Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for An Educational Hub for Enhancing Diversity in Computational Genomics and Data Science (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
Notice Number:
NOT-HG-22-012

Key Dates

Release Date:
March 16, 2022
Estimated Publication Date of Funding Opportunity Announcement:
May 04, 2022
First Estimated Application Due Date:
July 27, 2022
Earliest Estimated Award Date:
April 01, 2023
Earliest Estimated Start Date:
April 30, 2023
Related Announcements

None

Issued by

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to alert the community that NHGRI plans to publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for an Educational Hub for Enhancing Diversity in Computational Genomics and Data Science (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed), hereafter referred to as “the Hub”. The Hub will support activities to promote education in computational genomics and data science (CGDS), and cloud computing among undergraduates, masters’ degree students and faculty at institutions whose mission is to serve students from groups that are currently under-represented in CGDS (hereafter, collectively referred to as Target Institutions). Examples of Target Institutions include, but are not limited to, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and women’s collegesand institutions serving students with disabilities. . These activities will leverage the NHGRI-funded AnVIL and other NIH cloud-based platforms as tools for effective CGDS education and training.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop responsive projects to the Hub FOA and to alert the scientific community of a companion FOA that will be released in FY24 to support the development of cloud-based CGDS instructional materials by faculty at Target Institutions.

The FOA is expected to be published in Spring 2022 with an expected application due date in Summer 2022.

This FOA will utilize the {U24} activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

The overarching goal of the Hub is to increase availability and access to educational and research opportunities in cloud-based CGDS for undergraduate and masters’ degree students enrolled in Target Institutions .

This goal will be achieved through four complementary activities conducted by the Hub:

  1. Engaging with stakeholders from among Target Institutions interested in CGDS education and cloud computing. The scope of this goal includes identifying opportunities and challenges currently faced by these institutions in these topics, developing strategies to address these challenges, and testing and evaluating these strategies.
  2. Facilitating CGDS and cloud computing educational initiatives at Target Institutions. The scope of this goal includes organizing workshops and hands-on training sessions in CGDS topics for students and faculty at Target Institutions, including train-the-trainer content for faculty members at Target Institutions to facilitate CGDS teaching by their institutional colleagues.
  3. Integrating and disseminating CGDS educational resources through a cloud-hosted platform. The scope of this goal includes assisting faculty of participating institutions of the companion FOA with developing CGDS educational materials, adapting these materials for hosting on the cloud and disseminating these materials through a cloud-hosted portal created by the Hub.
  4. Providing logistical support and coordinating with participating NIH cloud computing platforms and partner Target Institutions that will be funded through the companion FOA to further the educational, diversity, and workforce development goals of the Hub.

As a complement to classroom and cloud-based CGDS instructional content, the Hub will also be expected to support opportunities for students at Target Institutions to conduct hands-on genomics research projects. Specifically, in the fourth and fifth years of the five-year project period for the Hub, it will also be expected to administer a competitive opportunity for faculty at Target Institutions to receive support for hands-on student research projects in CDGS.

Applicants for the Hub FOA are not required to be Target Institutions themselves but are encouraged to consider partnering with Target institutions for their application, reflecting the Purpose of the Hub as stated above.

NIH staff intend to hold a pre-application Informational webinar for all interested prospective applicants to this funding opportunity. Webinar date and other details will be posted on https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar. NHGRI staff will be available to answer questions related to this FOA. Additional resources, including Frequently Asked Questions, will be posted on the website. Investigators interested in this FOA are encouraged to contact and discuss their proposed research aims with the NHGRI contact listed below in advance of the application receipt date.

This Notice encourages investigators with expertise and insights into this area of {computational genomics data and science} to begin to consider working with their institutions to apply for this new FOA.

In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in {computational genomics and data science} will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering working with their institutions to apply for this application.

Among the areas of research encouraged in this initiative are computational genomics and data science examining the mechanisms that underlie the effects of genomic variation on function and disease, as well as research designed to improve our existing knowledge of strategies for enhancing the diversisty of the genomics workforce.

Funding Information

TBD

Estimated Total Funding

$1,500,000 total costs

Expected Number of Awards

1

Estimated Award Ceiling

$1,500,000 total costs

Primary Assistance Listing Number(s)

93.172

Anticipated Eligible Organizations
Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
U.S. Territory or Possession
Regional Organization
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government

Applications are not being solicited at this time. 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Shurjo K. Sen, Ph.D.

301-827-7028