Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Open Data Science Platform and Coordinating Center (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 20 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 20 018

This NIH cooperative agreement (U2C; clinical trial not allowed) is part of the broader DS-I Africa initiative, which aims to accelerate health discovery and spark practical innovation in healthcare, public health, and health research across Africa by applying modern data science approaches. In plain terms, the program is trying to make it easier for researchers and innovators on the continent (and their collaborators) to find, access, combine, and analyze health-relevant data, and to do so within a coordinated consortium structure that supports shared standards, shared tools, and shared governance.

The funding opportunity supports a single award that contains two tightly linked components: an Open Data Science Platform (ODSP) core and a Coordinating Center (CC) core. The ODSP is essentially the technical backbone. It is expected to build and operate a scalable, community-facing data-sharing gateway that can handle multiple kinds of datasets and resources. That includes both open data and controlled-access data, along with analytical tools and other resources that researchers need to work with the data responsibly and efficiently. A key point is that the platform is meant to serve as a common entry point for data and tools produced by the DS-I Africa Research Hubs, while also connecting to or incorporating other appropriate existing data sources, rather than functioning as a closed system limited only to newly generated hub outputs.

The Coordinating Center core is the consortium’s organizational engine. Its role is to provide the management structure, operational direction, and overall coordination for activities that are shared across DS-I Africa. In practice, that implies day-to-day coordination among multiple hubs and partners, organizing consortium-wide workflows, supporting communications and collaboration, and enabling consistent approaches to common needs such as data access processes, cross-site planning, shared policies, and other collective activities that help a multi-institution initiative function as one coherent program rather than a set of disconnected projects.

Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH involvement is typically more active than under a standard research grant mechanism. That generally means awardees should expect substantial programmatic coordination with NIH staff and alignment with consortium-level goals, timelines, and deliverables. The FOA also explicitly states that clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity, signaling that the work should focus on data science infrastructure, coordination, and related non-trial activities rather than interventional human-subjects studies that meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial.

Eligibility emphasizes African leadership. The award is intended to be made to an African academic institution or another African non-profit organization, reflecting the initiative’s goal of building durable, Africa-centered capacity and infrastructure. At the same time, the FOA encourages multisectoral partnerships, including collaborations with organizations in Africa, the United States, and other countries, which supports a model where the core awardee is Africa-based while drawing on complementary technical, scientific, or implementation expertise globally. The opportunity also lists a wide range of eligible applicant types more broadly (including various U.S. and non-U.S. entities, different levels of government, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and some for-profit organizations), but it draws a specific boundary: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are eligible, foreign components are allowed as defined by NIH policy, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. This distinction matters for teams that might otherwise try to submit through a U.S. institution with overseas branches.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-20-018, with an activity area in health and CFDA/Assistance Listing number 93.310. The original closing date listed is December 3, 2020, and the FOA was created July 24, 2020. The notice does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpt provided, but it does make clear that the ODSP and CC functions are bundled into one U2C award, meaning the applicant organization is expected to deliver both the technical platform and the consortium coordination capabilities in an integrated way.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Open Data Science Platform and Coordinating Center (U2C 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): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-07-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-12-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 RM 20 018

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