About this file

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a single-source cooperative agreement to continue funding the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Scientific and Data Research Center (SDRC). The funding opportunity is issued by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under Assistance Listing 93.847. NIDDK intends to commit approximately $1.8 million in total costs in FY 2026 to fund one award with a maximum project period of 3 years. The NOFO is a reissue of RFA-DK-20-012 and is designated as RFA-DK-27-139, with a companion funding opportunity listed as RFA-DK-27-125. The application submission window opens October 9, 2026, with the due date of November 9, 2026, at 5:00 PM local time. The earliest start date is May 2027, following scientific merit review in November 2026 and advisory council review in March 2027.

Only the current recipient of the original COPE-AKI SDRC award under RFA-DK-20-012 is eligible to apply, making this a restricted single-source competition. The SDRC must be responsible for coordinating data collection from three Clinical Centers, performing biostatistical analyses, ensuring data quality and participant safety, managing study protocols and Steering Committee operations, and preparing publications. All applications require a clinical trial component and must include a Data Management and Sharing Plan, demonstrating plans to submit all consortial-derived data and biological samples to the NIDDK Central Repository. Applications must comply with standard NIH application requirements including registrations in SAM, obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier, registering in eRA Commons, and ensuring all Program Directors/Principal Investigators maintain active eRA Commons accounts linked to valid ORCID IDs. Applicants should submit applications through ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system solutions.

RFA-DK-27-139-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 Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Scientific and Data Research Center (U01 Clinical Trial Required)

Activity Code

U01 Research Project – Cooperative Agreements

Announcement Type

Reissue of

RFA-DK-20-012

Related Notices

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

Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

RFA-DK-27-139

Companion Funding Opportunity

RFA-DK-27-125

, U01 Research Project (Cooperative Agreements)

Number of Applications

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

Assistance Listing Number(s)

93.847

Funding Opportunity Purpose

Applications for a 3-year extension/renewal of the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) clinical trial consortium are requested to fully meet the enrollment targets, complete participant follow-up, and finalize data analysis and dissemination of study findings. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites a Single Source application for the eligible organization, the Scientific and Data Research Center (SDRC) already involved in the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Consortium. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the application(s) will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious application(s) will be considered.

There is currently no standard of care for patients after hospitalization with acute kidney injury (AKI). Successful completion of the COPE-AKI study will provide key insights that are expected to directly inform improved clinical management strategies and the development of standard of care for Stage 2 and 3 AKI survivors.

Funding Opportunity Goal(s)

To promote extramural basic and clinical biomedical research that improves the understanding of the mechanisms underlying disease and leads to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes, digestive, and kidney 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 Competition that will invite an application from an eligible organization to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the application(s) will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious application(s) will be considered for funding.

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to continue the support for the Scientific and Data Research Center (SDRC) involved in the Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Consortium clinical trial.

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high morbidity, including increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), cardiovascular disease, and mortality. There is currently no standard of care for patients after hospitalization with AKI that targets progression of kidney disease and the associated morbidity and mortality in AKI survivors. Whether a process of care intervention in AKI survivors can improve outcomes is unknown in this population. Improving outcomes of AKI survivors is of high significance to patients as well as healthcare organizations.

The Caring for OutPatiEnts after Acute Kidney Injury (COPE-AKI) Consortium and clinical trial were launched in response to a competitive NOFO issued in 2020 and includes three Clinical Centers (CCs) and one Scientific and Data Research Center (SDRC). The COPE-AKI clinical trial is a randomized controlled trial to test a multimodal process of care intervention that aims to reduce rehospitalization and morbidity compared with usual care in patients after hospitalization with Stage 2 and 3 AKI (https://cope-akistudy.pitt.edu/). Enrollment began in 2023, and it is anticipated that enrollment will end in late 2028 with a one-year follow-up per protocol. Successful completion of the COPE-AKI clinical trial will provide key insights that are expected to directly inform improved clinical management strategies and the development of standard of care for Stage 2 and 3 AKI survivors.

Research Objectives The primary objective of this renewal COPE-AKI NOFO is to provide support for the SDRC to complete the clinical trial including fully meeting the enrollment targets, participant follow-up, data analyses, and dissemination of study findings. During this second phase of funding, the SDRC will continue to work in a collaborative, harmonious, and efficient manner with the CCs to complete the trial per approved protocol. In addition, objectives for the SDRC may include the selection and implementation of a recruitment site(s) to ensure adequate representation of the affected population.

The COPE-AKI Consortium Structure The COPE-AKI Consortium consists of three Clinical Centers (CCs) and one Scientific Data Research Center (SDRC) and is governed by the Steering Committee. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) provides independent monitoring.

The SDRC is primarily responsible for ensuring the scientific integrity, comprehensiveness, and robustness of the research design, biostatistics, implementation, data quality, analysis, storage, and submission of study data and biospecimens to the NIDDK Biorepository for subsequent research. The SDRC will provide biostatistical and analytic expertise and conduct analyses and interpretation of the data in conjunction with the investigators at the CCs.

The CCs are responsible for screening and recruiting study participants, conducting interventions, obtaining biological samples and clinical information from all participants at baseline and during follow-up as outlined in the protocol, and transmission of those data and samples to the SDRC, which accepts and manages the data.

Administration and Meetings The structure of the COPE-AKI governing committees will continue in the same manner as during the first phase of the Consortium. The Steering Committee (SC) serves as the governing body of the Consortium. Its actions and decisions are determined by majority vote. The SC is composed of the Steering Committee Chair, the SRDC and CC Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs), other key investigators, and the NIDDK Project Scientist, as well as patient-participant representatives. The SC will meet regularly by telephone or webinar as a full committee and in working groups to govern the trial and refine and implement study protocol amendments, if needed, and analysis plans. SC responsibilities include: review study progress; review and approval of all data analyses; interpret study findings; review and approval of public presentations and publications of research conducted within the Consortium; review and approval of ancillary studies; and development of policies and procedures for submission and approval of research applications using Consortium resources.

The Executive Committee (EC) is comprised of the Steering Committee Chair, the SDRC PDs/PIs, and the NIDDK Project Scientist. Additional subject matter experts may participate in the EC as needed. The Executive Committee will make operational decisions for the Consortium between SC meetings by means of weekly telephone conference calls.

A Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has been established by the NIDDK at the beginning of the prior funding period and will continue to monitor the research efforts, including monitoring the progress and safety of the study and reviewing changes to study protocols prior to implementation. The DSMB is advisory to the NIDDK. Applicants must not suggest potential participants for the DSMB in their applications.

A Community Advisory Council, comprised of patient representatives identified by the CCs and SDRC, will meet routinely via conference call to provide feedback to the Consortium regarding the design and conduct of the study. One NIDDK and one SDRC member will staff this committee.

In-person SC meetings will be conducted every one year, or more often as needed. Applicants should budget accordingly.

Awardees must agree to abide by the Network Duality of Interests Policy and Procedures and may need to develop procedures to require study investigators and others associated with the study to identify financial and other conflicts of interest on a routine basis, at least annually, and to share this information with the NIDDK Program staff.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

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?

Required: Only accepting applications that propose clinical trial(s).

Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

NIDDK intends to commit approximately $1.8 M total costs in FY 2026 to fund 1 award.

Award Budget

Application budgets are not limited but need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Award Project Period

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 3 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

As this NOFO is a Single Source application, only the current recipient under RFA-DK-20-012 is eligible to apply under this announcement.

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 not allowed.

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.

As this NOFO is a Single Source opportunity, only the Program Director/Principal Investigator associated with the original COPE-AKI Scientific Data Research Center selected under RFA-DK-20-012 is eligible to apply in response to this 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 one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique UEI or NIH IPF number) is 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

SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile

R&R or Modular Budget

Application budgets may include funds up to $0.8 M to support efforts intended to enhance participant recruitment to reflect the population affected by AKI and increase generalizability of trial findings. These funds will be restricted for use until appropriate strategies have been developed by the SDRC in collaboration with the NIDDK.

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 Research Strategy section for the SDRC should include:

A description of the significance of the problem being studied, the need for the continuation of the study, and the potential impact of the results of the study.
A concise description of the proposed clinical trial question, the overall strategy, methodology, power, and statistical analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the study.
A discussion of recruitment goals and study progress to date, with submission of standardized data on the three Clinical Centers (CCs), including population characteristics, recruitment, retention, and intervention fidelity data.
A rationale for the selection and implementation of population-specific recruitment site(s) to enhance generalizability of study findings (optional).
Demonstration of the ability of the SDRC to implement all aspects of the protocol and to work with the CCs in all aspects of the study.
Plans demonstrating how the SDRC will handle participant confidentiality and safety and reporting adverse events.
An acknowledgement of the responsibility of the SDRC to conduct training and certification of study staff and create, maintain, and update the manual of operations.
A description of the SDRC team expertise to achieve the responsibilities of the SDRC and the goals of the COPE-AKI clinical trial, including but are not limited to coordinating data collection, performing analyses, preparing study reports for the CCs performing studies, preparing protocol amendments for review and approval, conducting Steering Committee meetings and conference calls, and presenting data at the DSMB meetings. All data collected by the CCs will continue to be sent to the SDRC for quality control and analysis.
An acknowledgement and discussion of the responsibilities of the SDRC as part of a multi-center collaborative project.

The SDRC applicant should describe how they will carry out major scientific responsibilities, including:

Managing the roles, responsibilities, and interactions of the SDRC investigators with a leadership plan.
Monitoring the implementation of the study, including population characteristics, adherence, data quality, and participant safety.
Selecting, training, and implementing a population-specific recruitment site(s) to enhance generalizability of study findings (optional).
Maintaining databases of all data collected by the CCs, performing quality control and statistical analyses, and coordinating work on all publications.
Planning for coordination of biosample (e.g. serum, plasma, DNA, tissue, urine, and stool, as applicable) collection, storage, quality control and distribution, and interaction with the NIDDK Central Repository for eventual transfer of data and clinical samples.
Working collaboratively with the CC PDs/PIs in planning and conducting the various research efforts undertaken by the Consortium and providing the organizational and administrative leadership necessary to enable the Consortium to function smoothly.
Coordinating all Steering Committee meetings, including in-person, telephone conference calls and webinars, and establishing and maintaining the Consortium public and private websites.
Staffing the SDRC with nephrologist(s), intensivist(s), clinical trialist(s), data scientists/informaticists, ethicists, biostatisticians, and representatives from the relevant community patient population in a meaningful way. Experience of the team should encompass expertise in randomized controlled trials.
Ensuring meaningful and continuous involvement of patient- participant advisors throughout the course of the study.
Coordinating all NIDDK appointed DSMB meetings, in addition to preparation of reports and presentations for the DSMB and other meetings as needed, as well as providing honoraria and travel expenses for DSMB members.
Preparing manuscripts reporting study findings.

SDRC applications should address common study issues such as:

Ability to work collaboratively to establish Consortium Agreements that address: (1) procedures for data sharing among consortium members and data sharing with industry partners and qualified external investigators to provide opportunities to participate via ancillary studies and disseminated data analyses; (2) procedures for safeguarding confidential information, including without limitation, any data generated by the consortium as well as data received from external collaborators; (3) procedures for addressing ownership of intellectual property that result from aggregate multi-party data; (4) procedures for sharing biological specimens; (5) procedures for sharing data with the research and clinical communities according to NIDDK policies; and (6) procedures for the Consortium for reviewing publications, determining authorship, and determining industry access to publications.
Each industry collaboration, if any, will be governed by an appropriate Research Collaboration Agreement (e.g. Clinical Trial Agreement [CTA], Research Collaboration Agreement [RCA], etc.) with terms that ensure collaboration is conducted in accordance with the terms of the Cooperative Agreement and all applicable NIH policies and procedures. Each industry/SDRC agreement will address ownership of intellectual property discovered from multi-party data generated by the Consortium, and the Consortium will develop intellectual property policies and procedures with terms that ensure collaboration and dissemination of research findings are conducted in accordance with the terms of the Cooperative Agreement and all applicable NIH policies and procedures. Consortium policies will require continued submission of data centrally to the SDRC and Consortium policies/procedures will address protection of personal medical records of individuals.

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.

The following modifications also apply:
Scientific Data Research Center applications should provide a Data and Resource (Biological Sample) Sharing Plan.
Consortium investigators are expected to share their findings with the scientific community through scientific presentations and publications, as well as sharing data with investigators outside the Consortium, consistent with NIDDK policies.
All Consortial-derived data and aliquot(s) of biological samples are expected to be provided to the NIDDK Data and Sample Biorepositories at regular intervals during the active phase of the project or at the end of the project by the SDRC in accordance with institute guidelines (NOT-DK-24-003).

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.

For this particular announcement, note the following: As this NOFO is a Single Source opportunity, only the institution that is the principal employer of the Program Director/Principal Investigator of the original COPE-AKI Scientific Data Research Center is eligible to apply in response to this NOFO.

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.

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.

Applications may undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.

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.

Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the NIH and are subject to the IC-specific terms and conditions identified in the NoA.

ClinicalTrials.gov: If an award provides for one or more clinical trials. By law (Title VIII, Section 801 of Public Law 110-85), the "responsible party" must register and submit results information for certain "applicable clinical trials" on the ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System Information Website (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov). NIH expects registration and results reporting of all trials whether required under the law or not. For more information, see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials/reporting/index.htm

Institutional Review Board or Independent Ethics Committee Approval: Recipient institutions must ensure that all 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.

Data and Safety Monitoring Requirements: The NIH policy for data and safety monitoring requires oversight and monitoring of all NIH-conducted or -supported human biomedical and behavioral intervention studies (clinical trials) to ensure the safety of participants and the validity and integrity of the data. Further information concerning these requirements is found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/data_safety.htm and in the application instructions (SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398).

Investigational New Drug or Investigational Device Exemption Requirements: Consistent with federal regulations, clinical research projects involving the use of investigational therapeutics, vaccines, or other medical interventions (including licensed products and devices for a purpose other than that for which they were licensed) in humans under a research protocol must be performed under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug (IND) or investigational device exemption (IDE).

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.

This is the start of the file's text. The full file is on GovTribe.

Other files

File Type Posted
PKG00294085.pdf PDF

On GovTribe

Work with this file

  • Download the original file
  • Contacts named in this file
  • Similar government files
  • Ask GovTribe AI about this file

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .