Genomic Community Resources (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), is preparing to release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled "Genomic Community Resources" under funding opportunity number RFA-HG-26-002. This initiative falls under the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism and is part of the Human Genome Research program, as indicated by Assistance Listing 93.172. The objective of this funding opportunity is to support both new and established genomic resources that provide high-value utility across the scientific community, particularly within basic and clinical genomics research domains. This grant opportunity seeks to enable the development, curation, and broad dissemination of genomic resources with substantial utility to researchers. The program emphasizes enhancing genomic tools and data sets that contribute to understanding genomic architecture, function, and variation. NHGRI and its partner Institutes recognize that such resources are vital for advancing genomics and enabling discoveries that impact human health. The program invites proposals that demonstrate wide community applicability, strategic data management, and mechanisms for equitable access and distribution. While the full application instructions and solicitation are not yet available, this forecast allows prospective applicants sufficient time to prepare responsive and collaborative proposals. Investigators are encouraged to consider partnerships that integrate computational genomics, data science, and clinical applications of genomics. Applications involving multidisciplinary teams that span diverse areas of genomics are anticipated to be competitive. The use of the U24 mechanism suggests that funded projects will involve significant collaboration with NIH and may include coordination centers or consortia components. Funding will support up to six awards, with a total anticipated program budget of $30 million. Specific award ceilings or floors have not yet been published. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement, which may make this opportunity particularly attractive to a broad range of eligible applicants. Eligible applicant types include a wide variety of U.S.-based and international entities such as state and local governments, higher education institutions (both public and private), nonprofits, tribal organizations (both federally recognized and other), for-profit organizations, and regional and community-based entities. Faith-based organizations and foreign institutions are also eligible. The estimated posting date for the official NOFO is September 25, 2026, with applications anticipated to be due by January 25, 2027. Awards are expected to be made by December 1, 2027, with projects beginning on the same date. No pre-application materials such as Letters of Intent or Concept Papers are mentioned at this stage. As this is a forecast, all interested applicants should monitor Grants.gov and the NHGRI website for updates and official instructions once the NOFO is published. For more information or to discuss potential applications, interested parties are encouraged to contact the NHGRI Extramural Research Program at [email protected]. At this time, no specific program officer or phone contact is listed. As the NOFO is not yet published, applicants are advised to focus on developing strong collaborations and preparing for a competitive and scientifically robust application when the full solicitation becomes available.