Part 1. Overview Information

Key Dates

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

1. Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
2. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
   
   
3. Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.



Table of Contents
Part 1. Overview Information
Key Dates
Part 2. Full Text of Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Background

In 2020, the National Human Genome Research Institute engaged the scientific community to identify future research priorities and opportunities in human genomics, resulting in our 2020 Strategic Vision for Improving Health at the Forefront of Genomics (https://www.genome.gov/2020SV). This vision outlined the guiding principles and values for human genomics including championing a diverse workforce and embracing interdisciplinary teams in genomic research.

Investigators from different backgrounds bring different perspectives, exchange innovative ideas, and increase the objectivity in generating new data and in its interpretation, which leads to knowledge that is more reliable, but the scientific and biomedical workforce in the United States (U.S.) is not as diverse as the U.S. population, and this extends to the genomics research workforce. This lack of diversity negatively impacts the scope, integrity, and applicability of research. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with a mission to serve historically underrepresented populations have played an important role in supporting scientific research, particularly on diseases and conditions that disproportionately impact racial/ethnic minorities and other U.S. populations that experience health disparities, though they often lack sufficient capacity to conduct and sustain cutting-edge health-related research. .Researchers at these institutions are uniquely positioned to bring novel perspectives and broaden the field of genomics, e.g., by engaging racial and ethnic minority populations in research and helping to translate research advances into culturally competent, measurable and sustained improvements in health outcomes for underserved communities.

This initiative will champion a diverse genomics research workforce by supporting cutting-edge genomic research projects, capacity building and training in genomics at minority serving institutions. This FOA will support MSIs that do not yet have the genomic research capacity to perform as a full-scale Diversity Centers for Genome Research by using a two-staged, phase approach to support planning and feasibility activities in Phase I and full-scale activities in Phase II (see below).

Program Description

Overall Plans for the Center: The purpose of this program is to support the development of innovative genomic research projects through infrastructure building and the formation of interdisciplinary research teams at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with a historical mission to serve underrepresented populations (see section III). Through this initiative, genomic research capacity will be increased in MSIs; the diversity of the genomics research workforce will be enhanced; innovation and creativity will be amplified by bringing new researchers and thus novel ideas into the field of genomics; and participation of underrepresented populations and underserved communities that often experience health disparities will be increased in genomics research.

Awardees of Phase I of this RFA will enhance genomic research capacity, develop plans, and test the feasibility of achieving the primary goals of the Diversity Centers for Genome Research which are to enhance diversity in genomic research by establishing Centers to carry out innovative, state-of-the-art genomic research studies; foster genomic research career development and enhancement for trainees and investigators at all career levels; enhance the genomic infrastructure, computational, analytical and ELSI research capability within eligible MSIs; establish sustainable partnerships and disseminate resources and findings.

Collaborations with research-intensive institutions, industry, and other stakeholders needed to obtain the expertise to perform the proposed research and carry out the aims of the cores can be included. These collaborations in combination with the Research Center should provide the complete capacity needed to carry out the genomic research projects and the didactic and practicum experiences. Collaborations between the Diversity Centers for Genome Research funded through this FOA and RFA-HG-22-026 and other NHGRI Consortia will be encouraged after funding.

Program Governance: Awards made under this FOA will be cooperative agreements (seeSection VI.2. Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award). A Consortium will be organized with the principal investigators and key personnel of the Centers funded under this FOA and the companion FOA (RFA-HG-22-026). Close interaction with Center investigators and the NIH will be required to ensure success of the consortium.

The Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) from each Center will be responsible for the scientific direction of the Consortium and will meet in person as a Steering Committee (see Section VI.2., Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award) two times per year and by conference call monthly. The Steering Committee will develop best practices and explore opportunities for synergy among Centers. Working Groups may be established to facilitate collaborative work and explore new research collaborations. Center investigators, collaborators, students, and trainees are encouraged to attend Steering Committee meetings. It is expected that resources and data will be shared within the consortium, as needed.

Plan for Advisory Committees: Each Center must have an External Advisory Committee (EAC).The EAC should consist of at least six members from the target communities and external scientific advisors with expertise directly relevant to the theme of the Center. A representative from NIH will also serve as an ex officio member of the EAC. Responsibilities of the EAC include but are not limited to evaluating the progress towards the organization, development, implementation, and evaluation the genomic research center; evaluating protocols, procedures, and the identification of appropriate equipment; assessing recruitment of relevant faculty and trainees and plans for capacity building; assessing the solutions for logistical problems; and reviewing the outcomes of the tests and implementation of protocols and procedures. The Center may also have an Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) comprising scientists not directly supported by the Diversity Center for Genome Research Award. The IAC is optional and cannot act as a substitute for the EAC. The EAC and IAC, if needed, should meet quarterly in Phase I.

Evaluation Plan: The Center should develop an evaluation plan with clear timelines and milestones to monitor and evaluate the performance of all components of Phase I and Phase II and progress of the investigators it supports. Strategies to identify and remedy deficiencies such as poor performance and lack of progress should be described.

UG3 Phase I Study: This FOA will utilize a UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement mechanism for a two-stage, one-application approach to the development of a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research. Phase I will provide up to $300,000 direct costs per year not to exceed three years, to plan for and demonstrate the ability to fulfill the goal of operationalizing a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research in Phase II. During the UG3 period, successful awardees will each: (a) enhance plans for the organization, implementation and evaluation of a full-scale genomic research center, (b) recruit and retain relevant faculty and trainees, (c) perform training on software and equipment that will be acquired in Phase II, (d) test and implement protocols and procedures, (e) enhance plans for providing research experiences, courses, career development and genomic didactic and practicum opportunities and (f) identify and provide solutions for any logistical problems that can be foreseen.Institutions that have strong potential to become a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research will collaborate and learn from full-scale Diversity Centers for Genome Research funded under the companion FOA (RFA-HG-22-026) while strengthening their research capacity and ability to accomplish the activities that will be necessary to execute their proposed full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research.

The UG3 phase will support the enhancement of the protocols, manual of operations, and other resources necessary to carry out the aims of the cores and research projects; further development of study partnerships; and submission of protocols and informed consent(s)/assent(s) for Institutional Review Board/Data and Safety Monitoring Board.

Transition from UG3 to UH3

Applicants and recipients of UG3 funding should note that the UG3 award does not guarantee subsequent UH3 funding. Only UG3 projects that have met the scientific milestones and other requirements negotiated between the NIH and the applicant prior to funding will be eligible for transition to the second UH3 Phase.

Investigators who have achieved UG3 milestones will be eligible to submit a non-competing application for transition to the UH3 phase (Phase II). Substantial progress toward milestones will need to be demonstrated to be considered for the full-scale Phase II award. The decisions about continued support for Phase II will be based on programmatic review of the accomplishments and progress made in Phase I, the quality of the updated plans for fully executing a Diversity Center for Genome Research, and the demonstration of feasibility of implementing the goals and activities of the full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research including carrying out the 2-3 proposed genomic research projects, administrative management of the center, providing genomic workforce development, and community engagement. There will be an assessment of research and equipment space via a site visit performed before NHGRI will release funds for the Phase II award. If the awardee has had substantial progress towards agreed upon milestones and has a favorable programmatic review, the Center will be funded to become full-scale and supported in Phase II for another four or five years depending on the length of their Phase I award. Phase II will be funded at an increased level of up to $2 million Total Costs per year.

As part of this noncompeting UH3 transition application, investigators will be asked to provide contingency plans if they do not reach Phase II. Such contingency plans may be developed during the UG3 period. Final funding decisions for the UH3 phase will be based on successful completion of the UG3 milestones, rigor of the UH3 milestones and plans, scientific priorities, and funds availability.

The criteria that will be used to determine which of the Phase I projects will be continued into Phase II will include:

• Identification and commitment of faculty and staff for Center cores and proposed projects
• Completion of training for all planned software, technology and/or equipment purchases
• Assessment of mechanisms proposed for regular communication and coordination among investigators
• EAC review and approval of all procedures and protocols including strategies, methodologies, and analyses plans
• Successful achievement of the defined milestones for the Phase I period of the project
• Potential for meeting the goals of the initiative to establish a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research including carrying out all activities of the proposed cores and research projects
• Concrete and encouraging results and accomplishments of the genomic capacity building activities in Phase I
• Appropriateness of the research and equipment space
• The availability of funds

UH3 Full-Scale Phase II:For Phase II, the grant application should address how the implementation of the Center will build on the plans and data generated during Phase I. In the UH3 stage of the award, the successful awardees will apply the proposed plans for a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research including the refinement of approaches and tools from the UG3 Phase I to the UH3 Phase II.

Full-Scale Program Required Components

The following components are required for each Center:

• Administrative Core
• Genomic Workforce Development Core
• Community Engagement Core
• Research Project(s): Maximum three projects
• Evaluation plan
• External Advisory Committee

Descriptions of Required Components

Organizational Plan:In Phase II, the Center is expected to support an Administrative Core, Workforce Development Core, Community Engagement Core, and two to three interrelated, innovative research projects that address one or more critical issues in the following: genomic technology and methods development; genome structure; genome function; genomics of disease; use and impact of genomic information in clinical care; ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic research; genomics and health equity; and/or computational genomics.

Administrative Core

The Administrative Core should be directed by the PD(s)/PI(s) of the Center. This core will provide management in administrative, fiscal, and scientific aspects of the center including career enhancement activities for students, trainees, and faculty, and foster synergy with other ongoing genomic career development activities at the institution including any funded through other NIH grants. In addition, this core oversees an assessment of each proposed activity/core and the impact of the Center in terms of: 1) enhancing the institutional research capacity and environment necessary to facilitate genomic research; 2) increasing productivity of investigators in peer-reviewed publications and discovery; and 3) increasing the institution's overall success in applying for and obtaining extramural research funding. Successful applicants will be expected to work closely with NHGRI to develop and implement common metrics of Core and Project progress and share data on programmatic outcomes for each Center component.

The Centers PD(s)/PI(s) are expected to meet as a consortium with other awardees funded under this FOA and the U54 FOA (RFA-HG-22-026) twice per year to present research progress, discuss challenges, promote collaboration amongst Centers and share best practices for Center operations. Centers PD(s)/PI(s) will also be encouraged to attend other research consortia and network meetings to increase collaborative opportunities.

Genomic Workforce Development Core

The goal of the Genomic Workforce Development Core is to provide genomic research experiences, genomic career development opportunities, and genomic education enhancement activities within each research project. NIH is committed to fostering diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in the genomics research community. Applicants should strive to compose teams richly diverse in perspectives, backgrounds, and academic disciplines, and provide full opportunity and participation to individuals and groups underrepresented in genomics. This FOA requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) as part of the application (see Section IV below). Applicants should take advantage of unique aspects of the research cores and projects, the investigators' talents, and other institutional resources to offer innovative, substantive educational, career development, and research experience opportunities for K-12 students, undergraduate students, masters level students, pre-doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and other investigators to develop and/or enhance expertise in genomics. Research enhancement activities include practical research experiences, seminars, courses, workshops, and other career enhancement activities that increase the recruitment, advancement, and retention of investigators from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in genomic research careers.Genomic career development opportunities include coordination with other genomic activities at the institution and in the geographic area, and development of the individual in a way that is tailored toward their career goals and needs. The core will also support collaborations with other researchers at the applicant institution as well as other institutions.

Community Engagement Core

The Community Engagement core should facilitate engagement of the community in the development of materials for genomic education and training, research design, analyses, and outcome assessment. This includes but is not limited to the development of the genomic research questions, identification of exposures of concern to that community, suitable cohorts, and specific needs of subpopulations; the translation and dissemination of study results, and development of methods for evaluating the success of the project. The community includes but is not limited to population groups, stakeholders, interest groups, citizen groups, neighborhoods, advocacy groups, etc. The core should also coordinate dissemination activities with community members, partner organizations, and relevant service organizations or policymakers, as well as the scientific community, including presentation of findings from research projects to community stakeholders. Core activities are expected to be incorporated within the research projects and strengthen community-engaged research approaches.

Research Project(s)

The Diversity Centers for Genome Research should be structured around two to three research projects that address one or more critical issues in the following: genomic technology and methods development; genome structure; genome function; genomics of disease; use and impact of genomic information in clinical care; ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research; genomics and health equity; and/or computational genomics. Projects may include applications to a particular disease area, but Centers should demonstrate that the methods and knowledge generated are broadly generalizable across disease areas. Studies focused on disease etiology or outcomes should examine the role of both genomic and non-genomic contributors to human health and disease. All applications, regardless of focus, should explain how generalizable, broadly useful, and transformative the findings and approaches will be to the field of genomics. If the research project has areas of focus in clinical genomics, it should improve assessment and/or outcomes in all populations including underserved populations and/or include technological or computational methods for the production or analysis of diverse data sets. The Centers should bring together different areas of expertise and different research approaches to provide synergy and allow each project to accomplish more than it would be able to on its own.

The specific genomic research topics proposed should apply across a broad spectrum of diseases andhealthconditions and should not be specific to just one disease, except to the extent that a particular disease may serve as a model with broader applicability. The following list provides some examples of different types of topics that could be the focus of a Diversity Center for Genome Research. Applicants should understand, however, that this list is meant only to provide guidance; it is not exhaustive and appropriate topics are not limited to the examples given.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Genetic/environmental, including social determinants of health, contributors to disease. A Center application may involve collection of new samples and/or the use of existing samples from one or more populations of interest to study the genetic epidemiology of a diseases or disorders that present a significant public health burden. The individuals from whom samples are collected or re-used should be well-phenotyped to ensure that the disease being studied has been properly diagnosed.

Function Genomics. Functional genomics includes an assessment of how the genome functions, how genomic variation affects genome function to influence phenotypes, and how processes in the body are influenced by genomic variation.

An assessment of inherited diseases. An analysis of individuals affected by monogenic diseases or complex genetic disorders to identify causative mutations, modifier genes, environmental risk factors during early development.

Pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics research seeks to identify genetic factors that are responsible for individual differences in drug efficacy and susceptibility to adverse drug reactions as well as the role these individual differences may play in the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI). ELSI research seeks to identify, analyze, and address the ELSI of genomic technological and scientific advances for individuals, families, communities, and society.

Genomic Medicine. Genomic medicine is an emerging medical discipline that involves using genomic information about an individual as part of their clinical care (e.g. for diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making) and the health outcomes and policy implications of that clinical use.

Bioinformatics. Advances in tools and techniques for data generation are rapidly increasing the amount of data available to researchers, particularly in genomics requires researchers to rely more heavily on computational and data science tools for the storage, management, analysis, and visualization of data. Projects could include research and development of transformative approaches and tools that maximize the integration of data (e.g., genomics data, environmental measures, phenotypes, and biomarkers) and data science into biomedical research.

Genomic Technology Development. Research in genomic technology development seeks to advance methods, technologies, and instruments needed to generate increasingly complex genomic data, including new and improved methods for sequencing nucleic acids, detecting genomic variation, and mapping epigenomic and epitranscriptomic features.

Genome Structure and Function. Research in genome structure and function utilizes high-throughput genomic methods to understand how the genome is organized, to detect structurally complex genome variation and 3D genome organization, to assess how the genome functions, and to assess how genomic variation affects genome function to influence phenotypes, including those related to human health and disease.

NHGRI is committed to maximizing the utility of genomics for all populations. Racial and ethnic minority populations, underserved populations, and populations who experience poorer medical outcomes have been vastly underrepresented in genomic research to date. The underrepresentation is widely recognized to seriously impair investigators' ability to interpret genomic variants and use them in clinical care across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, access to care, and health and morbidity. Understanding and use of the vastness of human genetic variation for clinical diagnosis, prevention, and treatment require studies of genomic variation and its disease consequences across sociodemographic groups. For this reason, projects are strongly encouraged to include ancestrally diverse and underrepresented participants and populations. Where applicable, projects should emphasize the use of samples that are derived from individuals of diverse ancestry, that allow for consideration of sex as a biological variable, and that allow for the consideration of applications to diseases disproportionately affecting disadvantaged or underrepresented populations.

Additional information about the research priorities of NHGRI is available at the following link: https://www.genome.gov/research-funding/Funding-Opportunities.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIMH is interested in research programs examining the contribution of genetic and genomic factors to risk and resilience in psychiatric disorders in ancestrally diverse populations as described in our strategic objectives:

Specific interests include but not limited to the following:

• Discovery of genetic variants that are associated with serious mental illnesses in ancestrally diverse racial and ethnic minority populations

• Interaction of genetic and familial risk with and environmental (e.g., socio- economic, demographic factors) that may influence development of serious mental illness in these populations, including genetic risk for suicide

• Deep clinical characterization of cohorts from genetically diverse racial and ethnic minority populations for genetic studies. Collection of a minimum set of clinical data and Common Data Elements is expected as per NOT-MH-20-067

• ELSI research to address a range of ethical, legal and social issues for individuals from minority communities in psychiatric genetics research. Examples of ELSI research include: outreach and community engagement in psychiatric genetics research study design and execution, research on how to avoid or mitigate against stigmatization, group harms, and unintended negative social implications/exacerbations of structural inequalities involving cognitive and behavioral traits, ethical and cultural issues surrounding informed consent, data sharing, and privacy for data collected in a heath care setting

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

The mission of NIMHD is to lead scientific research to improve minority health and reduce health disparities in populations with health disparities (i.e., African Americans/Blacks, Hispanic/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minority populations).

NIMHD encourages projects that use approaches encompassing multiple domains of influence (e.g., biological, behavioral, sociocultural, environmental, physical environment, health system) and multiple levels of influence (e.g., individual, interpersonal, family, peer group, community, societal) to understand and address health disparities (see the NIMHD Research Framework,https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/research-framework.html, for more information).

Specific interest include but not limited to the following:

• Identify novel early diagnostic genetic biomarkers with clinical utility to assess risk, development, and progression of various diseases in populations with health disparities
• Examine the interplay of social, cultural, environmental, and biological factors (including genomics) that affect health disparities and health advantages among racial ethnic subpopulations
• Determine how do structural and interpersonal racism impacts genomic/biological pathways and health outcomes across the life course in various populations
• Examine how social contextual factors affect the epigenome and consequently downstream biological processes
• Identify genetic mechanisms of disease or resilience that contribute to differences in disease phenotypes among different populations with health disparities
• Conduct research to address a range of ethical, legal and social issues to avoid or mitigate stigmatization, group harms, and unintended negative consequences

Awardees are expected to comply with the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (https://gds.nih.gov/). Resources such as study protocols, informed consent form templates, aggregate results, and bioinformatic tools are expected to be made available through an open access section of a database such as dbGaP, AnVil, other public web sites, and/or publication in the scientific literature. Centers are encouraged to get feedback from the communities in which the research will be performed regarding plans for sharing individual level data resulting from the research projects with the scientific community for research purposes. Feedback and recommendations for data access, protection of participant and patient privacy and confidentiality, and management of health information should be integrated into the Center’s data sharing plan. Note that any projectreceiving NIH funding that collects or uses identifiable, sensitive information is automatically deemed issued aCertificate of Confidentiality (CoC).

This FOA will provide up to $500,000 in direct costs for genomic technology and equipment in addition to the overall cost cap, only in year one of the Phase II award period, as a one-time cost expenditure for the Center. If such research resources are requested, the technology and/or equipment should be relevant to the scope of the proposed research and the implementation of the genomic research projects.Resources include but are not limited to laboratory equipment, supplies, statistical and bioinformatic software including computational equipment (e.g., workstations, servers) and cloud computing resources.

Program Metrics and Evaluation: It is expected that the Diversity Center for Genome Research will keep track of Center success metrics. These metrics should include, but are not limited to:

• Increased collaborative genomics research through implementation of pilot/developmental studies, NIH-funded studies and studies funded by other federal and non-federal agencies
• Development of additional research projects, analyses, and tools
• Increased submission of applications to genomic research funding opportunities and/or investigator-initiated genomic grant applications, and success in obtaining additional research funding
• Dissemination of research and training products, as reflected by publications in high impact journals and presentations at scientific conferences
• Enhancement of institutional capacity for conducting genomics research including but not limited to capacity to support multidisciplinary research studies
• Institutional commitment and collaboration with other NIH funded programs or consortia
• Number of students, early-stage and experienced investigators, and investigators from various disciplines/departments and specialties exposed to genomic research experiences including those from underrepresented groups (e.g., racial, and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, or persons from disadvantaged backgrounds).
• Trajectories toward successful genomic research careers of students, trainees and faculty exposed to workforce development activities
• Progress of the research projects
• Success of community engagement processes and outcomes

Advisory Committees:In Phase II, the EAC will continue to advise the PD/PI(s) and responsibilities of the EAC and, if needed, the IAC in Phase II will include but are not limited to: evaluating scientific progress of the Research Projects and Research Cores; evaluating the development and enhancement of the workforce in genomic research; and providing guidance when challenges arise. The EAC and, if applicable, IAC, should meet at least twice per year in Phase II.

