Diabetes Research Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Optional)

The Diabetes Research Centers (DRC) program, issued by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications for P30 Center Core Grants under the funding opportunity number RFA-DK-26-310. The DRC initiative is a key component of the broader effort by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve the nation's health by mitigating the burden of diabetes, its complications, and associated metabolic and endocrine diseases. Through this initiative, NIH aims to foster collaborative, interdisciplinary research environments that will catalyze new scientific discoveries and innovations in the field of diabetes. The central objective of this funding opportunity is to establish or support Diabetes Research Centers that bring together basic, clinical, and translational researchers to enhance communication and collaboration, particularly across disciplines. These centers are designed to support a robust research infrastructure including administrative cores, biomedical research cores (between two and five), and a required Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) Program. A distinctive component of the program is the Enrichment Program embedded in the Administrative Core, intended to cultivate a strong, interactive research community by offering seminars, visiting scientist programs, and other educational activities. Funding also supports mechanisms for future expansion, including National Enrichment Programs and the establishment of national or regional research cores to increase accessibility to research resources. Each DRC must propose a strong, well-justified scientific theme and demonstrate a research base that meets minimum federal funding thresholds: at least $12 million annually in direct costs overall, with a minimum of $4 million from NIDDK. This is critical to ensuring that funded centers have the capacity and alignment necessary to meet NIDDK goals. Centers are required to have robust plans for coordination across institutional and national resources, including other NIH-funded programs such as the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), Nutrition Obesity Research Centers (NORC), and TrialNet. Centers should also prioritize mentoring junior investigators and physician-scientists through strategic enrichment, pilot funding, and research core access. The funding opportunity supports up to $1,000,000 per year in direct costs, with possible extensions up to $1,250,000 for proposals that include regional or national research cores or expanded P&F programs. These limits exclude first-year equipment costs, National Enrichment Program costs, and indirects on consortium arrangements. The maximum project period is five years. The expected funding levels are $10.4 million in FY2026 and $7.7 million in FY2027. Applications are accepted for new, renewal, and resubmission types and may optionally include clinical trials. Applications must be submitted through the NIH ASSIST system or an institutional S2S solution. The earliest submission date is February 10, 2026, with due dates on March 10, 2026, and January 27, 2027. All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant institution, and no late submissions will be accepted. There is no pre-application requirement such as a Letter of Intent. The earliest project start dates are December 2026 for the first cycle and December 2027 for the second. The NOFO expires on January 28, 2027. To ensure transparency and proper oversight, each DRC must include an External Advisory Committee and maintain an institutional website aligned with the NIDDK national site. Centers must also track and report metrics related to research core use, collaborative outputs, and mentoring progress. This funding opportunity prioritizes coordination with the MMPC-LIVE Coordinating Unit and supports national enrichment programs aimed at increasing medical student engagement in diabetes research. Questions regarding the NOFO can be directed to the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases at NIDDK via [email protected].

Proposals must clearly define DRC theme, justify core elements, and show strong mentoring and integration.