Notice Number: NOT-AR-16-005

Key Dates
Release Date: June 4, 2015
Estimated Publication Date of Announcement: August 2015
First Estimated Application Due Date: December 2015
Earliest Estimated Award Date: June 2016
Earliest Estimated Start Date: July 2016

Issued by
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Purpose

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) uses a number of centers grant mechanisms to support research that require synergistic, integrated groups of investigators, significant infrastructure, and/or technological innovations. Recently, NIAMS convened a Centers Evaluation Working Group (CEWG) to advise the Institute as to how the Centers programs could be more responsive and supportive to current research needs and opportunities. The CEWG concluded that NIAMS should allow flexibility and dynamism in the design, structure, and conduct of its Centers, to accommodate the variable needs of NIAMS research areas that differ with respect to investigator community, resource availability, and knowledge depth and breadth (see NIAMS Centers Evaluation Working Group Report; http://niams.nih.gov/Funding/Centers_Evaluation/centers_report_May2013.asp). The CEWG recommended that the "NIAMS Centers should support the conduct of interdisciplinary research, in which a team of investigators pools their expertise in different disciplines to create a new, integrated approach to understanding human disease (as distinct from a multi-disciplinary approach, in which investigators with different expertise each focus on different aspects of a shared problem)." In accordance with the CEWG recommendations, the NIAMS intends to re-issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to solicit applications for Centers of Research Translation (CORT), which will allow the investigators greater flexibility to design a CORT with optimal structure to foster synergistic interactions and productive interdisciplinary collaborations to promote innovation in addressing the translational research needs.

The intent of this Notice is to provide potential applicants with lead time to start the processing of forming teams, building collaborations, and planning responsive applications. 

The FOA is expected to be published in the summer of 2015 with an expected application due date in the winter of 2015. This FOA will utilize the P50 activity code. Details of the planned FOA are provided below.

Research Initiative Details

This Notice encourages investigators and teams with expertise and insights in areas of research that is translational in nature, directed at elucidating the relevance of basic research to human disease in an area within the NIAMS mission, to begin to consider applying for this reissue FOA. Two major features of the CORT program include: 1) the overarching aim of disease-related research translation, and 2) the inclusion of resources and an administrative structure to facilitate research translation. A CORT must focus on disease entities or disorders in the NIAMS mission (http://www.niams.nih.gov/About_Us/Mission_and_Purpose/long_range.asp). The focus cannot be generic, e.g., autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, or skin diseases. Potential PDs/PIs are strongly encouraged to contact the NIAMS staff listed below early in the application planning process to discuss NIAMS mission relevance.

Overall, a CORT research program could be carried out by a multi, inter or transdisciplinary team of scientists who will address a highly significant translational research challenge in a disease or condition within the mission of the NIAMS. The focus of research could be either 1) a disease-targeted translational theme addressed by synergistic Research Projects with optional Research Cores; or, 2) a disease-related critical question addressed through a single collaborative Research Project enabled by a number of highly interactive Research Cores whose work is integrated overtime during the development and implementation of the Project. A CORT must have a minimum of three highly meritorious research components consisting of one or more translational Research Projects and one or more Research Cores. To facilitate team science approach, the lead investigators of the research components must be drawn from relevant and as appropriate different research disciplines, and may be based in different departments, divisions and/or institutions. Combined, the projects and cores will generate new knowledge that will improve our understanding of human pathophysiology, and lead to identification of new targets, other tangible products or deliverables and development of more effective treatment, diagnostic or prevention strategies for human disease.

The CORT research projects will NOT support:

• Clinical trials focused on testing intervention(s);
• Clinical and/epidemiological research that does not include a laboratory component or capitalize upon a biological discovery relevant to human health or disease;
• Research involving the use of animal models is not excluded; however, any proposed animal model(s) has to be highly relevant to human conditions and the demonstrated application to humans must be included in the specific aims of the proposed project(s).

APPLICATIONS ARE NOT BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Yan Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Telephone: 301-594-5032
Email:  wangy1@mail.nih.gov

James Panagis, M.D., MPH
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Telephone: 301-594-3513
Email:  panagisj@mail.nih.gov