Metabolomics Core for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) | RFA RM 17 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 17 015

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offered this funding opportunity to support a dedicated Metabolomics Core for Phase II of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN). The UDN is a research-focused clinical network designed to help solve rare and difficult-to-diagnose medical cases, and this particular award is aimed at ensuring the network has centralized, high-quality metabolomics capabilities. In practical terms, the Metabolomics Core would be expected to provide specialized metabolic profiling and related analytic support that can help identify biochemical signatures of disease, generate diagnostic leads, and contribute to discovering new mechanisms underlying previously undiagnosed conditions. The award uses the U01 mechanism, which is a cooperative agreement, meaning the NIH typically anticipates substantial programmatic involvement during the project period (for example, coordination requirements, shared milestones, and active collaboration with other UDN components rather than a fully independent, investigator-directed grant).

This announcement is identified as “Metabolomics Core for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01)” with Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-17-015. It falls under the discretionary funding category and the health funding activity category, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.310. The announcement was created on August 15, 2017, and the original application closing date was November 2, 2017. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided source text, so those details would normally need to be confirmed by checking the full FOA or NIH’s archived notice.

Eligibility is broad and covers many typical NIH-eligible domestic applicant types, including state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. It also includes nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, which are listed separately), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, plus an “other” category that NIH sometimes uses to capture additional eligible organizational forms. The FOA explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the announcement draws a clear line on foreign eligibility. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities categorized as foreign institutions are stated as not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the FOA allows “foreign components” as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In NIH terms, that usually means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain clearly justified project elements performed outside the U.S. (for example, specific analyses, samples, or collaborations), as long as they are structured as foreign components under NIH policy and meet NIH’s requirements for justification, oversight, and reporting. This setup preserves the requirement that the applicant organization itself be domestic while still allowing limited, policy-compliant international involvement when it adds scientific value.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as NIH’s effort to maintain a core, network-wide metabolomics resource that can plug into UDN Phase II operations. A successful Metabolomics Core under a cooperative agreement would typically be expected to function as a shared service and scientific partner: receiving and processing biospecimens or data tied to UDN cases, applying metabolomics platforms and quality-controlled workflows, interpreting findings in collaboration with clinicians and other UDN cores/sites, and returning results in a way that supports diagnosis, research discovery, and cross-site consistency. The “core” framing also implies an emphasis on standardization, throughput, data management, and coordination across the network, rather than metabolomics as a stand-alone research project disconnected from UDN case workflows.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Metabolomics Core for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01)" 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 2017-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-02. (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 17 015

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