1. I am an NIH awardee with a no-cost extension. Can I apply for this opportunity?

You may apply for this opportunity if the parent award is in an extension period (e.g., cost or no-cost extension). However, the extended parent award must be able to receive funds in December 2024, and be active throughout the one-year supplement period.

2. How would a replication study benefit my research?

Independent replication can benefit researchers by:

• Providing additional data that could be used to support eventual IND applications and/or commercialization,
• Bolstering novel findings that may serve as the basis for future research projects,
• Validating novel tools, technologies, and methods that may be used in a wide variety of biomedical research applications,
• Saving time and money for labs that are considering launching a new project and would benefit from validation of foundational results before proceeding,
• Allowing research teams to receive feedback from external users on how to make tools more interoperable and/or accessible,
• Bolstering the entire scientific enterprise by ensuring validity of research results that may be used to support further research.

3. Can I propose a new study that is within the scope of the parent project? 

No. New studies are not allowed for this NOSI. It must be a replication of an already-completed experiment or validation of a technology.

4. Will NIH or the CRO publicly share my methods or the outcome of the replication study?

No, the methods and results of the replication studies conducted through this NOSI will not be made public without the consent of the principal investigator(s). The CRO will provide NIH with anonymized, aggregated data on the replicability of the selected studies. 

5. Will the outcomes of the replication studies impact my current award or future NIH funding?

No, NIH will not use information from these replication studies to make decision or take action on any current or future funding. The CRO will provide NIH with anonymized, aggregated data on the replicability of selected studies. 

6. Would an investigator who has a vested interest in the CRO (founder, partner, or other financial or advisory relationship) be considered to have a conflict of interest?

Yes, this would be considered a conflict of interest and the investigator may not work with that CRO on activities supported by this NOSI. They are still welcome to apply, and if selected, would be paired with a different CRO.

7. Can I propose a replication study involving non-human primates?

The current pilot of this initiative requires that proposed studies must be completed within the one-year budget period. Due to the complexity of non-human primate studies, they are not likely to be feasible within a one-year period. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Replication Initiative team at [email protected] with any questions about the feasibility of their proposed studies within this one-year timeframe.

8. Can we propose to apply research methods from a study in one animal model in a different animal model? 

No, your proposal must be an exact replication of the original study.

9. As a part of my current grant, we have completed a study that we would like to have replicated through this NOSI. In addition to that study, the parent grant proposes additional studies, which we would also like to fund through this supplement. Is that allowable?

This NOSI may support replication of the completed study. However, this NOSI will not support additional new studies that have not already been conducted.

10. Are applicants to this NOSI expected or allowed to propose "best choice" CROs they'd be open to work with? 

No, the NIH Common Fund is engaging the CROs, and PIs will not be required to choose which CROs they will work with. During the review process, we will work with CROs engaged by the Common Fund to ensure that the selected replication studies are feasible for that CRO’s capabilities. 

11.  How many awards will be made for this NOSI?  

The number of awards is not pre-specified and will depend on quality of the applications and feasibility assessed during review.  

12. What mechanism is being used to engage CROs?  Is there an open competition for CROs? 

The Common Fund has engaged CROs through existing task orders and will not be performing an open competition for CROs. 

13. How many experiments can be proposed/requested in an application?

Applicants can propose as many replication experiments as are reasonable to complete by one lab in a one-year project period. 

14. Is the language "high potential impact" limited to active awards directly supported by the Common Fund, or does that expand broadly into NIH extramural research at-large? 

This opportunity will support replication studies that have a high potential impact on public health from any NIH-supported award, with the exception of specific funding codes detailed in the NOSI.  

15. As a part of my current grant, we have completed a study that we would like to have replicated through this NOSI. In addition to that study, the parent grant proposes additional studies, which we would also like to fund through this supplement. Is that allowable?

This NOSI may support replication of the completed study. However, this NOSI will not support additional new studies that have not already been conducted.

16. If the original experiment is unpublished, do the experiments have to be completed or can data collection still be ongoing?

The original experiment must have been completed. This is because there may be changes to the methods of the ongoing study that would cause the replication study to not accurately reflect the protocol of the original project. 

17.  Are replication studies using equivalent samples expected to adhere to exactly matched reagents or to functionally equivalent reagents? 

For this initiative, we are expecting the replication studies to exactly match the original reagents. We will not support projects that change aspects of the original study, including which reagents were used. 

18. If the parent grant is a renewal, does replication of the data from the earlier grant cycle apply? 

Yes, studies from an earlier grant cycle of a renewed parent grant are eligible for replication under this opportunity. 

