The Common Fund supports cross-cutting trans-NIH initiatives to catalyze multiple fields of biomedical research. Common Fund programs address emerging scientific opportunities and pressing challenges in biomedical research that no single NIH Institute or Center (IC) can address on its own but are of high priority for the NIH as a whole. The Common Fund is a unique resource at NIH, functioning as a “venture capital” space where high-risk, innovative endeavors with the potential for extraordinary impact can be supported. Common Fund programs are short-term, goal-driven strategic investments, with deliverables intended to catalyze research across multiple biomedical research disciplines. More information is available at http://www.commonfund.nih.gov.

Several valuable and widely available data sets have been generated by multiple Common Fund programs. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to announce the availability of funding to demonstrate and enhance the utility of selected Common Fund data sets, including generating hypotheses and catalyzing discoveries. Award recipients are also asked to provide feedback on the utility of the Common Fund data resources.

More information on the administrative supplements funded through this NOSI can be found at https://commonfund.nih.gov/datause

The submission of small research (R03) applications is encouraged from institutions and organizations proposing projects that lead to enhanced use of selected Common Fund data sets by the wider scientific community. Small research (R03) grants provide flexibility for initiating discrete, well-defined projects that can be completed in one year and require only limited levels of funding. This program supports different types of projects including, but not limited to, the following:

• Conducting pilot or feasibility studies based on analyses across Common Fund data sets
• Building synthetic cohorts, combining and comparing data sets
• Developing research methods or analytic tools to support data visualization, harmonization, and integration
• Curating and/or annotating genomic information in the data sets
• Collecting additional phenotypic or clinical data to enhance data sets

This Funding Opportunity Announcement will not accept applications proposing clinical trials.

The established Common Fund data sets listed below are well-poised for increased community use. Applicants must propose to use at least one data set from the following list, although they can propose to use other data sets (both NIH Common Fund data sets and other NIH data sets) as well. Integration across multiple data sets is strongly encouraged.

• 4DNucleome: Reference nucleomics and imaging data sets, including an expanding tool set for open data processing and visualization
• Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx): Whole genome- and RNA sequence data from multiple human tissues to study tissue-specific gene expression and regulation, including tissue samples
• Illuminating the Druggable Genome (PHAROS):Data on understudied druggable proteins, including mRNA and protein expression data, phenotype associations, bioactivity data, drug target interactions, disease links, and functional information
• Integrated Human Microbiome Project: Microbiome, epigenomic, metabolomic, and phenotypic data for 3 cohorts
• Kinds First (KF DRC): Data from whole-genome sequencing of cohorts with structural birth defects and/or susceptibility to childhood cancer, with associated phenotypic and clinical data
• Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Program (KOMP2): Data from broad, standardized phenotyping of a genome-wide collection of mouse knockouts
• Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures: Molecular signatures that describe how different types of cells respond to a variety of agents that disrupt normal cellular function
• Metabolomics Workbench: Metabolomics data and metadata from studies on cells, tissues, and organisms

This Funding Opportunity Announcement will not accept applications proposing clinical trials.

Data analyses proposed should utilize one or more Common Fund data set from the list above, and may include other NIH data sets, as long as the external data are currently accessible through a public controlled access database or can be shared through such a database. Integration across multiple Common Fund data sets is strongly encouraged. For proposals that aim to co-analyze Common Fund data with other genomic data sets that are currently accessible through an NIH-approved repository (e.g., dbGaP) or some other public controlled access database (e.g., European Genome-phenome Archive), applicants must describe the database through which the proposed data are accessible to the research community and the details of the data set, including any data use limitations based on the associated consent form. For proposals that aim to co-analyze Common Fund data with genomic datasets that are not currently accessible through an NIH-approved repository (e.g., dbGaP) or some other public controlled access database (e.g., European Genome-phenome Archive), applicants must describe their ability and willingness to submit the individual-level sequence data to an NIH-approved repository (e.g., dbGaP) and provide an associated Institutional Certification using the current NIH template (https://osp.od.nih.gov/scientific-sharing/institutional-certifications/). If the Institutional Certification is not available, provide a Provisional Certification and describe the anticipated data use limitations and associated modifiers separately. If submitting a Provisional Certification with the application, please note that a completed Institutional Certification may be required prior to award.

No, but integration across multiple listed data sets is strongly encouraged.

• Yes, there is no prohibition on the number of applications an institution may submit, provided the applications are scientifically distinct.
• Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) of the Data Coordinating Centers (DCCs) for the participating Common Fund data sets listed above are not eligible to respond to this announcement.

• The Common Fund intends to commit approximately $2,000,000 in FY 2020. The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Anticipated award amounts are for $200,000 in total costs, which is larger than typical R03 grants. More information on the R03 funding mechanism can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r03.htm.
• The project period for an application submitted under this FOA is one year.
• If experimental approaches are proposed, they should not exceed 30% of the requested budget.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows NIH to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

The research strategy of the application is limited to 6 pages. All other page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

• Non-domestic entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
• Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy State, are eligible to apply.

All applications, regardless of the amount of direct costs requested for any one year, should include a Data and Resource Sharing Plan. The Data and Resource Sharing Plan will be considered during peer review and by program staff as award decisions are being made as appropriate and consistent with achieving the goals of the program.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by a Special Emphasis Panel convened by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), NIH. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by NCATS Advisory Council. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review
• Availability of funds
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities
• Integration across multiple Common Fund data sets

The R03 small grant supports discrete, well-defined projects that realistically can be completed in one year and that require limited levels of funding. Because the research project usually is limited, an R03 grant application may not contain extensive detail or discussion. Accordingly, reviewers should evaluate the conceptual framework and general approach to the problem. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through literature citations, data from other sources, from investigator-generated data. Preliminary data are not required, particularly in applications proposing pilot or feasibility studies.