Forecast to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) (U54 - Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program under the U54 cooperative agreement mechanism. The RCMI program was originally established in 1985 to expand research capacity at less research-intensive institutions that award doctorate degrees in health professions or related sciences. The program is designed to increase the ability of these institutions to conduct significant biomedical, behavioral, population, clinical, and health services research, with a particular focus on conditions that disproportionately affect populations experiencing health disparities. The primary objectives of the RCMI program are multifaceted. It seeks to strengthen institutional research capacity, improve competitiveness for extramural funding opportunities, and support the career development of early-stage investigators, including postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. Another major goal is to foster collaborations with community-based organizations, ensuring that research findings are disseminated and implemented in ways that directly benefit communities. Successful RCMI Centers are expected to enable their institutions to conduct world-class research while advancing workforce development in health disparities science. To achieve these aims, each RCMI Center will be required to include an Administrative Core, Research Capacity Core, Investigator Development Core, and Community Engagement Core. In addition, Centers must support up to three research projects, with an emphasis on participant-centered research. To qualify for the maximum allowable budget, applicants must propose projects across all three defined research areas: basic biomedical science, behavioral or social science including population research, and clinical or health services research. Collaborative approaches that integrate expertise from multiple scientific fields are encouraged. The funding opportunity will provide approximately $22 million in total program funding, with an expected five awards. Although the award ceiling and floor have not yet been defined, funds are intended to support the infrastructure, development activities, and scientific projects required to achieve the goals of the program. As a cooperative agreement, recipients will work closely with NIH program staff throughout the award period. Funding is discretionary, and the announcement indicates no cost-sharing or matching requirement for applicants. Eligibility is limited to domestic institutions of higher education within the United States and its territories. To qualify, institutions must have awarded doctorate degrees in health professions or related sciences and must demonstrate a history of receiving less than $50 million annually in total R01 costs from NIH support (or less than $25 million annually, depending on specific institutional classification) during the past three fiscal years. Both public and private institutions are eligible, provided they meet these criteria. Other organizations or individual applicants are not eligible under this opportunity. The forecasted NOFO is expected to be formally posted on September 24, 2025. Applications will be due by November 26, 2025, with anticipated awards issued by March 25, 2026, and projects expected to begin on May 1, 2026. As this is a forecast, applications are not currently being accepted. The notice is being issued in advance to allow interested institutions time to prepare competitive proposals and establish collaborations. For further information, potential applicants may contact Nathan Stinson, Jr., PhD, MD, MPH, at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities by phone at 301-594-8704 or by email at stinsonn@mail.nih.gov.