Mendelian Genomics Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 20 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 20 008

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offered this funding opportunity to create and run a Mendelian Genomics Data Coordinating Center (MGDCC) that would serve as the central coordination hub for the Mendelian Genomics Research Consortium. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which generally means NIH expects substantial involvement during the project period, with ongoing coordination between the awardee and NIH program staff. The focus is on infrastructure and program-wide coordination rather than running a clinical trial, and the announcement explicitly states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed."

At its core, the MGDCC is meant to make Mendelian genomics outputs easier to share, find, and use across the broader research community. A major responsibility is managing the release of data and research findings generated by consortium-funded projects. That includes handling the practical details of data dissemination, promoting consistent and timely sharing, and helping ensure that data and results are distributed in a way that maximizes downstream value for other investigators. The opportunity also emphasizes program outreach, meaning the center is expected to communicate actively with stakeholders and the wider scientific community so that consortium resources and discoveries are visible, accessible, and actually used.

Beyond data release and outreach, the center is tasked with coordinating the logistics that keep a multi-site consortium functioning smoothly. This includes supporting working groups, organizing and facilitating meetings, and generally providing the administrative and operational backbone needed for collaborative science across multiple teams. In practice, that kind of role typically involves setting up communication channels, maintaining schedules and deliverables, tracking action items, standardizing workflows where helpful, and ensuring that consortium participants have the structure needed to move shared priorities forward.

A distinctive feature of this program is that the MGDCC would also oversee the consortium's Opportunity Fund. The intent of this fund is to provide rapid-turnaround, short-term support for functional follow-up studies that build directly on program findings. In other words, when the consortium identifies a promising gene, variant, or Mendelian disease signal, the Opportunity Fund is designed to quickly enable targeted experiments or analyses that validate and extend those discoveries. The coordinating center would manage this process, which implies responsibilities like running solicitations or internal competitions (as defined by the program), coordinating review or selection workflows, issuing and tracking awards, and monitoring progress to ensure the funds achieve their intended purpose.

The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category (CFDA 93.172) and was posted as a discretionary funding opportunity. While the source text does not specify an award ceiling or the number of expected awards, the structure and responsibilities indicate NIH was seeking an organization with strong capabilities in data coordination, consortium operations, and grants or sub-award style management for the Opportunity Fund component.

Eligibility is broad. Standard eligible applicants listed include various levels of government (state, county, city or 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/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education when specified), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as 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, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. This breadth signals NIH wanted to allow a wide range of potential coordinating entities, including academic, nonprofit, governmental, and international organizations, as long as they could credibly deliver the coordination, data-sharing, outreach, and rapid-funding functions described.

Key administrative details from the listing include the funding opportunity title "Mendelian Genomics Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," funding opportunity number RFA HG 20 008, agency NIH, and an original closing date of July 15, 2020, with a creation date of January 13, 2020.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mendelian Genomics Data Coordinating Center (U24 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 2020-01-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-07-15. (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 20 008

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