Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program (LungMAP) Phase 3 - Research Centers (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HL 24 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HL 24 006

The National Institutes of Health is soliciting applications for the Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program (LungMAP) Phase 3 - Research Centers under a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HL-24-006; CFDA 93.838). This opportunity supports research centers that will contribute to LungMAPs broader mission: building a comprehensive, high-resolution molecular and cellular atlas of the human lung. The atlas is intended to function as a widely usable reference that helps the field understand normal lung biology alongside disease pathobiology, with an emphasis on pinpointing key cell populations, molecular pathways, and potential therapeutic targets relevant to lung disease. The NOFO is explicitly labeled Clinical Trial Not Allowed, meaning the proposed activities should not include clinical trial work as defined by NIH, even though human tissues and associated data will be central to the research.

Phase 3 Research Centers are expected to work directly with pediatric and adult lung tissues and focus heavily on diseased lung. A core responsibility is to obtain and analyze these tissues to generate high-resolution molecular profiling datasets. While the NOFO summary does not list specific assay types, the framing strongly implies modern, granular profiling approaches commonly used for atlas-building efforts (for example, multi-omics and single-cell or spatially resolved strategies), paired with rigorous tissue handling and annotation so results can be compared across samples, ages, and disease contexts. Beyond producing datasets, the centers are expected to conduct integrated data analyses that bring multiple data types together, interpret patterns across cell types and regions of the lung, and translate those findings into insights about disease mechanisms and pathogenesis. In other words, this is not only a data-generation effort; it is also a coordinated analysis and biology-discovery effort designed to move from profiles to mechanisms and actionable hypotheses.

Collaboration is a built-in expectation. Because this is a cooperative agreement, the NIH will have substantial programmatic involvement, and the LungMAP network model depends on research centers working closely with other LungMAP teams. Applicants should anticipate a team-science environment with shared standards, coordinated milestones, and frequent interaction to ensure the atlas is coherent and interoperable across sites and projects. Another major expectation is dissemination: research centers must help make LungMAP resources useful beyond the immediate consortium by sharing data, methods, and derived reference materials with the broader research community. Practically, that implies strong plans for data harmonization, metadata quality, submission to designated repositories or LungMAP platforms, and documentation that allows outside investigators to reuse the datasets confidently.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. Prior participation in LungMAP Phase 2 is not required, so new teams with the right expertise, access to well-characterized lung specimens, and strong analytic capabilities are welcome to apply.

Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. This means a U.S. applicant can include certain foreign collaborations or elements when justified and structured appropriately, but the prime applicant must be U.S.-based.

Key administrative details included in the source summary are that the original closing date was 2023-10-27 and the award ceiling is listed as $500,000. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, reinforcing that awardees will be participating in a coordinated NIH-led program rather than operating as fully independent investigator-initiated projects. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building durable, community-facing lung disease reference resources by coupling high-quality human tissue molecular profiling with integrated analyses, mechanistic exploration, and strong consortium collaboration and data sharing.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program (LungMAP) Phase 3 - Research Centers (U01 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): 93.838.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-27. (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 $500,000.00 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 HL 24 006

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