Somatic Cell Genome Editing Dissemination and Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 18 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 18 018

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Somatic Cell Genome Editing Dissemination and Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-RM-18-018) supports the creation of a central Dissemination and Coordination Center (DCC) for the NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE) Consortium. This is a discretionary health-related program (CFDA 93.310) using a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24), which generally means NIH expects substantial involvement in coordinating and guiding activities alongside the awardee rather than operating as a hands-off funder. The opportunity was posted on January 24, 2018, with an original closing date of April 3, 2018. As stated in the title and announcement, clinical trials are not allowed under this award.

The main purpose of the DCC is to act as the organizational and communications hub for a larger, multi-part consortium focused on advancing somatic cell genome editing. Alongside the DCC, the SCGE Consortium includes four major scientific components: (1) genome editing tools, (2) delivery systems, (3) animal models, and (4) biological assays. The consortium model is designed to accelerate progress by sharing expertise, data, methods, and research tools across these groups so that the field ends up with validated techniques and broadly usable knowledge rather than isolated, one-off advances.

Within this structure, the DCC is expected to actively interact with all other consortium components to make collaboration practical and efficient. That coordination role includes facilitating cross-team communication, helping align shared goals and deliverables, and ensuring that outputs produced in one area (for example, a delivery approach or an assay) can be understood, compared, and reused by others. A central expectation is that the DCC will develop and maintain an online platform that supports information sharing within the consortium, serving as a common space for distributing updates, resources, and other materials needed for joint work.

A second major responsibility is resource integration and packaging. The DCC must assemble tools, methods, data, and best practices generated across all consortium components into a coherent "genome editing toolkit." In practical terms, this means organizing consortium outputs so they are findable and usable, not just stored. The emphasis is on validated and well-documented resources, implying attention to standardization, clear descriptions of how tools were produced and tested, and guidance on appropriate use. Beyond serving the internal consortium, the DCC is also responsible for broader dissemination: distributing the toolkit and other appropriate resources to researchers across the wider biomedical research community to help speed adoption and reduce duplicated effort.

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 tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories, including 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the opportunity places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign elements in the overall project when justified and structured in compliance with NIH policy, even though a foreign institution cannot serve as the primary applicant.

In short, this FOA funds a U24 cooperative agreement to build and operate the communications, coordination, and dissemination backbone of the NIH SCGE Consortium. The DCC is expected to connect multiple technical and scientific groups, create an online collaboration platform, convert distributed consortium outputs into a structured genome editing toolkit, and push those resources outward to the broader research community, all while staying within a non-clinical-trial scope and adhering to NIH eligibility rules regarding domestic applicants and allowable foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Somatic Cell Genome Editing Dissemination and Coordinating Center (U24 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): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-01-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-03. (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 18 018

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