Ancillary Studies to the NIDDK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DK 17 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 17 018

This funding opportunity, titled "Ancillary Studies to the NIDDK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional)" (RFA-DK-17-018), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant designed to spark new, exploratory research that builds directly on the work of the NIDDK-supported Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (IBDGC). The scientific backdrop is that the IBDGC, working alongside the International IBD Genetics Consortium, has already mapped roughly 200 genetic susceptibility loci associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). With renewed funding, the consortium is now focused on moving beyond locus discovery toward pinpointing causal genes and variants within those regions and explaining how they actually drive IBD biology and disease mechanisms. The problem the FOA is trying to solve is practical: even with a large consortium, the current resources only allow deep functional follow-up on a limited number of genes and within a limited set of physiological domains, leaving many promising genes and IBD-relevant phenotypes underexplored.

The purpose of the FOA is to broaden both the gene targets and the biological or clinical domains being studied by encouraging collaborations between the IBDGC and outside investigators who bring complementary expertise. In other words, the NIH is looking for ancillary projects that plug into the consortiums genetics foundation but extend it into new mechanistic territory or new phenotypic angles that the IBDGC is not already positioned to tackle. These projects are expected to be highly exploratory in nature, consistent with the R21 mechanism, and may include the development or early-stage testing of novel experimental platforms, tools, or analytic methods. The emphasis on exploration signals that the agency is willing to support higher-risk, potentially high-reward ideas that could open up new approaches for understanding how IBD-associated genetic variation affects immune function, intestinal biology, host-microbe interactions, or other pathways relevant to IBD pathophysiology, so long as the work is grounded in the genetics framework established by the consortium.

A key requirement is that proposed studies must not duplicate research that is already underway or completed within the IBDGC. This means applicants need to do their homework and coordinate appropriately so the ancillary study is genuinely additive rather than overlapping. Another important boundary is on clinical research design: while the announcement is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," multi-site clinical trials are explicitly considered non-responsive, so applicants should not propose large, multi-center interventional trials under this FOA. The intent is more aligned with smaller-scale clinical studies (if any), mechanistic studies, methodological development, or targeted functional follow-up that can be accomplished within the R21 scope and timeline, and that clearly complements consortium activities.

In terms of logistics and eligibility, the opportunity is offered as a grant under the NIH, within the broad activity area of health (CFDA 93.847). The listed award ceiling is $150,000. The funding opportunity was created on December 18, 2017, and the original closing date shown is February 21, 2020. The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes many common U.S. research and public entities such as state, county, and city 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; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants that NIH sometimes calls out to encourage participation, including 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, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), and U.S. territories or possessions.

Overall, the opportunity is essentially an invitation to bring fresh, specialized talent and creative approaches into the IBD genetics pipeline: take the consortiums growing list of IBD-associated loci and help move the field from association signals to causal biology, by investigating additional genes, variants, and IBD-relevant phenotypes in ways the existing consortium cannot fully cover on its own. The best-fit projects are ones that clearly articulate how they will integrate with and extend IBDGC efforts, avoid redundancy, and use the R21 exploratory format to test innovative ideas, tools, or analyses that could later scale into larger mechanistic programs.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ancillary Studies to the NIDDK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-02-21. (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 $150,000.00 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 RFA DK 17 018

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