Genomic Expert Curation Panels (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 20 101

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 20 101

The Genomic Expert Curation Panels (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (PAR 20-101) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to build and support expert groups that can rigorously evaluate the medical relevance of specific genes and genomic variants. The central aim is to have these panels focus on diseases or conditions that are high priority for the participating NIH Institutes and Centers, then systematically assess and document the clinical significance of selected genes and variants in ways that can directly inform diagnosis and treatment decisions. In practical terms, this program is about turning scattered and sometimes conflicting genetic evidence into consistent, transparent, and well-justified determinations that clinicians and guideline developers can rely on.

A key requirement of the program is that funded panels must work through established national infrastructure for clinical genomics. Specifically, awardees are expected to use the NHGRI Clinical Genomics Resource (ClinGen) as the organizing framework for expert curation, and to follow NCBI ClinVar procedures and use ClinVar interfaces, tools, and informatics systems to submit and manage variant interpretations. That means the work is not meant to sit in isolated reports or local databases; it is intended to be captured in widely used public resources that the clinical genetics community already depends on. The emphasis is on evaluating the strength of evidence supporting gene-disease relationships and variant-disease associations, then translating those evaluations into standardized interpretations that can support the development of clinical practice guidelines.

The mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant. Rather than funding exploratory laboratory or clinical trials, the activity is oriented toward coordinated, community-facing curation work with clear deliverables, shared standards, and integration into national data systems. The listing also specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," reinforcing that this opportunity is intended for evidence curation and clinical interpretation infrastructure work rather than enrolling participants into interventional studies.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, foreign components are allowed as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain international collaborations if they meet NIH policy definitions and requirements.

The opportunity is administered by the National Institutes of Health and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.242, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.867), reflecting participation across NIH components. The original funding opportunity was created on 2020-01-23, with an original closing date listed as 2022-05-26. The award ceiling shown in the source data is $220,000, and the instrument type is categorized as a discretionary cooperative agreement. Overall, the program is geared toward creating trusted, expert-driven genomic interpretations that are standardized, publicly shared through ClinGen and ClinVar, and directly usable for improving clinical decision-making and guideline development.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Genomic Expert Curation Panels (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.399, 93.853, 93.865, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-01-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $220,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 20 101

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