About this file

Summary

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Request for Application (RFA-DK-27-112) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) for a single-source cooperative agreement to continue the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study Research Center. Only the current recipient under RFA-DK-21-503 is eligible to apply. The NOFO invites continuation of long-term follow-up of approximately 1,000 active EDIC participants (average age 65 years with over 40 years of type 1 diabetes history) to study development and progression of diabetes complications, age-related morbidities including cognition and frailty, cardiovascular and liver disease, sleep disorders, and mortality. NIDDK intends to commit up to $6.5 million in Fiscal Year 2027, with an application budget limit of $6.3 million per year in direct costs. The maximum project period is five years. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement with substantial NIH programmatic involvement. Applications are due October 9, 2026, by 5:00 PM local time, with scientific merit review in November 2026, advisory council review in March 2027, and earliest start date of May 2027.

Applicants must follow all instructions in the How to Apply–Application Guide and submit through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution. Required documents include a clinical protocol synopsis, statistical analysis plan, data management and sharing plan, research strategy addressing key research goals (frailty and aging impacts, contemporary health issues, advanced technologies including continuous glucose monitors and artificial intelligence, multiomic approaches, and quality-of-life assessments), organizational structure documentation, and PHS human subjects forms. Applications must address hypothesis-based research, cohort infrastructure maintenance, participant retention strategies, and collaborative research utilizing EDIC cohort data and biospecimens. Clinical trials are not allowed. All applicants must maintain active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), register in eRA Commons, and have Program Directors/Principal Investigators registered with ORCID. NIH will apply standard peer review criteria assessing significance, innovation, rigor, feasibility, and investigator expertise and resources.

RFA-DK-27-112-Full-Announcement.html

Text of this file

Department of Health and Human Services

Part 1. Overview Information

Participating Organization(s)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Components of Participating Organizations

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES (NIDDK)

Note: Not all NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) participate in Announcements. Applicants should carefully note which ICOs participate in this announcement and view their respective areas of research interest at the ICO-Specific Scientific Interests website. ICOs that do not participate in this announcement will not consider applications for funding.

Funding Opportunity Title

Single Source for the Continuation of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study Research Center (Collaborative U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Activity Code

U01 Research Project – Cooperative Agreements

Announcement Type

Reissue of

RFA-DK-21-503

Related Notices

Check for any recent Notices of NIH Policy Changes that may impact application requirements.

Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

RFA-DK-27-112

Companion Funding Opportunity

None

Number of Applications

Only one application per institution is allowed, See Part 2, Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.

Assistance Listing Number(s)

93.847

Funding Opportunity Purpose

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Single Source that will invite an application from the eligible organization to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, applications will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious applications will be considered for funding.

Through this NOFO, the National institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) invites an application to continue to follow the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) cohort through a collaborative cooperative agreement that addresses specific knowledge gaps in the development and progression of type 1 diabetes complications. Applications should include hypothesis-based research, support for cohort infrastructure and/or maintenance, continued follow-up, and supporting collaborative research to utilize the EDIC cohort as well as its data set and biologic/genetic samples.

Funding Opportunity Goal(s)

To promote extramural biomedical research that improves the understanding of disease management and leads to improved preventions, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases. Programmatic areas within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases include diabetes, digestive, endocrine, hematologic, liver, metabolic, nephrologic, nutrition, obesity, and urologic diseases.

Key Dates

Posted Date

August 31, 2026

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

October 09, 2026

Application Due Dates
Review and Award Cycles
New
Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)
AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed
Scientific Merit Review
Advisory Council Review
Earliest Start Date

Not Applicable

November 09, 2026

Not Applicable

March 2027
May 2027

July 2027

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Expiration Date

November 10, 2026

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts).

Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.

Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants.gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.
Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online.
Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants.gov and eRA Commons to track your application. Check with your institutional officials regarding availability.
Use Grants.gov Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Overview Information Key Dates Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description Section II. Award Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V. Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII. Other Information

Part 2. Full Text of Announcement

Section I. Notice of Funding Opportunity Description

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Single Source that will invite an application from the eligible organization to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, applications will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious applications will be considered. This NOFO invites an application from the current recipient(s) of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and its Complications (EDIC) Research Center to continue research on the EDIC cohort. NIH seeks to advance its mission by supporting the long-term follow-up of the EDIC cohort through the EDIC Research Center to better understand the development, progression, and prevention of complications in people with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: DCCT and EDIC Studies In 1983, the DCCT, using a randomized clinical trial design, tested whether strict blood sugar control helped people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The trial, which compared intensive T1D therapy to conventional therapy, was highly successful, demonstrating that strict blood sugar control significantly reduced eye, kidney, and nerve damage. This changed how doctors treat T1D worldwide.

