George M. O'Brien Kidney National Resource Centers (U54 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DK 22 007

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 22 007

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offered this funding opportunity to create and support the George M. O'Brien Kidney Consortium National Resource Centers. The overall goal is to drive progress in kidney research by building a coordinated, nation-wide network that develops and shares high-value research resources. Under this program, the Consortium is structured to include eight National Resource Centers (NRCs) plus one National Coordinating Center (NCC). The NRCs are expected to serve as hubs that can elevate the broader kidney research ecosystem by making specialized capabilities available to investigators across the country rather than keeping them limited to a single institution or region.

A defining feature of the opportunity is that each NRC is expected to establish theme-based cores. These cores are essentially organized service and capability units built around particular scientific or technical themes relevant to kidney research. Through these cores, NRCs would develop, maintain, and distribute unique resources, tools, technologies, services, and expertise that other researchers can use. The intent is both practical and strategic: practical in the sense of providing access to things like specialized methodologies, platforms, or consultative expertise that many labs cannot easily build on their own; and strategic in the sense of expanding and strengthening the national pool of investigators pursuing kidney research by lowering barriers to entry and helping teams accelerate their work.

The funding mechanism is a U54 cooperative agreement, which typically signals an active partnership between the awardees and NIH staff in shaping goals, coordinating activities, and ensuring that the program functions as an integrated national effort. This is not a standard, hands-off grant. It is designed for large, multi-component initiatives where NIH involvement helps align the network, encourage collaboration across sites, and keep resource-sharing and national impact at the center of the program. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applications should not propose clinical trials as part of the supported activities. The focus is instead on enabling infrastructure, resources, and broadly shareable research support that can serve many investigators.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is broadly open across many organization types. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Academic institutions are eligible, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education. Tribal entities are included, both federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments). The opportunity also allows nonprofit organizations, whether they have 501(c)(3) status or not (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), and it allows for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses. It further highlights eligibility for several categories of institutions and organizations often emphasized in federal research capacity-building and inclusion efforts, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs). Faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and eligible federal agencies are also listed among the possible applicants, and U.S. territories or possessions may apply.

There are important limits around foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as primary applicants. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. At the same time, the opportunity allows "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which typically means a U.S. applicant organization can incorporate certain clearly justified activities or elements that take place outside the U.S. under NIH rules, even though a foreign institution cannot be the applicant.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity number is RFA-DK-22-007, and it falls under the NIH assistance listing/CFDA number 93.847. The activity sits within the health-related funding category (listed as Food and Nutrition, Health) because it is administered through NIDDK and targets kidney research infrastructure and capability. The original closing date shown is December 1, 2022, and the opportunity was created on June 30, 2022. The listed award ceiling is $600,000, indicating the maximum amount shown in the source data for an award under this announcement (though in NIH programs, total costs, project period, and final budgets are often shaped by program requirements, the negotiated scope, and NIH policy).

Taken together, this opportunity is best understood as an effort to build a durable national platform for kidney research support: a set of major resource centers organized around themes, coordinated as a consortium, and designed to deliver shared tools and expertise that can speed discovery and broaden participation across the kidney research community, without conducting clinical trials under this specific award.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "George M. O'Brien Kidney National Resource Centers (U54 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-01. (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 $600,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for RFA DK 22 007

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: