NICHD Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panels (U24) | RFA HD 17 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 17 001

The NICHD Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panels (U24) opportunity (RFA-HD-17-001) is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement designed to fund specialized expert groups that can systematically evaluate genes and genomic variants tied to diseases and conditions that matter most to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The central goal is to move beyond isolated findings or inconsistent interpretations by creating authoritative, well-documented determinations about which variants are clinically meaningful, how strong the supporting evidence is, and how that evidence can be used in real clinical settings for diagnosis and treatment decisions. In practical terms, the program is about converting the growing volume of genomic research into curated, usable knowledge that clinicians and guideline developers can trust.

A defining feature of this funding announcement is its emphasis on structured, evidence-based curation carried out by domain experts organized into formal panels. These panels are expected to choose specific genes and variants that are relevant to high-priority NICHD disease areas and then apply consistent methods to assess clinical significance and utility. That includes weighing the quality of published literature, clinical case evidence, functional data, segregation analyses, population frequency information, and other lines of evidence used in modern variant interpretation. The end product is meant to be more than an internal report; it is intended to become part of a shared national infrastructure that supports standardized interpretation, reduces disagreement among laboratories, and ultimately improves patient care.

The FOA specifically directs awardees to leverage existing national tools and data resources, particularly the NHGRI Clinical Genomics Resource (ClinGen) and the NCBI ClinVar platform. ClinGen provides frameworks, expert curation models, and community standards for evaluating gene-disease validity and variant pathogenicity or clinical actionability, while ClinVar serves as a public archive for variant interpretations and supporting evidence. By requiring use of these resources and informatics infrastructure, NICHD is signaling that the work must be transparent, interoperable, and broadly accessible, rather than locked inside single institutions. The curated outputs are expected to help establish the strength of evidence behind clinical significance and actionability determinations, which in turn supports the development or refinement of clinical practice guidelines.

This is a discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Department of Health and Human Services through the NIH, using a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24). The cooperative agreement structure matters because it typically implies substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from NIH staff during the project. In other words, awardees should expect coordination, shared expectations around deliverables, and alignment with program priorities rather than a completely hands-off grant relationship.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of $220,000 and an anticipated total of three awards. The opportunity was created on November 7, 2016, with an original application closing date of January 10, 2017. The activity category is listed under Health, Income Security and Social Services, and the CFDA number is 93.865, which corresponds to NICHD’s broader funding authority. While the specific research topics are driven by NICHD priorities, the unifying theme is producing rigorous, clinically oriented variant and gene curation that can be used directly in healthcare decision-making and guideline development.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types that could realistically convene the necessary expertise and infrastructure. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, along with other entities as described in the announcement’s additional eligibility language. This wide eligibility pool reflects the fact that high-quality expert curation can be organized by academic centers, clinical consortia, nonprofits, and in some cases qualified private-sector groups, as long as they can demonstrate the needed subject-matter authority, governance, and ability to contribute to ClinGen and ClinVar-based workflows.

Overall, the grant opportunity is aimed at building credible expert curation capacity focused on NICHD-relevant conditions, producing standardized determinations of variant significance and actionability using ClinGen and ClinVar, and delivering outputs that strengthen clinical practice guidelines and improve the consistency and reliability of genomic medicine.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NICHD Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panels (U24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 07, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $220,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA HD 17 001

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