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.Apply for RFA HD 17 001
- 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).
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FAQs: NICHD Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panels (U24) - RFA-HD-17-001
What is the NICHD Genomic Clinical Variant Expert Curation Panels (U24) opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to fund specialized expert groups (panels) that systematically evaluate genes and genomic variants tied to NICHD-priority diseases and conditions. The focus is on producing authoritative, well-documented clinical interpretations that can be used in real healthcare settings.
What is the main goal of this program?
The central goal is to convert a growing volume of genomic research into curated, usable knowledge that clinicians and guideline developers can trust. The program aims to reduce isolated findings and inconsistent interpretations by creating standardized determinations of clinical significance and actionability, supported by clearly documented evidence.
What does "expert curation panel" mean in this funding opportunity?
An expert curation panel is a formal group of domain experts organized to apply structured, evidence-based methods to evaluate selected genes and variants relevant to NICHD high-priority disease areas. Panels are expected to use consistent approaches and established standards to assess clinical significance and utility.
What kinds of questions are panels expected to answer through curation?
Panels are expected to produce determinations about which variants are clinically meaningful, how strong the supporting evidence is, and how that evidence can be used in clinical settings for diagnosis and treatment decisions. Outputs are intended to support standardized interpretation and guideline development or refinement.
What types of evidence are considered when evaluating genes and variants?
The FOA describes weighing multiple lines of evidence used in modern variant interpretation, including published literature, clinical case evidence, functional data, segregation analyses, population frequency information, and other relevant data that inform clinical significance and utility.
How does this program address disagreement or inconsistency in variant interpretation?
By emphasizing structured, evidence-based curation conducted by domain experts using consistent methods, the program aims to create authoritative interpretations that reduce disagreement among laboratories and improve consistency and reliability in genomic medicine.
What are the expected deliverables or end products of the funded work?
The end products are intended to be more than internal reports. Curated determinations are expected to become part of a shared national infrastructure that supports standardized interpretation and broad access to evidence-based conclusions about clinical significance and actionability.
Which national tools or data resources are awardees expected to use?
Awardees are specifically directed to leverage the NHGRI Clinical Genomics Resource (ClinGen) and the NCBI ClinVar platform. ClinGen provides frameworks, expert curation models, and community standards, while ClinVar serves as a public archive for variant interpretations and supporting evidence.
Why are ClinGen and ClinVar emphasized in this opportunity?
The requirement to use ClinGen and ClinVar signals that the work should be transparent, interoperable, and broadly accessible. The curated outputs are expected to be shared through existing national infrastructure rather than remaining siloed within a single institution.
How will the curated outputs be used in clinical practice?
The curated outputs are expected to help establish the strength of evidence behind clinical significance and actionability determinations. This supports real-world clinical decision-making (such as diagnosis and treatment decisions) and helps inform the development or refinement of clinical practice guidelines.
What does the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism imply for awardees?
The U24 mechanism indicates a cooperative agreement, which typically involves substantial scientific or programmatic involvement from NIH staff during the project. Awardees should expect coordination with NIH, shared expectations around deliverables, and alignment with NICHD program priorities rather than a fully hands-off relationship.
Which federal agency administers this grant opportunity?
It is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically through NICHD.
What is the award ceiling and how many awards are anticipated?
The award ceiling is $220,000, and the announcement anticipated a total of three awards.
When was this funding opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on November 7, 2016, and the original application closing date was January 10, 2017.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed under Health, Income Security and Social Services.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 93.865, which corresponds to NICHD's broader funding authority.
What kinds of organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes: 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 (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as described in the announcement's additional eligibility language.
Why is eligibility so broad for this program?
The wide eligibility pool reflects that high-quality expert curation can be organized by different kinds of groups (such as academic centers, clinical consortia, nonprofits, and qualified private-sector organizations) as long as they can demonstrate the needed subject-matter authority, governance, and ability to contribute to ClinGen and ClinVar-based workflows.
What disease areas or topics are in scope for curation?
Panels are expected to select genes and variants relevant to high-priority NICHD disease areas. While the specific topics are driven by NICHD priorities, the unifying theme is rigorous, clinically oriented variant and gene curation that supports healthcare decision-making and guideline development.
Is the program focused on research discovery or clinical interpretation?
Based on the description provided, the emphasis is on structured clinical interpretation and evidence-based curation (turning research findings into curated clinical knowledge), rather than generating isolated discoveries. The goal is clinically meaningful determinations that can be trusted and reused.
How does this opportunity contribute to national infrastructure in genomic medicine?
By producing curated outputs through established platforms (ClinGen and ClinVar) and following community standards, the funded work is intended to strengthen shared resources that support standardized interpretation nationally, reduce interpretive conflicts, and improve patient care.
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