Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 25 016

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 25 016

The Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) opportunity (RFA-DK-25-016) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to build a coordinated set of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Research and Translation Core Centers (RTCCs). The main idea is to create nationally useful shared infrastructure that accelerates PKD research and translation by providing resources, services, and specialized expertise that are too expensive, complex, or inefficient for individual laboratories to build and maintain on their own. These centers are expected to function as a national resource for the broader PKD research community, not just for investigators at the applicant institution.

A key feature of the program is that each RTCC will operate as part of a larger PKD Research Consortium and is expected to work collaboratively with a Central Coordinating Site (CCS). In practice, this means the RTCCs are not meant to be isolated cores; they should coordinate activities, align practices where needed, and share tools broadly so that researchers across the country can access and benefit from the cores. Because this is a U54 cooperative agreement, NIH will typically have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant, and applicants should expect ongoing coordination and consortium-style collaboration as a central requirement of the award.

The centers are expected to develop, maintain, and share research resources such as reagents and tools, along with services and technical expertise. While the notice does not list specific required cores in the text provided, the intent is clear: applicants should propose core capabilities that fill important gaps and enable multiple research groups to move faster or do higher-quality work than they could independently. The overall emphasis is on enabling and translation-oriented infrastructure for PKD research, rather than funding stand-alone hypothesis-driven projects. The funding opportunity explicitly indicates "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the proposed activities should not include clinical trials as defined by NIH, even if the work is clinically relevant.

This NOFO is open to new applications only, not renewals. Previously funded PKD Centers are allowed to apply, but they must apply as new centers rather than submitting a renewal application. That framing matters because it signals NIH is looking for a fresh competition and may expect applicants, including prior awardees, to justify their proposed approach, cores, and consortium contributions as if starting anew.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: 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; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; 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 eligible entities. The NOFO also highlights specific categories of institutions and organizations that may apply, 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, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are important restrictions related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant may include a foreign element of the project under NIH rules when it is well justified and properly described, even though the primary applicant organization must be domestic.

The opportunity falls under the NIH Assistance Listing (CFDA) number 93.847 and is categorized under health-related funding activities. The application due date listed is 2024-11-14, and the opportunity was created on 2024-08-12. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source text, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO and NIH budget guidance to understand funding limits, the anticipated scale of support, and any additional requirements such as governance structure, core access policies, data/resource sharing expectations, and how the RTCCs will interface operationally with the CCS and the broader consortium.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Centers (U54 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): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-14. (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 DK 25 016

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