Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 18 008

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 18 008

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offered this funding opportunity to create and run a Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (CERA). The focus is on the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genomics, and the Center is meant to function as a shared national resource for the ELSI research community rather than as a stand-alone research project. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which typically means NIH staff will have substantial involvement in guiding or partnering on major components of the work. Clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity.

The core purpose of CERA is to strengthen and connect the genomics ELSI field by building infrastructure that helps researchers find, use, and build on one another's work. The Center is expected to deliver three major functions. First, it should provide an established, user-friendly platform where ELSI researchers can share tools and products that come out of their work in genomics. In practice, that can include things like surveys and interview guides, consent language, governance templates, educational or training materials, policy briefs, datasets or code where appropriate, and other reusable resources that help others replicate methods or adapt them for new studies.

Second, CERA is intended to act as a curated, synthesizing resource on key ELSI topics. That means more than simply hosting documents; the Center should actively organize, summarize, and interpret the growing ELSI literature and outputs so that researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders can quickly understand the current state of knowledge. The opportunity calls for highlighting new findings, creating pathways to access the underlying works, and making it easier to see trends, gaps, and points of disagreement across the field. This suggests ongoing horizon scanning and periodic synthesis products that can keep pace with a fast-moving genomics landscape.

Third, the Center is expected to convene the ELSI community to support both smaller and larger transdisciplinary activities. This includes organizing meetings, workshops, and collaborative projects that bring together researchers across disciplines (for example, law, ethics, sociology, clinical genetics, informatics, and public health) to work through shared problems and develop more integrated approaches. A major theme is building synergy, so the convening role is not just about hosting events but about strengthening networks, creating shared agendas, and enabling collaborations that are hard to launch without dedicated coordination and infrastructure.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic organization types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply; however, foreign components (as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant can include certain international elements if justified and compliant with NIH policy.

Administratively, this opportunity was listed as discretionary funding in the health category (CFDA 93.172) and carried the identifier RFA-HG-18-008. The original closing date was November 8, 2018. The award ceiling listed was $1,000,000, indicating the maximum expected annual or total amount (as specified in the full announcement) that NIH would provide per award under the terms of this funding opportunity.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-07-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-11-08. (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 $1,000,000.00 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 HG 18 008

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