National Coordinating Center for the George M. OBrien Kidney National Resource Centers (U24 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 22 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 22 008

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offered a cooperative agreement (U24; clinical trial not allowed) to fund a single National Coordinating Center (NCC) for the George M. O'Brien Kidney Consortium. The purpose of this award is to run the coordinating hub for a national network intended to accelerate and strengthen kidney research by making advanced resources, tools, technologies, services, and expertise easier for the broader research community to find, access, and use. In this structure, eight National Resource Centers (NRCs) would focus on developing and providing specialized kidney-related resources, while the NCC would serve as the central organizing entity that aligns activities across all centers and helps ensure the Consortium operates as one cohesive program rather than as separate, disconnected projects.

The NCC's responsibilities are primarily leadership, management, and infrastructure-building for the entire Consortium. A major component is providing day-to-day administrative support and coordination across the network, including organizing consortium governance and operations, supporting meetings and working groups, tracking progress, and helping standardize processes so that shared resources are consistent and widely usable. Another central expectation is the creation and ongoing curation of a "one-stop-shop" sharing portal that acts as the public-facing entry point for the Consortium. In practical terms, that portal is meant to help researchers discover what each NRC offers, understand how to request access to tools or services, navigate any requirements, and locate documentation, protocols, training materials, or other supporting content that makes the resources actually usable in real-world labs and research programs.

Beyond coordination and the portal, the opportunity emphasizes outreach and impact. The NCC is expected to design and execute a multipronged communication and education strategy to expand national awareness and adoption of Consortium resources. That typically implies a mix of approaches such as a strong web presence, webinars or workshops, newsletters, conference engagement, and clear user support pathways, all aimed at reaching diverse audiences involved in kidney research. The NCC also has an explicit role in integrating patient viewpoints, priorities, and preferences into the Consortium's activities. This requirement signals that patient perspectives should meaningfully inform decisions about what resources are developed, which gaps are most urgent, how resources are communicated, and how the Consortium defines value and impact for the kidney community.

A distinctive feature of the NCC's scope is administering a national "Opportunity Pool" program. This is described as a mechanism to address gaps and promote collaboration across the Consortium, suggesting a flexible funding or support structure that can be used to catalyze new cross-center projects, rapidly respond to emerging needs, and incentivize partnerships that expand the usefulness and reach of the NRC-developed resources. The NCC would be responsible for managing this program in a transparent, organized way, likely including soliciting proposals or concepts, coordinating review processes, awarding support, and tracking outcomes so the Opportunity Pool remains aligned with Consortium priorities and demonstrates measurable benefits.

From an eligibility standpoint, the funding announcement lists a wide range of eligible applicant types, including various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and federally recognized tribal governments as well as other tribal organizations. It also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" as defined in NIH policy are allowed, which generally means a U.S.-based applicant may include certain defined international elements in the project when appropriately justified and approved under NIH rules.

Administratively, this opportunity is identified as RFA-DK-22-008, categorized as a discretionary grant using a cooperative agreement mechanism. A cooperative agreement generally indicates substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared to a standard research project grant, which fits the coordination-heavy, network-management nature of an NCC. The activity category is listed under Food and Nutrition, Health, and the CFDA number is 93.847. The original closing date was December 1, 2022, and the listed award ceiling was $600,000. Overall, the funding supports an organization capable of acting as the operational backbone of a national kidney research resource network, with strong expectations for coordination, public-facing resource dissemination, stakeholder engagement (including patients), and deliberate efforts to spark collaboration and fill unmet needs across the Consortium.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Coordinating Center for the George M. OBrien Kidney National Resource Centers (U24 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DK 22 008

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