Site visits

NHGRI Program staff will perform a site visit (in person or virtual), before the initial UG3 award and if being considered for Phase II funding, before the UH3 award, to assess the environment relative to the Diversity Center for Genome Research aims and integration of the cores.

Non-responsive applications

Applications with the following properties will be considered non-responsive, and will not be reviewed:

• Applications that do not have a primary focus on genomics research.
• Applications that do not include a clear scientific justification for the research projects proposed.
• Applications from ineligible organizations (see Section III below).
• Applications that do not include an attachment to the Overall Component (see Section IV below) titled "Institutional Information" that describes the applicant institution's accomplishments in the education of students from backgrounds nationally underrepresented in biomedical research
• Applications that do not include all required Components.
• Applications that propose only one or more than three Research Projects.
• Applicants that propose research relevant to only one or a small number of diseases; research utilizing a small number of disease models for proof-of-concept studies may be acceptable when the findings or other outcomes are generalizable.
• Applications that do not include a Milestone Plan.

Non-responsive applications will not be reviewed. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the FOA scientific/research contact prior to submission to discuss whether their application is responsive.

Technical Assistance Webinar

NHGRI will conduct a Technical Assistance webinar for potential applicants on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 2:00 pm. Information about the webinar will be posted at: https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/diversity-centers-for-genome-research-FOAs-webinar. The webinar connections will open 15 minutes in advance of the start time. During the webinar, program and grants management staff will give an overview of the FOA and application submission process and field questions from potential applicants. Please send questions in advance to Ebony Madden at ebony.madden@nih.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions and answers from the webinar and other frequently asked questions can be found here: https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/diversity-centers-for-genome-research-FOAs-webinar/faq.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

Section II. Award Information

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this FOA.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Local Governments

• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

• Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
• U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

To be eligible for this FOA, the applicant institution must be a domestic institution located in the United States and its territories which:

• Has received an average of less than $50 million per year in NIH support and also less than $25 million per year of R01 total cost of NIH support for the past three fiscal years;
• Awards doctorate degrees in the health professions or the sciences related to health; and
• Has a documented historical and current mission to educate students from any of the populations that have been identified as underrepresented in biomedical research as defined by the National Science Foundation NSF, see http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/) (i.e., African Americans or Blacks, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities)orhas a documented record of: (1) recruiting, training and/or educating, and graduating underrepresented students as defined by NSF (see above), which has resulted in increasing the institution's contribution to the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who pursue biomedical research careers and, (2) for institutions that deliver health care services, providing clinical services to medically underserved communities.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

• System for Award Management (SAM) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and women are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. See, Reminder: Notice of NIH's Encouragement of Applications Supporting Individuals from Underrepresented Ethnic and Racial Groups as well as Individuals with Disabilities, NOT-OD-22-019.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

2. Cost Sharing

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility

Number of Applications

Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package

The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this FOA. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Letter of Intent

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Descriptive title of proposed activity
• Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Names of other key personnel
• Participating institution(s)
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Ebony B. Madden, Ph.D.
Telephone: 301-503-5620
Email: ebony.madden@nih.gov

Page Limitations

All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H and subsequent application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this FOA.

SF424(R&R) Cover

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages.
For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.

Other Attachments:

The application must include a single attachment titled "Institutional Information" that provides a description and evidence of the institution's explicit accomplishments in the education of students from backgrounds nationally underrepresented in biomedical research, or efforts to provide services to underserved communities.

• For institutions whose historical mission explicitly states that it was founded to educate students from nationally underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical research (i.e., underrepresented racial and ethnic groups [African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, U.S. Pacific Islanders, and individuals with disabilities] and/or students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as defined in NOT-OD-20-031), provide the institution's original mission statement and any other information that justified the institution's creation and describes its main functions and services provided.
• For institutions whose mission statement does not explicitly state that they were founded to educate any of the underrepresented groups mentioned above but have a demonstrable historical track record of recruiting, retaining, training, and graduating underrepresented students, the institution must provide information and current figures compared to baseline data from ten years ago that show how the institution's historical track record of training and graduating underrepresented students in biomedical and behavioral-related sciences has improved significantly and how much it has contributed to a substantial increase in the national pool of graduates from underrepresented backgrounds who have pursued or are pursuing biomedical research careers.

• Milestone Plan:

Applications must also include the following items: 1) a Milestone Plan for both UG3 and UH3 phases and 2) a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP).

The Milestone plan must:

The filename "Milestone Plan-PI-NAME.pdf" must be used and will be reflected in the final image bookmarking for easy access by reviewers. Applications that do not include the Milestone Plan will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

• Provide a detailed timeline for the anticipated attainment of each milestone and the overall goals.
• Identify any impediments that could require an addendum to the research plans, milestones, or timeline with a discussion of alternative approaches.
• A timeline (Gantt chart) including milestones is required for both the UG3 and UH3 phases. Milestones must be provided for all cores and research projects. Yearly quantitative, i.e., number of publications, and qualitative, i.e., improvement in survey scores regarding cultural competence or awareness of unconscious bias, milestones are required to provide clear indicators of a project's continued success.

Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP)

In an "Other Attachment" entitled "Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives," all applicants must include a summary of strategies to advance the scientific and technical merit of the proposed project through expanded inclusivity. The PEDP should provide a holistic and integrated view of how enhancing diverse perspectives is viewed and supported throughout the application and can incorporate elements with relevance to any review criteria (significance, investigator(s), innovation, approach, and environment) as appropriate. Where possible, applicant(s) should align their description with these required elements within the research strategy section. The PEDP will vary depending on the scientific aims, expertise required, the environment and performance site(s), as well as how the project aims are structured. The PEDP may be no more than 1-page in length and should include a timeline and milestones for relevant components that will be considered as part of the review. Examples of items that advance inclusivity in research and may be part of the PEDP can include, but are not limited to:

• Discussion of engagement with different types of institutions and organizations (e.g., research-intensive, undergraduate-focused, minority-serving, community-based).
• Description of any planned partnerships that may enhance geographic and regional diversity.
• Plan to enhance recruiting of women and individuals from groups traditionally under-represented in the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce.
• Proposed monitoring activities to identify and measure PEDP progress benchmarks.
• Plan to utilize the project infrastructure (i.e., research and structure) to support career-enhancing research opportunities for diverse junior, early- and mid-career researchers.
• Description of any training and/or mentoring opportunities available to encourage participation of students, postdoctoral researchers and co-investigators from diverse backgrounds.
• Plan to develop transdisciplinary collaboration(s) that require unique expertise and/or solicit diverse perspectives to address research question(s).
• Publication plan that enumerates planned manuscripts and proposed lead authorship.
• Outreach and planned engagement activities to enhance recruitment of individuals from diverse groups as research participants including those from under-represented backgrounds.

Applications must include a PEDP submitted as Other Project Information as an attachment.

These items must be uploaded as separate attachments in pdf format with filenames that correspond to the individual items. Applications lacking these required items will be deemed incomplete and will not be reviewed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

R&R Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

The PD/PI must serve a minimum level of effort of at least 3.6 person months (PM) unless there are two or more PD/PIs in multiple PD/PI applications. In such a case, the minimum level of effort can be reduced to 2.4 PM for each multiple PD/PI. If a PD/PI serves a role in multiple components, the effort that is served in each component can be combined to meet the requirement.

Collaborations with research-intensive institutions and industry needed to obtain the expertise to perform the proposed research and carry out the aims of the cores can be included but at least 70% of the budget (direct costs) will need to stay at the applicant institution.

This FOA will provide up to $500,000 in direct costs for genomic technology and equipment in addition to the overall cost cap, only in year one of the Phase II award period, as a one-time cost expenditure for the Center. The technology and/or equipment should be relevant to the scope of the proposed research.

Budgets should include any funds required to support sharing of genomic data under this FOA (e.g., to obtain samples with explicit informed consent for future research use and broad data sharing, to implement processes to seek new consent from study participants, or to prepare the data for submission to appropriate repositories).

PEDP implementation costs: Applicants may include allowable costs associated with PEDP implementation (as outlined in the Grants Policy Statement section 7: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/html5/section_7/7.1_general.htm).

Travel Funds: The budget should include funds to support travel for Center and Consortium activities, including but not limited to supporting the participation of PD(s)/PI(s), Core leads, Project leads, and additional staff members, as needed, at the 2-day bi-annual Consortium meetings that will alternate between the Diversity Centers for Genome Research locations.

Other: Funds should be allocated for expenses related to the formation and travel needs of the Center’s External Advisory Board and Internal Advisory Board, if applicable.

R&R Subaward Budget

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Research Plan

Other Plan(s):

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H and subsequent application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.

All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

The UG3/UH3 application must be submitted as a single application and should be clearly organized into two phases: UG3 (Phase I) and UH3 (Phase II). To clearly distinguish between the two phases, applicants should specify separate UG3 and UH3 information in each subsection of the PHS 398 Research Plan as appropriate.

In preparing the application, investigators should consider the fact that applications will be assigned a single impact/priority score for both UG3 and UH3 phases. Thus, clarity and completeness of the application regarding specific goals and the feasibility of milestones for each phase are critical. Milestones should be sufficiently scientifically rigorous to be valid for assessing progress in the UG3 phase and will reflect the scientific judgment and experience of the applicant.

Specific Aims:Applicants should address the scientific questions to be answered, what specifically will be done during the proposed funding periods, and how input and recommendations from engagement of the community will be incorporated in all components of the Center. Specific aims should be scientifically appropriate for the relevant phases of the project.Include separate aims for both the UG3 and UH3 Phases;clearly label them as UG3 specific aims and UH3 specific aims.

The application must propose a well-defined set of milestones for the UG3 phase as well as the UH3 phase. Milestones are required for both phases in the application. Utilization of milestones is a key characteristic of this FOA. Projects should include monthly milestones for the planning phase (UG3) and quarterly milestones for the full-scale Center phase (UH3). It is understood that the proposed milestones for the UH3 phase will be revised as activities in the UG3 phase progress. In the event of an award, the PD/PI and NIH staff will negotiate a final list of milestones for each year of support.

Research Strategy:

UG3 Phase

The grant application should include a description of the following for UG3 Phase I:

• institutional commitment to the Diversity Center for Genome Research;
• the vision for the full-scale (Phase II) Diversity Center for Genome Research;
• plans for regular communication and coordination among investigators within the Research Center;
• how the applicant plans to utilize and improve the existing infrastructure at the institution, in terms of facilities, equipment, software, personnel, and scientific networking:
• plans to train faculty and staff on planned software, equipment and/or technology purchases;
• relevant expertise to develop plans, procedures, and protocols to facilitate the Center cores and research projects if the Center comes full-scale;
• if relevant expertise is not yet available at the institution, plans and timelines for recruitment of personnel with relevant expertise to facilitate Center cores and research projects;
• the problems and obstacles that are anticipated in order to meet the challenge of carrying out the activities of a full-scale Diversity Center for Genome Research, and how the applicant will create or take advantage of forward-looking solutions to solve those problems and overcome those obstacles;
• plans during the Phase I period to test or demonstrate the validity of the proposed protocols and approaches;
• plans during the Phase I period to test or demonstrate the validity of the proposed protocols and approaches and revised them, if needed;
• plans for the development of courses, career development activities and research experiences for students, trainees, and investigators to build and enhance the expertise in the field of genomics; and
• plans for how feedback from the EAC and IAC, if applicable, will considered and implemented in the Center.

UH3 Phase

For the UH3 phase, applicants should specify separate information for the cores and research projects by titling each section appropriately.

Overall

Applicants should provide a Program Overview describing the research focus area(s) in genomics supported by the Center and the rationale for seeking support for the proposed focus area(s) within the context of the applicant institution's priorities, and long-range goals and vision for genomic research at the institution. Describe and justify how existing and requested resources will be utilized and leveraged to implement the institutional plan to develop, expand, and maintain an environment and framework suitable for achieving the objectives of the Center.

Summarize relevant organizational, educational, and scientific strengths and weaknesses at the applicant institution and describe how the proposed activities will enhance diverse perspectives in genomic research. Describe the overall goals for the Center during the proposed project periods, the specific institutional commitments that will be made to help achieve those goals, and the key activities that will be conducted to achieve each of the proposed goals.

The application should describe the specific aims for the Center if it reaches full-scale, describe the synergism between the cores and the research projects, and summarize how the proposed components and activities will increase genomic research capacity at their institution, enhance diverse perspectives within the genomics research workforce; bring novel ideas into the field of genomics; and increase participation of underrepresented populations and underserved communities in genomics research that often experience health disparities.

Administrative Core

Plans for the Administrative Core should clearly describe how the PD/PI will manage and coordinate the Cores, Projects, Advisory Committees, and Mentors, if applicable, to implement the Center's overall plans and carry out all responsibilities. Describe how the Administrative Core will monitor progress and ensure that component plans are implemented. Explain the roles and responsibilities of core personnel, including scientific leadership, administrative management, and coordination of proposed activities.

