Data Integration and Resource Center (DIRC) for Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA RM 18 031

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 18 031

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Data Integration and Resource Center (DIRC) for Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-18-031) is a cooperative agreement designed to stand up a centralized resource hub for the NIH Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) Program. In practical terms, NIH is seeking a single, well-equipped coordinating center that can pull together the many moving parts of the broader A2CPS research effort and make them function like one integrated program rather than a set of disconnected projects.

The core purpose of the DIRC is to integrate and harmonize the work produced across all funded A2CPS components and to serve as a program-wide, community-facing nexus for key research assets. Those assets include study protocols, datasets, assay-related resources, data standards, and other tools or materials generated throughout the A2CPS Program. The emphasis on being a "community-wide nexus" signals that the DIRC is expected not only to manage internal coordination among awardees, but also to package outputs in a way that supports broader reuse, consistency, and transparency across the pain research community. The DIRC function is therefore both operational (coordination, integration, standardization) and infrastructural (resource curation and dissemination).

This opportunity uses the U54 activity code and is offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning NIH anticipates substantial programmatic involvement from the agency during the award period. Cooperative agreements typically require close coordination with NIH staff, active participation in program governance, and responsiveness to evolving program needs, which fits the DIRC role as an integrating center supporting a larger multi-site or multi-component initiative. The announcement is marked "Clinical Trial Optional," indicating applicants may propose work that includes a clinical trial if it is justified, but a clinical trial is not inherently required simply because of the mechanism.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. 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 Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Both nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses, as well as small businesses) may apply. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Restrictions and nuances apply to non-U.S. participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed. This structure is common in NIH funding: the prime award must be held by an eligible U.S.-based entity, but specific parts of the work can involve international activities or collaborations when they meet NIH policy requirements and are justified scientifically.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with a health funding activity category, and is associated with CFDA number 93.310. The sponsoring agency is NIH. The original closing date listed for applications was October 24, 2018, and the FOA record indicates a creation date of August 24, 2018. An explicit award ceiling is not provided in the supplied text, and the expected number of awards is not specified in the extracted fields, which often means applicants needed to consult the full FOA to understand budget expectations, project period, and the anticipated scope of support.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as NIH seeking a central "data and standards backbone" for the A2CPS Program: an entity responsible for unifying protocols and data practices, supporting consistent assay and data standards, integrating outputs across multiple funded projects, and making resulting resources accessible and useful to the broader community. This is less about conducting a single standalone research project and more about building and operating the shared infrastructure that allows a large, complex pain research initiative to generate comparable, interoperable, and reusable results over time.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Data Integration and Resource Center (DIRC) for Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-08-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-10-24. (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 RM 18 031

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