Limited Competition: High Quality Reference Genomes (UM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 23 024

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 23 024

The Limited Competition: High Quality Reference Genomes (UM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-HG-23-024) is a National Institutes of Health award from the National Human Genome Research Institute to support the next phase of the NHGRI Human Genome Reference Program. It uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (UM1), meaning the funded group is expected to work closely with NIH staff and other program partners rather than operating as a fully independent research grant. The overall goal is to expand and improve the human pangenome reference by generating a major set of new, extremely high-quality human genome assemblies that better represent global genetic diversity.

The specific component being competed here is the High Quality Human Reference Genomes (HQRG) effort, one of three parts of the renewed program. The HQRG team will be responsible for prioritizing and selecting participant samples from diverse backgrounds, with an emphasis on samples where participants have provided consent that allows open access data release. Using those samples, the awardee will produce 200 new haplotype-resolved human genome assemblies at very high quality standards for incorporation into the human pangenome reference resource. In practical terms, this means assemblies that capture both parental chromosome copies (haplotypes) with minimal gaps and errors, making them reliable reference-grade genomes that can improve variant discovery, mapping accuracy, and downstream biomedical and population genetics research.

A notable feature of this FOA is that it formally embeds ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) work inside the HQRG effort and across the broader consortium. Applicants are expected to include a team of ELSI scholars who will be integrated with the scientific and production activities, not treated as an add-on. This group will help the consortium anticipate and respond to issues that commonly arise when creating widely shared genomic reference resources, including how consent is obtained and honored, how open data release is managed, questions of data sovereignty (especially for Indigenous communities), how "diversity" is defined and operationalized in sampling decisions, and other concerns that may emerge as the pangenome resource evolves and community expectations shift.

This is a limited competition request for applications. Only organizations that were recipients under the prior related award announcement RFA-HG-19-002 are eligible to apply, which narrows the applicant pool to existing program participants. The eligibility language also lists a broad range of organizational types that NIH generally allows for this opportunity category (such as state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, certain nonprofit and for-profit entities, and tribal governments/organizations), and it highlights categories of institutions NIH often encourages to participate, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and AANAPISI institutions, as well as community-based and faith-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the FOA states that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means the prime awardee may include certain international collaborations or work elements if they are justified and meet NIH policy requirements.

Administratively, this opportunity is categorized under health (CFDA 93.172) and uses the cooperative agreement model to support coordinated, consortium-style deliverables. The posted original application due date was August 15, 2023, and the FOA is explicitly marked "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," indicating the funded activities should focus on genome reference production and associated ELSI and consortium work rather than interventional clinical studies. The central deliverable is the creation and open release of 200 reference-grade, haplotype-resolved human genome assemblies, along with the governance, ethical navigation, and community-aware practices needed to make those resources broadly usable and responsibly shared.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: High Quality Reference Genomes (UM1 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): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-15. (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 HG 23 024

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