1. I received an award in response to a Common Fund funding opportunity, but my award is administered by a different NIH Institute, Center, or Office (ICO). Can I apply for this opportunity?

Yes, you may apply for this opportunity if your award, which is supported by the Common Fund, is administered by a different NIH ICO.

2. I am a Common Fund awardee with a no-cost extension. Can I apply for this opportunity?

You may apply for this opportunity if the Common Fund-supported parent award is in an extension period (e.g., cost or no-cost extension). However, the extended parent award must be able to receive funds on September 1, 2024, and be active throughout the one-year supplement period.

3. How would a replication study benefit my research?

Independent replication can benefit researchers by:

• Providing additional data that could be used to support eventual IND applications and/or commercialization,
• Bolstering novel findings that may serve as the basis for future research projects,
• Validating novel tools, technologies, and methods that may be used in a wide variety of biomedical research applications,
• Saving time and money for labs that are considering launching a new project and would benefit from validation of foundational results before proceeding,
• Allowing research teams to receive feedback from external users on how to make tools more interoperable and/or accessible,
• Bolstering the entire scientific enterprise by ensuring validity of research results that may be used to support further research.

4. Can I propose a new study that is within the scope of the parent project? 

No. New studies are not allowed for this NOSI. It must be a replication of an already-completed experiment or validation of a technology.

5. Will NIH or the CRO publicly share my methods or the outcome of the replication study?

No, the methods and results of the replication studies conducted through this NOSI will not be made public without the consent of the principal investigator(s). The CRO will provide NIH with anonymized, aggregated data on the replicability of the selected studies. 

6. Will the outcomes of the replication studies impact my current award or future NIH funding?

No, NIH will not use information from these replication studies to make decision or take action on any current or future funding. The CRO will provide NIH with anonymized, aggregated data on the replicability of selected studies. 

7. Would an investigator who has a vested interest in the CRO (founder, partner, or other financial or advisory relationship) be considered to have a conflict of interest?

Yes, this would be considered a conflict of interest and the investigator may not work with that CRO on activities supported by this NOSI. They are still welcome to apply, and if selected, would be paired with a different CRO.

8. Can I propose a replication study involving non-human primates?

The current pilot of this initiative requires that proposed studies must be completed within the one-year budget period. Due to the complexity of non-human primate studies, they are not likely to be feasible within a one-year period. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Replication Initiative team at [email protected] with any questions about the feasibility of their proposed studies within this one-year timeframe.

9. Can we propose to apply research methods from a study in one animal model in a different animal model? 

No, your proposal must be an exact replication of the original study.

Listed below are experimental capabilities that the Contract Research Organization(s) (CRO) can use when replicating studies as part of this initiative. This list is not necessarily exhaustive; if you are interested in proposing a project and would need a more specialized technique or a capability not listed here, please reach out to [email protected] to discuss whether the CROs would have that capability. 

This list is subject to additions and changes, so it is recommended to check back frequently for any updates.

• Culture systems
  • Human cell culture
  • Bacterial cell culture
  • 3D organoid culture
  • Stem cell culture
  • Ex vivo tissue culture
  • Yeast culture
  • Arabidopsis culture
• Model systems
  • Mouse 
  • Drosophila
• Sequencing/'omics
  • Bulk RNA sequencing
  • Single-cell RNA sequencing
  • Bulk genome sequencing
  • Single-cell genome sequencing
  • Metabolomics
  • Proteomics
  • ChIP-Seq
  • Chromatin conformation assay (ex. Hi-C)
• Synthesis
  • RNA synthesis
  • DNA synthesis
  • Gene library synthesis
  • Protein synthesis
  • Polymer synthesis
• Gene editing
  • Viral genetic editing
  • Human cell genetic editing
  • Bacterial genetic editing
  • CRISPR-based gene editing
  • Lentivirus-based gene editing
• Imaging
  • Light microscopy
  • Fluorescence microscopy
  • 3D microscopy (ex. confocal)
  • Cryoelectron microscopy
  • FISH and/or other in situ genetic imaging
  • Expansion microscopy
  • Raman microscopy
  • Ultrasound
• Computational
  • Machine learning
  • Structural modeling
  • Network analyses
  • Finite element modeling
  • Statistical and experimental design consultation
• Spectroscopy/Spectrometry
  • Magnetic resonance spectroscopy 
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Tyramide signal amplification mass spectrometry
  • NMR
• Other
  • 3D bioprinting
  • Optogenetics
  • Cellular engineering