Limited Competition: Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) and a Collaborative Research Space for Translational Research on Exceptional Longevity (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 22 023

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 22 023

This NIH opportunity (RFA-AG-22-023) is a limited-competition funding announcement from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that seeks one cooperative agreement (U24; clinical trial not allowed) to run a Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) for a set of ongoing human longevity translational research projects. The core idea is to create a central hub that helps multiple funded projects work together more efficiently, standardizes and manages the data and resources they generate, and makes those outputs more usable to the broader research community through an expanded and better-supported NIA Exceptional Longevity Portal (the EL Portal).

The DMCC is expected to play an active coordinating role rather than serving as a passive data repository. On the coordination side, it will help integrate research activities across the longevity translational projects, support collaboration among investigators, and generally keep cross-project efforts aligned. On the data side, the DMCC will manage how data and related research resources are deposited into and distributed from the EL Portal, which implies building or enforcing common practices for submission, documentation, organization, and controlled access where appropriate. A major emphasis is on making the collected resources easy for others to discover and analyze, not just storing them.

A defining feature of this FOA is the expectation that the DMCC will also create a collaborative research workspace by leveraging the existing EL Portal infrastructure. The announcement describes this as an interoperable, scalable data commons that combines multidimensional datasets with cloud computing and software tools in a secure environment. In practical terms, the goal is to let authorized users access, deposit, and analyze diverse data types from multiple sources within the same workspace, minimizing barriers caused by data silos, inconsistent formats, or lack of computing capacity. The longer-term purpose is to accelerate translation: turning molecular and other biological factors associated with exceptional health and extended lifespan into insights the field can test, validate, and potentially apply.

Community engagement and outreach are also central expectations. The DMCC is tasked with promoting broader scientific use of the EL Portal by engaging external researchers to analyze the hosted datasets and resources. That typically involves communication and training activities such as documentation, user support, data use guidance, and mechanisms that encourage reuse and secondary analysis, all while maintaining appropriate security, privacy protections, and compliance with NIH policies.

Administratively, this is a discretionary health-related funding opportunity under CFDA 93.866 using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH is expected to have substantial programmatic involvement during the project. The original closing date listed is October 28, 2021, and the FOA was created July 22, 2021. Award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided text, but the scope suggests a single coordinating center role supporting multiple projects and an existing national portal.

Eligibility is restricted: non-U.S. (foreign) institutions cannot apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S.-based applicant organization can include certain foreign collaborations or elements under NIH rules, even though a foreign institution cannot be the applicant organization itself. Eligible applicants also include certain other categories listed, such as eligible agencies of the federal government and U.S. territories or possessions.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) and a Collaborative Research Space for Translational Research on Exceptional Longevity (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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-10-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for RFA AG 22 023

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