Small Research Grants for Analysis, Curation, and/or Sharing of Down syndrome-related Research Data for the INCLUDE Project (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA OD 22 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 22 008

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering this funding opportunity under the INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE), a long-running NIH effort focused on improving health and quality of life for people with Down syndrome. This particular announcement supports small research projects that use existing Down syndrome-related datasets to generate new insights, strengthen the value of those data through curation, and make the data easier to share and reuse by the wider research community. The overall scientific emphasis is on understanding why certain co-occurring health conditions happen more often in Down syndrome, why some individuals show resilience, and what underlying biological or clinical factors may explain differences in risk across the lifespan.

Projects proposed under this opportunity are expected to center on analysis and/or handling of research data rather than running new clinical trials, since clinical trials are not allowed under this R03 mechanism. The types of data specifically called out include genomics and other "omics" (for example, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), as well as clinical and phenotypic datasets tied to Down syndrome research. Competitive applications would typically pose clear, focused questions that can be answered with available data, such as identifying genetic or molecular correlates of a co-occurring condition, clarifying risk and protective factors, or improving the interpretability and usability of complex datasets so they can more readily support downstream discovery.

In addition to straightforward data analysis, the announcement encourages proposals that develop approaches, tools, or algorithms designed for analyzing Down syndrome-relevant data and for improving data sharing. A key component of the broader INCLUDE ecosystem is the INCLUDE Data Hub, and applicants may propose work that facilitates deposition, harmonization, documentation, standardization, or broader reuse of Down syndrome datasets through that resource. In practice, this could include activities like improving metadata quality, mapping variables to common data elements, creating pipelines that make it easier to process multi-omics or clinical data consistently, or building methods that help integrate diverse datasets so researchers can compare results across studies.

The opportunity is issued as a discretionary grant by NIH under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-OD-22-008, with an original closing date listed as 2024-07-01. The award ceiling shown in the provided source information is up to $1,000,000. The announcement is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.172, 93.173, 93.233, 93.393, 93.396, 93.837 through 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, and 93.865 through 93.867), reflecting the cross-institute nature of NIH activity in this space.

Eligibility is broad and includes many standard applicant types such as state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The opportunity also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), 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, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility is consistent with the goal of bringing more teams and perspectives into Down syndrome data analysis and data-sharing efforts.

In summary, this NIH INCLUDE R03 funding opportunity is meant for tightly scoped, meritorious projects that make strong use of Down syndrome-related genomics, multi-omics, clinical, and phenotypic data. The work can involve answering specific biomedical questions about co-occurring conditions and resilience, improving how datasets are curated and harmonized, and/or creating tools and algorithms that strengthen analyses and accelerate responsible sharing through the INCLUDE Data Hub, all without conducting clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Research Grants for Analysis, Curation, and/or Sharing of Down syndrome-related Research Data for the INCLUDE Project (R03 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, 93.173, 93.233, 93.393, 93.396, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.853, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-04-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-01. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• 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 OD 22 008

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