Kidney Precision Medicine Project Central Hub (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Institutes of Health, an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has released a forecasted Notice of Funding Opportunity titled Kidney Precision Medicine Project Central Hub (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). This funding program is part of the Kidney Precision Medicine Project, which is focused on advancing research in acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. It seeks to establish a Central Hub that will coordinate data, samples, and support activities across the project. The Central Hub is intended to ensure that collected clinical data and samples are properly de-identified, organized, and accessible, while also providing scientific and infrastructure support to participating research entities. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to create and maintain a centralized infrastructure that connects the project’s various sites. These include Recruitment Sites, Tissue Interrogation Sites, and the Kidney Tissue Atlas Coordinating Center. The Central Hub will play a vital role in facilitating collaboration across all partners and will ensure high standards of quality control, data management, and project administration. Through this work, the project aims to create a comprehensive Kidney Tissue Atlas, define disease subgroups, and identify cellular and molecular pathways relevant for developing new therapies. Funding is expected to support one award, with an estimated total program funding amount of five million dollars. Specific award ceiling and floor amounts have not yet been disclosed. The project is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning that the funding agency will have significant involvement in the administration and progress of the funded work. Cost sharing or matching requirements are not applicable under this opportunity. Applicants should expect significant collaboration and reporting requirements as part of this agreement type. Eligibility for this funding opportunity is broad. Applicants may include tribal governments and organizations, private and public institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, city, county, state, and township governments, small and for-profit businesses, independent school districts, housing authorities, and special district governments. In addition, federal agencies, U.S. territories, regional organizations, non-U.S. institutions, and faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly listed as eligible. This broad eligibility ensures that a wide range of stakeholders with interest and expertise in kidney research can participate. The forecast indicates that the estimated posting date for the full application materials is July 5, 2026, with applications due by October 5, 2026. Awards are anticipated to be made on June 1, 2027, and funded projects are expected to begin on July 1, 2027. As a forecasted opportunity, specific application instructions and requirements have not yet been published, but applicants should anticipate standard NIH application procedures via Grants.gov. No pre-application steps such as a letter of intent or concept paper are identified in this forecast. Contact information is provided for Debbie S. Gipson, MS, MD, who can be reached by email at Debbie.Gipson@nih.gov or by phone at 301-480-2268. Interested applicants are encouraged to monitor Grants.gov for updates to the opportunity and to prepare internal planning processes ahead of the official release. Since this is a forecasted opportunity, details may change, and final requirements will be available upon publication of the official solicitation.