Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Single Source for Continuation of the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (UC4)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is forecasting the publication of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the continuation of the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) via a single source cooperative agreement. The funding mechanism to be used is the U24 Resource-Related Research Projects—Cooperative Agreements activity code. The forecasted opportunity (Opportunity Number: NOT-DK-26-316) is managed by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a branch of NIH. NIDDK's mission is to conduct and support research that seeks to improve the health and quality of life for individuals with diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders. The Integrated Islet Distribution Program provides the scientific community with critical access to human islets for biomedical research aimed at advancing the understanding of islet cell biology and improving therapies for diabetes. The IIDP establishes collaborations with qualified islet isolation facilities to collect, prepare, and distribute human islets. Through a centralized system, it facilitates the application process for investigators seeking access to these materials, maintains communication about islet availability, manages a cost recovery fee system, and oversees standardized analyses of the islets distributed through its network. The NIDDK intends to issue this NOFO as a single source award to the Beckman Research Institute/City of Hope, which currently operates the IIDP. The intent is to maintain uninterrupted support for the program’s ongoing mission. While applications are not currently being accepted, this notice provides sufficient lead time for interested investigators with expertise in islet biology and live cell distribution to prepare collaborative applications aligned with the future solicitation. The cooperative agreement will support one award with an estimated total program funding of $3.3 million. The expected ceiling for the award is also $3.3 million. No floor amount is specified in the forecast. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement indicated. The project start date is projected to be July 1, 2026, with the estimated application due date set for September 25, 2025, and the expected post date of June 25, 2025. The forecasted date of this NOFO is May 12, 2025. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes a wide range of organizational applicants such as city or township governments, county governments, special district governments, school districts, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, tribal governments and organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and small businesses. Individuals are not eligible to apply. There is no geographic restriction; the opportunity is available nationwide to eligible U.S.-based applicants. For inquiries, interested parties are encouraged to contact Thomas L. Eggerman, MD, PhD at 301-594-8814 or via email at eggermant@nih.gov. Although this is a forecast and not an active solicitation, the NIH encourages investigators to consider the potential NOFO and prepare to collaborate and develop projects that align with the objectives of the Integrated Islet Distribution Program.