Expanding Genome Integrity Assays to Population Studies (U01) | RFA ES 17 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 17 006

The Expanding Genome Integrity Assays to Population Studies (U01) opportunity (RFA-ES-17-006) is a National Institutes of Health funding announcement designed to push genome integrity research beyond small laboratory settings and into real-world epidemiological and population studies. The main goal is to support the development and early pilot testing of practical, scalable assays that measure genome integrity-related outcomes, with examples specifically including DNA repair capacity assays and mutation detection methods. In plain terms, the program is aimed at helping researchers create or refine tools that can reliably assess how well genomes are maintained or damaged across many people, using approaches that can realistically be implemented in larger studies rather than only in specialized research labs.

A key feature of this announcement is that it uses a Cooperative Agreement (U01) mechanism. That format typically indicates substantial scientific or programmatic involvement by NIH staff compared with standard investigator-initiated grants, and it is often used when the agency wants closer coordination, shared expectations around milestones, or harmonization across multiple projects. The announcement frames the work as assay development plus pilot testing, meaning applicants are expected not only to propose new or improved measurements but also to demonstrate feasibility in a way that supports broader adoption in population-based research settings. That generally implies attention to things like reproducibility, robustness across sample types, operational simplicity, throughput, quality control, and the ability to integrate the assay workflow into the practical constraints of cohort studies, biobanks, and epidemiologic field operations.

The scientific scope centers on genome integrity investigation, which commonly includes pathways and endpoints like DNA damage, DNA repair, mutational processes, and related biomarkers that may link environmental exposures and other risk factors to disease outcomes. By emphasizing assays such as DNA repair capacity and mutation detection, the FOA is targeting methods that can quantify functional repair performance or characterize mutations in a way that is informative for understanding exposure effects, susceptibility differences among individuals, and mechanisms relevant to conditions like cancer and other chronic diseases. The overall intent is to expand the toolkit available to population scientists so that genome integrity can be measured more directly and consistently at scale, rather than inferred indirectly or assessed only in limited experimental contexts.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions, along with Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized.

At the same time, the FOA draws a clear boundary around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S.-based applicant can include certain types of foreign collaboration or performance sites if they meet NIH policy requirements and are appropriately justified. This structure is common in NIH funding where the lead applicant must be domestic, but specific project elements may still involve international expertise or resources under compliant arrangements.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with activity areas spanning education, environment, and health, and it is associated with CFDA numbers 93.113 and 93.399. The source data lists an award ceiling of $400,000 and an original closing date of 2017-10-13, with a creation date of 2017-06-30. While the dataset does not specify the number of expected awards, the ceiling figure provides a sense of the potential maximum budget level per award under this announcement. Overall, the FOA is best understood as a targeted NIH effort to improve and validate genome integrity assays so they can be deployed credibly and efficiently in large-scale human studies, strengthening the evidence base connecting exposures, biological mechanisms, and health outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Expanding Genome Integrity Assays to Population Studies (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-10-13. (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 $400,000.00 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 ES 17 006

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