicants should plan for interoperability with community data standards, reproducibility, and collaborative data-sharing practices that make their predictions comparable and useful across projects.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other organizations. The FOA explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories as well, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility is consistent with a consortium model that benefits from varied institutional strengths, including academic, nonprofit, governmental, and international partners.

Administratively, the opportunity is run under the NIH with an activity category in health and a CFDA number of 93.172. The original posting dates in the provided source data indicate a creation date of 2020-08-03 and an original closing date of 2020-11-04. The excerpted fields do not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would normally look to the full FOA for budget guidance, project period limits, and the anticipated scale of the program. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as support for computational, collaborative, consortium-based research that improves the ability to predict what genetic variants do, connecting genomic differences to functional outcomes in a way that can accelerate progress in human genetics and disease research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing Predictive Models of the Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-08-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-11-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA HG 20 047

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