Include a management plan describing the Center’s organizational and governance structure and plans to manage and, where necessary, reassign institutional resources among schools and/or departments to achieve Center goals. Detail the roles of each proposed Center component in attaining the goals of the Center and describe how the proposed components will interact with each other and with relevant existing programs and resources in the institution. Describe the composition and roles of the EAC, IAC, if applicable, and any committees proposed to help manage the Center activities. Applications should describe the types of expertise of the members that will be recruited for the EAC and IAC; however, applicants should not list potential EAC or IAC members in the application or contact them prior to peer review.

Include an Evaluation Plan to facilitate ongoing Center performance and project management to ensure successful completion of the stated aims. Describe how the evaluation will be conducted, principal performance measures and metrics to be used to assess achievement of short- and long-term goals of each core and project, and potential sources of data. The productivity of investigators, including those with pilot projects, should include monitoring related publications, grant applications and awards. The plan should address administrative functioning (process) as well as scientific and investigator accomplishments (outcomes). Describe key milestones and expected outcomes for each area, as appropriate.

Applicants should describe how investigators within the Center will work in partnership to carry out research projects and aims of the Center cores. Applicants should describe how the Center will work within the consortia including all awardees funded under this RFA (RFA-HG-22-026) and RFA-22-027 and other NHGRI Consortia to share resources and strategies used to overcome challenges.

Genomic Workforce Development Core

A Diversity Center for Genome Research should offer innovative, substantive education and outreach opportunities and research experiences that help to enhance diverse perspectives within genomic research. This genomic workforce development should include students, trainees, and new and established investigators, including those from other disciplines such as engineering or medicine who want to acquire genomics expertise.

The goal of the Genomic Workforce Development Core is to increase genomic research capacity for students, trainees, and institution faculty. Applicants should describe how their research will provide opportunities for students, trainees, and faculty to build their genomic knowledge and skills in genomic research. Applicants should describe how the Genomic Workforce Development Core will manage, coordinate, and supervise the entire range of proposed activities for capacity building including monitor progress; and ensure that component plans are implemented. Explain the roles and responsibilities of core personnel, including scientific leadership, administrative management, and coordination of proposed activities.

Applicants should describe the didactic, practicum and research activities and experiences (e.g., courses, seminars, workshops, attending scientific meetings, giving talks, writing papers, etc.) that will be undertaken to support genomic knowledge, genomic research skills and capacity, and career development for students, trainees, and faculty. Career development opportunities include coordination with other activities at the institution and in the geographic area, and development of the individual in a way that is tailored toward their career goals and needs. Describe the academic qualifications, research experience, and productivity of mentors, including those from other institutions. Provide a description of how the proposed research projects will be leveraged to provide research experiences and how the didactic and practicum experiences are aligned with the proposed research projects.

For education activities and research experiences, applicants are expected to develop creative approaches, complementing the standard training vehicles used by academic institutions (e.g., training grants, fellowships, research education programs, seminar programs, coursework). This activity should take advantage of unique aspects of the Center, the investigators' expertise, and other institutional resources to offer innovative, substantive opportunities for students, trainees, and other investigators to develop expertise in genomics. Educational activities and research experiences should be related to the Aims of the Diversity Center for Genome Research.

Community Engagement Core

Describe the leadership of this core, and the principles, policies, and practices that will guide its operation. Applicants should define the communities that they plan to engage and describe strategies for community engagement with clear objectives of what the engagement is expected to achieve. Applications should describe strategies for recruiting and maintaining long-term relationships with communities to enhance genomic knowledge, how the recommendations from the engagement will be incorporated into Center research projects, how the engagement will promote participation in genomics research and recruitment and retention of study participants, and how findings will be disseminated from the research projects. Describe how the Core will facilitate collaboration between community members and investigators on Research projects. Describe plans to evaluate whether the strategies to engage communities are successful and the objectives achieved. Describe the activities that will be conducted to get the communities input on data access and sharing policies, data confidentiality and privacy, data management, etc. Describe the activities that will be conducted for the timely and appropriate dissemination of information and data generated by the Center, its research projects, and other activities for diverse audiences, including lay community audiences. Describe the expected outcomes of the proposed dissemination strategies and activities and how the impact of dissemination efforts will be assessed.

Research Projects

The Research Strategy should describe the significance of the proposed projects, how it aligns with the NHGRI Strategic Vision, what critical issues in genomics the projects address, and the specific contribution that each project will make to the overall success of the Diversity Center for Genome Research. The research strategies that will be pursued in the projects should be described including the utility of the proposed technology, research tools, software, scientific approaches, methods of analysis, knowledge, etc., to the larger biomedical research community. Describe the research design and genomic approaches in detail, including methods and technologies that will be used. The population and samples to be analyzed should be identified and the research strategy should include a plan for data and sample acquisition, storage, management, etc. including phenotypic and genomic data. If environmental measures or risk factors are being analyzed to explain etiology along with genetic risk factors, robust validated environmental measures or biomonitoring should be demonstrated as well as an explanation of how any environmental samples might be collected and stored. All applications, regardless of focus, should explain how generalizable, broadly useful, and transformative the findings and approaches will be to the field of genomics.

The bioinformatics and data science needs of the research projects should be clearly described, including issues of data confidentiality and privacy, the analytic capability and computational approaches and tools that will be used and/or developed, and the relevant investigators' bioinformatics and data science experience. Applicants are encouraged to describe their approaches to ensure that the data and analytical resources supported through this FOA will conform to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable; seehttps://www.force11.org/group/joint-declaration-data-citation-principles-final).

The applicant should identify potential major challenges or problems that might be encountered in conducting the proposed research and discuss how these would be addressed should they arise.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

• • All applications generating data, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should provide a Data Sharing Plan that includes a timeline for data sharing, information on proposed data sharing platform or database, and descriptions of data types, metadata, and phenotypic data. Applicants should refer to this notice describing NHGRI’s Expectation for Sharing Quality Metadata and Phenotypic Data: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HG-21-022.html..
  • Applications should adhere to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, including general NHGRI expectations for implementation of this policy (https://www.genome.gov/about-nhgri/Policies-Guidance/Genomic-Data-Sharing). Whenever possible, NHGRI strongly encourages studies involving human data to use data generated from sources that can document explicit consent for future research use and broad data sharing.
  • Resource sharing plans should include plans for deposition of any variant-level data and assertions generated through these projects into theClinVarpublic archive.
  • Applications involving development of methods, software, or other tools for genomic medicine should include detailed plans where applicable with timelines for disseminating them to the community, so they are readily usable.
  • Methods, tools, and software should be well-documented and where applicable made available via public repositories.

