Genomic Community Resources (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 100

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Genomic Community Resources (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-20-100)

What is the Genomic Community Resources funding opportunity (PAR-20-100)?

PAR-20-100 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). It supports the creation or expansion of shared genomic community resources that make research easier to do, easier to reproduce, and easier to build on by the broader scientific community.

What is the main goal of this program?

The goal is to strengthen and sustain the shared infrastructure the genomics field depends on. The program funds resources that are broadly enabling and widely useful, with an emphasis on reliable distribution, usability, ongoing access, and community value.

What kind of work is this opportunity intended to support?

This opportunity is intended to support resource development and operations rather than hypothesis-driven research focused on a single lab or narrow scientific question. Supported activities include building or expanding data resources, developing tools, standardizing concepts (such as through ontologies), generating reference-type data products, and distributing these outputs to the wider community as durable assets.

What does "community value" mean in the context of this FOA?

Community value means the funded resource should be broadly enabling across genomics and related biomedical research areas (for example, basic genomics, human disease research, model organism research, and other genomics-centered biomedical domains). Success is measured by broad community uptake and usefulness, not just by advancing a single research aim.

What funding mechanism is used for awards under this FOA?

Awards are made as U24 cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement generally indicates NIH expects an active partnership with the awardee during development and operation of the resource.

What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement (U24)?

It means NIH is likely to play an active role in the funded project, working collaboratively with the recipient as the resource is developed and operated. Applicants should be prepared for ongoing coordination and engagement with NIH during the award period.

Are clinical trials allowed under this funding opportunity?

No. Clinical trials are not allowed. Projects that propose prospective assignment of human participants to interventions to evaluate health-related outcomes would be considered out of scope for this announcement.

If clinical trials are not allowed, what is the program focused on instead?

The focus is on resource development, data generation or aggregation, tool building, standardization, and distribution activities that broadly support genomics research without being structured as a clinical trial.

What types of resources are specifically highlighted as examples?

The announcement highlights examples including: (1) databases and informatics infrastructure (such as human and model organism databases, ontologies, and analysis toolsets), (2) comprehensive identification and curated collections of genomic features (such as functional genomic elements) to create systematic high-quality catalogs, and (3) generation and distribution of standard data types from central shared sample sets, similar to widely used reference efforts like 1000 Genomes structural variant resources or GTEx-based data products.

Does the FOA only fund new resources, or can it expand existing ones?

Based on the description, the program supports resources that are created or expanded, with the expectation that they will be reliably distributed and maintained as community assets.

What are the expectations around dissemination and access?

A key expectation is that outputs will be durable community assets with clear plans for dissemination, usability, and ongoing access. The resource should be distributed reliably to the broader scientific community.

What operational qualities does NHGRI emphasize for funded resources?

The program emphasizes cost-effective approaches and practical, scalable operations. Applicants are expected to show they can build and maintain a resource the community will actually use, and that it can be produced and shared efficiently.

What research areas can benefit from these resources?

The supported resources are intended to enable a wide range of genomics-centered research, including basic genomics, human disease research, model organism research, and other areas of biomedical research where genomics is central.

Which NIH institute is sponsoring this opportunity?

This funding opportunity is from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is the CFDA number and what does it indicate?

This FOA falls under the NIH health funding activity area and is associated with CFDA 93.172, as listed in the provided information.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. and non-U.S. organization types. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; 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; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations).

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes U.S. territories or possessions.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes faith-based and community-based organizations.

Are minority-serving institutions explicitly included in eligibility?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and other categories listed in the provided description.

Are tribal governments that are not federally recognized eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes tribal governments that are not federally recognized.

Are federal agencies eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligibility list includes eligible federal agencies.

Does the provided information list an award ceiling or number of expected awards?

No. The provided source information does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.

Where would an applicant typically look for budget expectations and project period norms?

The provided information indicates applicants typically need to consult the full FOA text and NIH guidance for budget expectations, project period norms, and review considerations.

When was this opportunity created, and what is the original closing date listed?

The opportunity was created on January 23, 2020, and the listed original closing date is May 25, 2023.

How should applicants think about what "success" looks like for a funded project?

Based on the description, success is measured by community uptake, data and tool quality, standardization and interoperability, and sustained, cost-conscious distribution of the resource.

Is this FOA intended to support narrow, single-lab hypothesis-driven research?

No. The program is described as focusing on community resources rather than hypothesis-driven projects focused on a single lab or a narrow question.

What kinds of data efforts are mentioned as examples of "standard data types"?

The description points to reference-style efforts such as 1000 Genomes Project structural variant resources and GTEx-based data products as examples of the type of standard data generation and distribution this program may support.

What is the overall purpose of funding genomic databases, ontologies, and toolsets under this program?

The purpose is to provide widely useful infrastructure that helps researchers interpret genomic information, standardize how genomic concepts are described, and access reliable data and tools that enable reproducible and scalable research across the genomics community.