Tropical Medicine Research Centers Coordinating Center (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AI 21 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 21 005

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published this discretionary funding opportunity, RFA AI 21 005 (CFDA 93.855), to support a Tropical Medicine Research Centers Coordinating Center (TMRC CC) under a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism, with clinical trials not allowed. The intent is to fund a central coordinating hub for the broader Tropical Medicine Research Centers (TMRC) program, meaning the awardee would not function as just another research site, but as the program-level backbone that helps multiple TMRCs work together consistently, efficiently, and transparently. Because it is a cooperative agreement, NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement from the government side, with NIH working closely with the coordinating center on priorities, coordination, and oversight rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back.

The core responsibilities of the TMRC Coordinating Center focus on cross-center coordination and shared infrastructure. A major part of the role is data management across the TMRC network, including creating or supporting systems and processes that make multi-site data handling more standardized and usable. Closely tied to that is enabling data and specimen sharing, which typically involves developing common policies, templates, and workflows for sharing while protecting privacy, honoring informed consent and any access restrictions, and ensuring that materials are appropriately documented and discoverable. The FOA also emphasizes scientific collaboration, so the coordinating center is expected to actively promote and organize collaboration among the TMRCs, not just passively host information. Another highlighted deliverable is the creation and maintenance of a virtual sample repository, which generally implies an inventory and governance structure that allows researchers to locate what specimens exist across the network, understand associated metadata, and request access through an organized review process, without necessarily requiring all specimens to be physically stored in one place.

In addition to these technical and operational tasks, the coordinating center is responsible for community-building and program logistics. That includes organizing annual meetings for the TMRC program, which typically involves setting agendas with NIH and center leadership, coordinating speakers and working sessions, supporting logistics, capturing outcomes, and tracking action items so the meetings lead to measurable progress. The TMRC CC is also expected to manage an Opportunity Fund designed to support research by junior and early-stage investigators, which implies establishing fair and transparent processes for announcing opportunities, reviewing applications, issuing awards or subawards, tracking progress, and reporting outcomes. Finally, the coordinating center must liaise with United States Government counterparts and other stakeholders, meaning it serves as a key interface between the TMRC network and relevant federal partners and external groups, helping align efforts, facilitate communication, and ensure that network activities are visible and coordinated where appropriate.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant types such as 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 Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible agencies of the federal government; U.S. territories or possessions; regional organizations; Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). In practical terms, this wide eligibility reflects that the coordinating center function can be housed in many different organizational settings, including international and regionally focused entities, so long as they can credibly support network-wide coordination, sharing, and governance.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the opportunity was created on March 5, 2021, with an original closing date of June 18, 2021. The award instrument is listed as a cooperative agreement (U01), and the activity area is health. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or an expected number of awards in the provided fields, so applicants would have needed to consult the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for specifics. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building the connective tissue of a tropical medicine research network: standardizing and enabling data and specimen sharing, supporting collaboration, maintaining a virtual specimen inventory, convening the community through annual meetings, investing in early-career investigators through an opportunity fund, and keeping the network aligned with U.S. government partners and other stakeholders, all without conducting clinical trials under this award.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tropical Medicine Research Centers Coordinating Center (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): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 AI 21 005

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