Because the patients were still young when the trial ended, a follow-up study called EDIC (Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications) began in 1994. EDIC continues to follow the same group of people with T1D today. It has shown that early, strict blood sugar control has a long-lasting "metabolic memory" that continues to reduce complications and lowers the risk of death by 33%. Since the start of EDIC, study participants have been evaluated annually for micro- and macrovascular complications.

PURPOSE/RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

This funding will support the continued study of about 1,000 active EDIC participants. Because these individuals are now older (average age 65 years; range 49-80 years) and have had T1D for over 40 years (average duration 44 years range 39-56 years), researchers have a rare opportunity to study how aging impacts people with T1D, including the development and progression of diabetes-related complications and co-occurring health conditions.

Key Research Goals:

Understand how T1D affects memory, physical ability, and frailty as the study population ages.
Examine contemporary health issues, such as overweight and obesity and associated complications such as liver disease, and obstructive sleep apnea.
Use advanced technology, such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), cardiac imaging, and artificial intelligence (AI), to predict health outcomes.
Use multiomic approaches to understand complex biological processes by integrating data from sources like the genome, transcriptome, and metabolome.
Explore quality of life and cost as it relates to newer treatments and devices for T1D management.
Maximize the scientific use of data, biospecimens, and other data collected during all years of DCCT/EDIC to explore the development, severity, and trajectories of diabetes complications, other health care conditions, and mortality among this cohort.

STUDY GROUP COMPONENTS and ROLES The study requires a team approach. The responsibilities of each group are outlined below:

GroupMain Responsibilities
Research CenterManages the study's funding, handles contracts, and coordinates the clinical sites. Ensures that established study procedures are followed, and that all samples and data are submitted to the Biostatistics Research Center, central laboratories, central reading centers, and other core facilities per protocol.
Biostatistics CenterManages the data and provides biostatistical and analytic expertise and conducts analyses and interpretation of the laboratory and clinical data in conjunction with EDIC investigators. Ensures participant confidentiality and safety and quality control. Prepares reports to the EDIC Steering Committee, Observational Safety and Monitoring Board, External Evaluation Panel, and NIDDK staff at regular intervals. Complies with the Data Management and Sharing (DMS) plan.
Clinical CentersWork directly with the study participants to obtain consent, run tests, collect data, and gather biological samples. Submit all samples and data to the Biostatistics Center and central laboratory and core facilities as required by the protocol.
Steering CommitteeActs as the main leadership team. They make the study rules, approve new research ideas, and oversee study progress.
Project ScientistRepresents the funding agency. They help the leadership team with science, quality control, and tracking progress.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information

Funding Instrument

Cooperative Agreement: A financial assistance mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NIH scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities. See Section VI.2 for additional information about the substantial involvement for this NOFO.

Application Types Allowed

Renewal

The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.

Clinical Trial?

Not Allowed: This NOFO only accepts applications that do not propose clinical trials. Note: Applications may propose activities involving human subjects that are not deemed clinical trials.

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

NIDDK intends to commit up to $6.5 million in Fiscal Year 2027 to support the continuation of EDIC under RFA-DK-27-112. It is expected that one award will be made for the Research Center under this NOFO.

Award Budget

The application budget is limited to $6.3 million per year in direct costs for the entire project period. Budgets should reflect the actual needs of the proposed project..

Award Project Period

The maximum project period is 5 years.

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible Organizations

Only the current recipient under RFA-DK-21-503 is eligible to apply under this single source NOFO.

Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.

Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

NIH will no longer issue awards (i.e., new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that involve foreign subawards/subcontracts. All NIH-funded research involving foreign subawards/subcontracts must be submitted in response to a NOFO that is specifically designated for funded international collaborations. See NIH Grants Policy Statement 16.8 Collaborative International Research Awards.

Applications involving foreign subawards/subcontracts submitted in response to this NOFO will be deemed noncompliant and will not be considered for funding. This policy applies to all monetary international collaborations resulting in foreign subawards/subcontracts, however, it does not preclude unfunded international collaborations or foreign components, funding for foreign consultants, or procurement of unique equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

Required Registrations

Applicant Organizations Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply- Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code. Foreign organizations must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.

eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.gov registrations; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
Grants.gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID. The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator)

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the How to Apply-Application Guide.

Only the current recipient under RFA-DK-21-503 is eligible to apply under this single source NOFO.

2. Cost Sharing This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.2 Definition of Terms.

3. Additional Information on Eligibility Number of Applications

Only a single application will be allowed.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Requesting an Application Package The application forms package specific to this opportunity must be accessed through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace or an institutional system-to-system solution. Links to apply using ASSIST or Grants.gov Workspace are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Research (R) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise (in this NOFO, in a policy notice, or other notice from NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Page Limitations All page limitations described in the How to Apply- Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission

The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply- Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO.

SF424(R&R) Cover All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

SF424(R&R) Other Project Information

1. Clinical Protocol Synopsis The file name "Clinical Protocol Synopsis.pdf" should be used and will be reflected in the final image bookmarking for easy access to reviewers.

The clinical protocol synopsis must include a description of these elements:

Study population, including the original cohort and those available for follow-up.
Clinical and demographic characteristics of the available study population at each site (Table).
Planned approaches for participant retention and engagement.
All clinical, laboratory, physiological, and behavioral tests proposed for this cycle.
How the sites will obtain, manage, protect and securely transfer data.
The data management and quality control plan, including methods for monitoring the quality and consistency of the data collection, confidentiality, and privacy.

2. Statistical Analysis Plan The filename "Statistical Analysis Plan.pdf" should be used and will be reflected in the final image bookmarking for easy access for reviewers.

The applicant should describe the statistical methods, including the sample size and power calculations, plans for primary and secondary analyses, and pre-specified interim analyses (if applicable). Although applicants may only request 5 years of funding, power calculations may be provided for more than 5 years of follow-up, if appropriate. If optimal power is only achieved with longer follow-up, the Biostatistics Research Center should provide plans for futility analysis as soon as possible and no later than at the end of year 3 of the project period that would allow NIDDK to decide about whether to request applications to extend the follow-up for an additional project period.

Applications that lack the Statistical Analysis Plan are incomplete and will not be peer-reviewed.

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

R&R or Modular Budget

R&R Subaward Budget

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement

PHS 398 Research Plan All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

Research Strategy:

The application must contain a Research Strategy that clearly describes the aspects of the project that are common to all sites. All planned variations between sites, no matter how minor, should be highlighted in a subsection of the Research Strategy with the heading "Elements Unique to Individual Sites." In this subsection, PDs/PIs should describe, for example, how the research site has a unique role in the collaboration, such as data coordination, statistical analyses, and other unique roles.

The Research Strategy section should include:

A discussion of the significance of the problem, the need for the study, and the potential impact of the results;
A description of the strategy, methodology and analyses to accomplish the goals and specific aims of the study; and
Data from preliminary studies and/or previous findings from EDIC that address the need for and feasibility of the proposed studies.

In addition, the following key research goals and approaches to completing them should be addressed in the research plan:

How you will explore how T1D affects memory, physical ability, and frailty as the study population ages.
How contemporary health issues, such as overweight and obesity and associated complications such as liver disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, will be examined.
How advanced technology, such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), cardiac imaging, and artificial intelligence (AI), will be used to predict health outcomes.
How multiomic approaches will be used to understand complex biological processes by integrating data from sources like the genome, transcriptome, and metabolome.
How quality of life and cost (health economics) relates to newer treatments and devices for T1D management.
Maximize the scientific use of data, biospecimens, and other data collected during all years of DCCT/EDIC to explore the development, severity, and trajectories of diabetes complications, other health care conditions, and mortality among this cohort.
Strategies to ensure continued study participant engagement in study visits and procedures.

The Research Center research strategy should also include a description of the study organization and administration, including, but not limited to:

The committee structures needed to manage this complex study; and
The oversight, responsibilities and coordination of clinical sites, Biostatistics Center, central laboratory and other central entities proposed as subcontracts to the Research Center.

In this section, there should be a sufficient description of the items listed above to permit thorough evaluation of the Research Strategy. Technical details contained in the statistical analysis plan, and data and safety monitoring plan (DSMP) can be referenced in the Research Strategy section to avoid duplication of text.

The Research Center applicant must describe plans including but not limited to:

1. Core Project Support - Plans for continuation and analysis of ongoing core study assessments as well as plans for the development, implementation and analysis of new core study activities.

2. Ancillary Study Support - Plans for support of ongoing and planned ancillary study activities.

Resource Sharing Plan: Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans as provided in the How to Apply - Application Guide.