Sustainability: A primary goal of the Diversity Center for Genome Research program is to increase genomic knowledge, skills, and research experiences at Minority Serving Institutions with a mission to serve historically underrepresented populations in biomedical research, thereby increasing their opportunities for future funding of genomic research through competitive grant processes, as well as through increased investment in genomics research by the applicant institution. Dedicated funds for the Diversity Center for Genome Research will provide up to 7 years of support for both Phase I and Phase II. Centers that go on to UG3 Phase II will be allowed to submit a renewal application to the U54 Diversity Centers for Genome Research RFA but continued funding is not guaranteed. Therefore, applicants need to discuss the issue of future sustainability of their research programs beyond the Diversity Center for Genome Research funding and how the research activities will contribute to success in continuing the research efforts of its participants. This section of the application should refer to the letters of Institutional commitments (see below) to provide an overview of the long-term prospects for sustained research.

Letters of Support:

Applications are expected to include letters from the appropriate high-ranking applicant institutional official(s) that:

• Indicate the commitment of the applicant institution to the center goals and how the center activities will be integral to the broad institutional vision for genomics research.
• Specify any institutional support, for example financial support, dedicated space, salary support for professional or administrative staff, interface with other grants, centers, and initiatives.
• Indicate the commitment of the institution to participate in activities intended to foster and enhance DCGR programmatic coordination, communication, and research collaborations across DCGR sites, as well as participate in other consortia working towards developing, adopting, and implementing best practices in genomics research and training.
• Applications should include letters of support from the appropriate institutional official (University or Medical School President, Dean or Director, or the head research administrator or equivalent) from all collaborating institutions to substantiate the institutions commitment to the proposed plan. Each institution should also state its commitment to overcoming any administrative obstacles to the implementation of the application. Appropriate institutional commitment to the program includes the provision of adequate staff, facilities, and resources needed for the success of the planned Center. Where applicable, the letter should address institutional commitment to any faculty who participate in associated skill-building activities. It should also address commitment to collaborating and sharing data as appropriate. The letter should also briefly discuss the institution's plans for sustaining an active program of genomics research after the Diversity Center for Genome Research funding.
• As the programmatic activities of this initiative will support collaborations, letters of support from the related institution/organization for the relevant programmatic component should be provided with the application. The letter should briefly describe the support of the genomic research programs and capacity building and how the institution plans to sustain genomics research after funding for the Diversity Center for Genome Research ends.

Applications that propose work with American Indian or Alaska Native populations, tribes or communities must include letters of support from the appropriate tribal officials and/or tribal organizations as applicable.

The Letters of Support attachment should begin with a table of letter authors, their institutions, and the type of each letter (institutional commitment or resources; collaboration or role in the project).

Resource Sharing Plan:

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.

Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The following modifications also apply:

• All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should address a Data Sharing Plan.

Other Plan(s):

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Management and Sharing Plan will be attached in the Other Plan(s) attachment in FORMS-H application forms packages. For due dates on or before January 24, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan GDS) will continue to be attached in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment in FORMS-G application forms packages.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

• All applicants planning research (funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH) that results in the generation of scientific data are required to comply with the instructions for the Data Management and Sharing Plan. All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, must address a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

Appendix:

Only limited Appendix materials are allowed.

Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

• No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered Yes to the question Are Human Subjects Involved? on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

Delayed Onset Study

Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start).All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Policy on Late Application Submission.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372)

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this FOA for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NHGRI, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Post Submission Materials

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy. Any instructions provided here are in addition to the instructions in the policy.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS) as part of the Resource Sharing Plan will not be evaluated at time of review.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Note: Effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023, the Data Sharing Plan and Genomic Data Sharing Plan (GDS) will not be evaluated at time of review.

Note the following:

A proposed Clinical Trial application may include study design, methods, and intervention that are not by themselves innovative but address important questions or unmet needs. Additionally, the results of the clinical trial may indicate that further clinical development of the intervention is unwarranted or lead to new avenues of scientific investigation.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a center that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s) convened by NHGRI, NIH in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the appropriate national Advisory Council or Board. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed Center to program priorities and programmatic balance, including a diversity of approaches; adequacy of data sharing, software and analysis sharing and resource sharing plans; expansion of the community of genomics researchers to include new investigators, experienced investigators who are new to this field, and investigators from diverse backgrounds, including those from demographic groups that are generally underrepresented in genomics.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient's business official.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain applicable clinical trials on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: Generaland Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities, including of note, but not limited to:

• Federalwide Research Terms and Conditions
• Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding

If a recipient is successful and receives a Notice of Award, in accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Should the applicant organization successfully compete for an award, recipients of federal financial assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, religion, conscience, and sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy). This includes ensuring programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency and persons with disabilities. The HHS Office for Civil Rights provides guidance on complying with civil rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/nondiscrimination/index.html

HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study design, or the purpose of the research. For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA.

• Recipients of FFA must ensure that their programs are accessible to persons with limited English proficiency. For guidance on meeting the legal obligation to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to programs or activities by limited English proficient individuals see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/limited-english-proficiency/fact-sheet-guidance/index.htmlandhttps://www.lep.gov.

• For information on an institution’s specific legal obligations for serving qualified individuals with disabilities, including reasonable accommodations and making services accessible to them, see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html.

• HHS funded health and education programs must be administered in an environment free of sexual harassment, see https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/sex-discrimination/index.html. For information about NIH's commitment to supporting a safe and respectful work environment, who to contact with questions or concerns, and what NIH's expectations are for institutions and the individuals supported on NIH-funded awards, please see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/harassment.htm.
  
• For guidance on administering programs in compliance with applicable federal conscience protection and associated anti-discrimination laws see https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/conscience-protections/index.html and https://www.hhs.gov/conscience/religious-freedom/index.html.

Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697.

In accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Section 872 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), NIH awards will be subject to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) requirements. FAPIIS requires Federal award making officials to review and consider information about an applicant in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS) prior to making an award. An applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a Federal agency previously entered and is currently in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR Part 75.205 and 2 CFR Part 200.206 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants. This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

The following special terms of the award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Part 75, 2 CFR Part 200, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the recipients is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH's purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility reside with the recipients for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the recipients and the NIH as defined below.

UG3 Phase I

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

• Determining, designing, and adapting protocols, and setting project milestones
• Participating in group activities, including a study-wide Steering Committee.
• Developing appropriate educational resources for patients, clinicians, and/or community members.
• Cooperating with other recipients in the multi-center publications and release to the scientific community of methods, tools, and results, and other resources.
• Not disclosing confidential information obtained from other members of the program.
• Submitting periodic progress reports in a standard format, as agreed upon by the Steering Committee and the Center’s External Advisory Committee.
• Recipients will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and NIH policies.

