NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN): Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HD 23 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 23 001

The NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN): Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity (RFA-HD-23-001) is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement designed to support the data and trial-management backbone of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. The NRN exists to improve health care and outcomes for newborns, with a strong emphasis on babies at the highest risk of serious complications, including infants born premature, with low birth weight, or with other life-threatening conditions. A central goal highlighted in the announcement is improving survival without neurodevelopmental impairment, meaning the network is not only focused on keeping infants alive, but also on ensuring better long-term developmental outcomes.

A key point in this funding opportunity is NICHDs expectation that the NRN function as its primary, first-line national infrastructure for conducting multi-site neonatal clinical trials. In practice, this positions the NRN as the go-to platform NICHD will use to rapidly design, coordinate, and run complex studies across multiple hospitals and research sites. The Data Coordinating Center supported through this U24 mechanism would typically be responsible for the operational and analytic work that makes large, multi-site research possible, such as coordinating common data standards, managing and cleaning study data, producing interim and final analyses, supporting reporting requirements, and helping ensure trials are conducted consistently across sites. The label "Clinical Trial Optional" signals that the coordinating center award can support clinical trial activity when appropriate, but the mechanism is not limited to only clinical trials; it can also support broader network coordination functions tied to clinical research.

The award uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument (U24), which is different from a standard grant in that NIH generally has substantial programmatic involvement during the project. Under cooperative agreements, NIH staff typically collaborate with the funded team on planning, oversight, and key decisions to ensure the work aligns with program priorities and network needs. The activity category listed is Health, Income Security and Social Services, and the CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 93.865, which corresponds to NICHD-related funding lines.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township 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 tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other organizations as specified. The notice also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as 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 federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the opportunity clearly restricts foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In other words, applicants must be U.S.-based, and the funded work cannot include foreign components under NIH definitions for this solicitation.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on 2022-05-05 with an original closing date of 2022-08-11. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the source data provided, but it does identify NIH as the sponsoring agency and specifies the cooperative agreement structure, which usually indicates an ongoing partnership with NICHD program leadership and the broader NRN governance. Overall, this funding opportunity is aimed at maintaining and strengthening the centralized coordination capacity needed to run high-quality, multi-site neonatal studies that can change clinical practice and improve outcomes for the most vulnerable newborns.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN): Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-08-11. (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 HD 23 001

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