Other Plan(s):

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) is required for any NIH-funded or conducted research that will generate scientific data. Applicants must submit the DMS Plan at the time of application using the NIH DMS Plan Format Page. The DMS Plan must address the elements in the structured format. Where the DMS Plan Format Page requires a "Yes or No" response, no additional narrative is allowed.

Appendix: Only limited Appendix materials are allowed. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide.
No publications or other material, with the exception of blank questionnaires or blank surveys, may be included in the Appendix.

PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information When involving human subjects research, clinical research, and/or NIH-defined clinical trials (and when applicable, clinical trials research experience) follow all instructions for the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form in the How to Apply- Application Guide, with the following additional instructions:

If you answered "Yes" to the question "Are Human Subjects Involved?" on the R&R Other Project Information form, you must include at least one human subjects study record using the Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information form or Delayed Onset Study record.

Study Record: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information

Delayed Onset Study Note: Delayed onset does NOT apply to a study that can be described but will not start immediately (i.e., delayed start). All instructions in the How to Apply- Application Guide must be followed.

PHS Assignment Request Form

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) See Part 2. Section III.1 for information regarding the requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov

4. Submission Dates and Times Part I. contains information about Key Dates and times. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies). Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration. NIH and Grants.gov systems check the application against many of the application instructions upon submission. Errors must be corrected and a changed/corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov on or before the application due date and time. If a Changed/Corrected application is submitted after the deadline, the application will be considered late. Applications that miss the due date and time are subjected to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.3.9.2 Electronically Submitted Applications.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the How to Apply-Application Guide.

5. Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372) This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

6. Funding Restrictions All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.9.1 Selected Items of Cost.

7. Other Submission Requirements and Information

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the How to Apply – Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit How to Apply – Application Guide. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must follow the Dealing with System Issues guidance. For assistance with application submission, contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important reminders:

All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH. See Section III of this NOFO for information on registration requirements.

The applicant organization must ensure that the unique entity identifier provided on the application is the same identifier used in the organization's profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management. Additional information may be found in the How to Apply – Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness and compliance with application instructions by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete, non-compliant and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

Mandatory Disclosure

Recipients or subrecipients must submit any information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. See Mandatory Disclosures, 2 CFR 200.113 and NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4.1.36.

Send written disclosures to the NIH Chief Grants Management Officer listed on the Notice of Award for the IC that funded the award and to the HHS Office of Inspector Grant Self Disclosure Program at grantdisclosures@oig.hhs.gov.

Post Submission Materials Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in the policy

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. Applications submitted to the NIH in support of the NIH mission are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Overall Impact

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following scored review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed). An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have a major scientific impact.

Scored Review Criteria

Reviewers will consider Factors 1, 2 and 3 in the determination of scientific merit, and in providing an overall impact score. In addition, Factors 1 and 2 will each receive a separate factor score.

Factor 1. Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation)

Significance
Evaluate the importance of the proposed research in the context of current scientific challenges and opportunities, either for advancing knowledge within the field, or more broadly. Assess whether the application addresses an important gap in knowledge in the field, would solve a critical problem, or create a valuable conceptual or technical advance.
Evaluate the rationale for undertaking the study, the rigor of the scientific background for the work (e.g., prior literature and/or preliminary data) and whether the scientific background justifies the proposed study.

Innovation

Evaluate the extent to which innovation influences the importance of undertaking the proposed research. Note that while technical or conceptual innovation can influence the importance of the proposed research, a project that is not applying novel concepts or approaches may be of critical importance for the field.
Evaluate whether the proposed work applies novel concepts, methods or technologies or uses existing concepts, methods, technologies in novel ways, to enhance the overall impact of the project.

Factor 2. Rigor and Feasibility (Approach)

Approach
Evaluate the scientific quality of the proposed work. Evaluate the likelihood that compelling, reproducible findings will result (rigor) and assess whether the proposed studies can be done well and within the timeframes proposed (feasibility).

Rigor:

Evaluate the potential to produce unbiased, reproducible, robust data.
Evaluate the rigor of experimental design and whether appropriate controls are in place.
Evaluate whether the sample size is sufficient and well-justified.
Assess the quality of the plans for analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results.
Evaluate whether the investigators presented adequate plans to address relevant biological variables, such as sex or age, in the design, analysis, and reporting.
For applications involving human subjects or vertebrate animals, also evaluate:the rigor of the intervention or study manipulation (if applicable to the study design).
whether outcome variables are justified.
whether the results will be generalizable or, in the case of a rare disease/special group, relevant to the particular subgroup.
whether the study population appropriately models the target population.

For applications involving human subjects, including clinical trials, assess the adequacy of inclusion plans as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research. Considerations of appropriateness may include disease/condition/behavior incidence, prevalence, or population burden, population representation, and/or current state of the science.

Feasibility:

Evaluate whether the proposed approach is sound and achievable, including plans to address problems or new challenges that emerge in the work. For proposed studies in which feasibility may be less certain, evaluate whether the uncertainty is balanced by the potential for major advances.
For applications involving human subjects, including clinical trials, evaluate the adequacy and feasibility of the plan to recruit and retain a study population that appropriately models the target population. Additionally, evaluate the likelihood of successfully achieving the proposed enrollment based on age, race, ethnicity, and sex.
For clinical trial applications, evaluate whether the study timeline and milestones are feasible.

Factor 3. Expertise and Resources (Investigator(s) and Environment)

Investigator(s) Evaluate whether the investigator(s) have demonstrated background, training, and expertise, as appropriate for their career stage, to conduct the proposed work. For Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI) applications, assess the quality of the leadership plan to facilitate coordination and collaboration.

Environment Evaluate whether the institutional resources are appropriate to ensure the successful execution of the proposed work.

Additional Review Criteria

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, but will not give criterion scores for these items, and should consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Protections for Human Subjects

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects; 2) adequacy of protection against risks; 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others; 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained; and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption; 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics; and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

This NOFO only accepts applications that do not propose clinical trials. Note: Applications may propose activities involving human subjects that are not deemed clinical trials.

Vertebrate Animals

When the proposed research includes Vertebrate Animals, evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals according to the following criteria: (1) description of proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3) interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4) justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animals Section.

Biohazards

When the proposed research includes Biohazards, evaluate whether specific materials or procedures that will be used are significantly hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and whether adequate protection is proposed.

Resubmissions

As applicable, evaluate the full application as now presented.

Renewals

As applicable, evaluate the progress made in the last funding period.

Revisions

As applicable, evaluate the appropriateness of the proposed expansion of the scope of the project.

Additional Review Considerations

As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources

For projects involving key biological and/or chemical resources, evaluate the brief plans proposed for identifying and ensuring the validity of those resources.

Budget and Period of Support

Evaluate whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), convened by CSR, in accordance with NIH peer review policies and practices, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications will receive a written critique.

Requests for reconsideration of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this NOFO.

Applications will be assigned to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this NOFO. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council . The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
Availability of funds.
Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.5.1. Just-in-Time Procedures. This request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Prior to making an award, NIH reviews an applicant's federal award history in SAM.gov to ensure sound business practices. An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov. NIH will consider any comments by the applicant in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov to ascertain the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and performance record of managing Federal awards per 2 CFR Part 200.206 "Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants." This provision will apply to all NIH grants and cooperative agreements except fellowships.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons. Refer to Part 1 for dates for peer review, advisory council review, and earliest start date.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.4.4 Disposition of Applications.

Section VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices A Notice of Award (NoA) is the official authorizing document notifying the applicant that an award has been made and that funds may be requested from the designated HHS payment system or office. The NoA is signed by the Grants Management Officer and emailed to the recipient's business official.

In accepting the award, the recipient agrees that any activities under the award are subject to all provisions currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Recipients must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions. Any pre-award costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the applicant's own risk. For more information on the Notice of Award, please refer to the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 5. The Notice of Award and NIH Grants & Funding website, see Award Process.

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that protocols are reviewed by their IRB or IEC. To help ensure the safety of participants enrolled in NIH-funded studies, the recipient must provide NIH copies of documents related to all major changes in the status of ongoing protocols.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements The following Federal wide and HHS-specific policy requirements apply to awards funded through NIH:

The rules listed at 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award (NoA). The NoA includes the requirements of this NOFO. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Recipients, and Activities.

All federal statutes and regulations relevant to federal financial assistance, including those highlighted in NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 4 Public Policy Requirements, Objectives and Other Appropriation Mandates.

By applying for or accepting federal funds from HHS, recipients certify compliance with all federal antidiscrimination laws and these requirements and that complying with those laws is a material condition of receiving federal funding streams. Recipients are responsible for ensuring subrecipients, contractors, and partners also comply.

Applicants and recipients are strongly encouraged to refer to the NIH Director's Statement of Priorities, entitled "Advancing NIH's Mission Through a Unified Strategy."

Recipients are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal regulations. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.340, by accepting an NIH award, the recipient agrees that continued funding for the award is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds, recipient satisfactory performance, compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the award, and may also otherwise be terminated, to the extent authorized by law, if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities, in line with 2 CFR 200.340(a)(4).

Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, Div. N, § 405, Pub. Law 114-113, 6 USC § 1533(d), the HHS Secretary has established a common set of voluntary, consensus-based, and industry-led guidelines, best practices, methodologies, procedures, and processes.

Successful recipients under this NOFO agree that:

When recipients, subrecipients, or third-party entities have:

ongoing and consistent access to HHS owned or operated information or operational technology systems; and
receive, maintain, transmit, store, access, exchange, process, or utilize personal identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) obtained from the awarding HHS agency for the purposes of executing the award.

Cybersecurity plans and procedures must at minimum include the following:

Develop cybersecurity plans and procedures, modeled after the NIST Cybersecurity framework, to protect HHS systems and data: Identify: Develop an inventory of all assets and accounts with access to HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems or which obtain PII or PHI for the purposes of the award.

Protect:Limit access to HHS owned and operated systems to only those in need of access to complete reward activities.
Require all staff to complete annual cybersecurity and privacy awareness training. Visit 405(d): Knowledge on Demand (hhs.gov) to obtain free trainings, if needed.
Enable multifactor authentication for all employees, subrecipients, and third-party entities to access HHS owned and operated information or operational technology systems.
Regularly backup sensitive data and test backups.

Detect: Install anti-virus or anti-malware software on all devices, servers, and accounts used to connect to HHS owned and operated systems.

Respond:Develop an incident response plan. See Incident-Response-Plan-Basics_508c.pdf (cisa.gov) to learn about developing incident response plans.
Have cybersecurity incident reporting procedures that ensure the relevant HHS awarding agencies are notified of a cybersecurity incident within 48 hours of discovery. A cybersecurity incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a technology service or reduction in the quality of a technology service, or an occurrence that actually or potentially jeopardizes the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information the system processes, stores, or transmits.

Recover: Investigate incidents and plug any security gaps identified.

All activities proposed in your application and budget narrative must align with applicable law, including but not limited to statutes, executive orders, federal regulations and applicable judicial holdings. Accordingly, discretionary awards shall not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate; racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination by the recipient, including activities where race or intentional proxies for race will be used as a selection criterion for employment or program participation; denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans, or the belief that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic; illegal immigration; or any other initiatives that compromise public safety. If an application does not align, the application will not receive funding to the extent permitted by law and applicable court orders.

For applications involving substance abuse, the application must not support harm reduction. Please see Updated Funding Guidance for Recipients on Supplies and Services.

For applications involving funding Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) or medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), this funding should be used to provide comprehensive treatment and recovery support services rather than medication-only models for opioid use disorder. Services should include medications, where clinically indicated, in conjunction with psychosocial and other treatment and recovery support services. Funding can also be used to support individualized tapering and discontinuation of medications when clinically indicated. Please see Updated Funding Guidance for Recipients on MAT/MOUD.

As of October 1, 2025, HHS has adopted 2 CFR Part 200, with some modifications included in 2 CFR Part 300. These regulations replace those in 45 CFR Part 75. However, for NIH, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY 2026, (P.L. 119-75, Division B, Title II, Sec. 224), the provisions relating to indirect costs in 45 CFR 75 continue to apply to NIH awards. Consistent with the statute, NIH will not apply updated thresholds outlined within 2 CFR Part 200, at this time.

In administering programs under this and all funding announcements, NIH prioritizes:

Research involving rigorous scientific methods, including for studies related to children and adolescents, where NIH is committed to approaches that reflect the highest standards of clinical care and child safety.
Biological and physiological integrity: Recognizing the relevance of biological sex to health outcomes, NIH encourages applicants to account for sex-based health factors in program design, data collection, and service delivery where scientifically appropriate.
NIH will implement these priorities consistent with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and all required administrative procedures. Applicants are encouraged to describe how their proposed programs align with these priorities in their project narratives. Funded activities must advance NIH's vision of protecting and improving the health and well-being of Americans. The particular focus is on those who are medically vulnerable, or live in areas with limited access to care. NIH's duty is to serve wisely, effectively, and with measurable results that justify every taxpayer dollar invested.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) administrative guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) grant administration regulations in 2 CFR Part 200, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement, an "assistance"…

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