Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24) | RFA MH 18 100

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 18 100

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), released a limited-competition funding opportunity to continue and expand a national Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders using a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism. The core aim is to develop, sustain, enhance, and further enrich a centralized, national biorepository that supports genetic and genomic research on psychiatric and other mental disorders. By strengthening this shared infrastructure, NIMH is trying to speed up progress in understanding the genetic risk architecture that contributes to mental illness, and to make it easier for the broader research community to access high-quality biospecimens and associated data for both basic discovery and translational work.

A central feature of the opportunity is the expectation that the funded center will function as a single, national resource for open sharing of biosamples and data. In practice, this means the awardee is expected to operate a centralized repository that can receive, process, store, curate, and distribute biological samples and related datasets in a way that supports wide scientific use. The FOA emphasizes that the work should be carried out by a functionally integrated, multidisciplinary team, reflecting the reality that a modern genomic biorepository requires expertise across multiple domains, such as psychiatric genetics, genomics, biobanking operations, data management and informatics, quality control, ethics and compliance, and user support for investigators requesting materials.

Because this is a cooperative agreement (U24), NIMH anticipates having substantial scientific and programmatic involvement in the project rather than operating strictly as a passive funder. Cooperative agreements are commonly used for large-scale, community-serving research infrastructure where close coordination with NIH program staff helps ensure that the resource meets national priorities, adheres to high standards for distribution and access, and remains aligned with evolving practices in genomic science, data sharing, and human subjects protections. The FOA’s “limited competition” framing also signals that eligibility to apply may be restricted in some way described in the full announcement text, with the intent of continuing an existing center or maintaining continuity of a specialized national resource.

The funding opportunity is listed as discretionary and falls under the health funding activity category, with a CFDA number of 93.242. The announcement (RFA MH 18 100) was created on February 3, 2017, with an original application closing date of April 7, 2017. NIMH anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $7,080,000, indicating support for a single, centralized national effort rather than multiple smaller, distributed projects. The single-award approach fits the stated goal of providing “a single, centralized, national resource” to the research community, which can reduce fragmentation, standardize processes, and simplify access pathways for investigators seeking samples and data.

Eligibility is broad and includes many categories of organizations that can administer large-scale research resources. Eligible applicants include federal-recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations, state and local governments (including counties, cities, townships, special districts, and public housing authorities), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other-than-small businesses), and other entities as clarified in the FOA’s additional eligibility language. This wide eligibility range reflects that biorepository and data resource operations can be housed in different kinds of institutions, including universities, nonprofit research organizations, medical centers, or specialized infrastructure providers, as long as they can meet the scientific, technical, and compliance expectations of a national repository.

Overall, the opportunity is focused less on funding a specific hypothesis-driven research study and more on maintaining and advancing enabling infrastructure that the entire psychiatric genetics community can rely on. The expected outcome is a stronger, more usable, and more openly shareable national collection of biosamples and data relevant to mental disorders, designed to accelerate discovery about genetic risk factors and to support downstream translational efforts that may eventually improve diagnosis, risk prediction, prevention strategies, and treatment development.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 03, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 07, 2017. (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 $7,080,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA MH 18 100

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