UH3 Phase II

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

• Determining, designing, and adapting protocols, setting project milestones, implementing core activities, and conducting the research projects.
• Participating in the consortium-wide Steering Committee and other group activities, as needed.
• Implementing Steering Committee recommendations for data collection, and standardization if warranted for cross-study analyses.
• If needed, obtain the necessary consent or re-consent and IRB approval for participation in the research projects.
• Developing and implementing appropriate educational resources for patients, clinicians, and/or community members.
• Cooperating with other recipients in the multi-center publications and release to the scientific community of methods, tools, results, and other resources.
• Sharing results according to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, and any other data sharing policy agreed to between the NIH and the applicant.
• Adhering to policies regarding data access, publication, and intellectual property established by NIH and the Steering Committee for this program.
• Not disclosing confidential information obtained from other members of the program.
• Submitting periodic progress reports in a standard format, as agreed upon by the Steering Committee and the Center’s External Advisory Committee.
• Recipients will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current DHHS, PHS, and NIH policies.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

The Project Scientist(s) are scientists of the NHGRI who will have substantial scientific and programmatic involvement during the conduct of this activity through technical assistance, advice, and coordination. However, the role of NIH staff will be to facilitate and not to direct the activities. It is anticipated that decisions in all activities will be reached by consensus of the program and that NIH staff will be given the opportunity to offer input to this process. The Project Scientist(s) will participate as a member of the Steering Committee and will have one vote. He/she/they and/or other NHGRI scientists may serve on additional committees, when appropriate. The NHGRI Project Scientist (and other NHGRI program staff) may work with recipients on issues coming before the Steering Committee and, as appropriate, other committees. NHGRI Program staff, on behalf of the NHGRI, will have the same access, privileges, and responsibilities regarding the collaborative data as the other members of the Steering Committee.

The Project Scientist(s) will have the following substantial involvement:

• Serving as a liaison, helping to coordinate activities among and for the recipientss, and as an information resource for the recipients about genome research activities. The Project Scientist(s) will also coordinate the efforts of the program with other groups conducting similar studies.
• Attending all Steering Committee meetings as a voting member and assisting in developing operating guidelines, quality control procedures, and consistent policies for dealing with situations that require coordinated action.
• Reporting periodically on the progress of the program to the Director of NHGRI, as appropriate, and to the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research, as appropriate.
• Retaining the option to recommend the withholding or reduction of support from any project that fails to achieve its goals or comply with the Terms and Conditions of the award.
• Serving on subcommittees of the Steering Committee, as appropriate.
• Assisting recipients in the development, if needed, of policies for dealing with situations that require coordinated action.
• Providing advice on the management and technical performance of the award.
• Assisting in promoting the availability of the data and related resources developed in the course of this program to the scientific community at large.
• Participating in data analyses, interpretations, and, where warranted, co-authorship of the publication of results of studies conducted through the program.
• Other NHGRI staff may assist the recipients, as designated by the Program Official.

Additionally, an agency program official or IC program director will be responsible for the normal scientific and programmatic stewardship of the award and will be named in the award notice. The assigned program director may also serve as an NIH Project Scientist.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

• The Steering Committee will serve as the main scientific body of the program. The Steering Committee will be responsible for coordinating the activities being conducted by the program. The Steering Committee membership will include one NHGRI Project Scientist, one Project Scientist from component NIH Institute/Centers (ICs) funding an award, and the PD/PI from each awarded cooperative agreement from this and accompanying FOAs. The Steering Committee may add additional members, and other government staff may attend the Steering Committee meetings as desired. It is anticipated that additional coordination mechanisms may be set up with other U.S. and international groups that may collaborate with the program.
• Recipients agree to the governance of the projects through an SC. The lead investigator(s) from each Center and an NHGRI representative will comprise the SC. All major scientific decisions will be determined by a majority vote of the SC. Each Center and the NHGRI Program Office will have one vote. Note that each Center will have one vote, even if there are multiple PD(s)/PI(s). If the Center chooses to utilize the multi-PD/PI mechanism, all the PDs/PIs are expected to participate in all SC meetings and teleconferences; however, each Center has one vote. It is anticipated that SC meetings will be held up to once a month by conference call and 2 times a year in person. The first year, during network establishment, may require more frequent contact.
• Members of the SC will be required to accept and implement policies approved by the SC.
• To address particular issues, the Steering Committee may establish Working Groups as needed, which will include representatives from the consortium and the NIH, and possibly other experts.

Dispute Resolution:

Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between award recipients and NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened including a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual recipient. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the recipient's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and DHHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.

3. Data Management and Sharing

Note: The NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing is effective for due dates on or after January 25, 2023.

Consistent with the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, when data management and sharing is applicable to the award, recipients will be required to adhere to the Data Management and Sharing requirements as outlined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. Upon the approval of a Data Management and Sharing Plan, it is required for recipients to implement the plan as described.

4. Reporting

When multiple years are involved, recipients will be required to submit the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final RPPR, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. NIH FOAs outline intended research goals and objectives. Post award, NIH will review and measure performance based on the details and outcomes that are shared within the RPPR, as described at 45 CFR Part 75.301 and 2 CFR Part 200.301.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for recipients of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All recipients of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over the threshold. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

In accordance with the regulatory requirements provided at 45 CFR 75.113 and 2 CFR Part 200.113 and Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200, recipients that have currently active Federal grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies with a cumulative total value greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of a Federal award, must report and maintain the currency of information reported in the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings in connection with the award or performance of a Federal award that reached final disposition within the most recent five-year period. The recipient must also make semiannual disclosures regarding such proceedings. Proceedings information will be made publicly available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently FAPIIS). This is a statutory requirement under section 872 of Public Law 110-417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 3010 of Public Law 111-212, all information posted in the designated integrity and performance system on or after April 15, 2011, except past performance reviews required for Federal procurement contracts, will be publicly available. Full reporting requirements and procedures are found in Appendix XII to 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200 Award Term and Condition for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Service Desk (Questions regarding ASSIST, eRA Commons, application errors and warnings, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, and post-submission issues)

Finding Help Online: https://www.era.nih.gov/need-help (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)

General Grants Information (Questions regarding application instructions, application processes, and NIH grant resources)
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov (preferred method of contact)
Telephone: 301-637-3015

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and Workspace)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Email: support@grants.gov

Ebony Madden
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Telephone: 301-503-5620
Email: ebony.madden@nih.gov

Jonathan Pevsner, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-728-5618
Email: jonathan.pevsner@nih.gov

Geetha Senthil, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-402-0754
Email: geetha.senthil2@nih.gov

Rina Das, PhD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Phone: 301-402-1366
E-mail: dasr2@mail.nih.gov

Rudy Pozzatti, Ph.D.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Telephone: 301-402-8739
Email: rudy.pozzatti@nih.gov

Monika Christman

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI))
Telephone: 301-435-7860
Email: christmm@exchange.nih.gov

Heather Weiss
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Telephone: 301-443-4415
Email: weissh@mail.nih.gov

Priscilla Grant, JD
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Phone: 301-594-8412
E-mail: pg38h@nih.gov

Section VIII. Other Information

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Part 75 and 2 CFR Part 200.