Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) Program: Data Coordination, Analysis, and Scientific Outreach (UM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DA 19 038

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the SCORCH Program: Data Coordination, Analysis, and Scientific Outreach (UM1) opportunity?

The Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) Program: Data Coordination, Analysis, and Scientific Outreach is an NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) cooperative agreement funding opportunity (RFA-DA-19-038). Its purpose is to establish a central hub that organizes, harmonizes, analyzes, and broadly shares research data generated by companion SCORCH awards.

Which NIH institute is sponsoring this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (UM1). This generally indicates substantial programmatic involvement by NIDA and active coordination between the awardee(s) and the agency.

Are clinical trials allowed under this UM1 opportunity?

No. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." It supports infrastructure and scientific leadership for data coordination, analysis, and outreach rather than funding clinical trials.

What does this UM1 award actually fund if it does not fund clinical trials?

It supports the creation and operation of a data coordination, analysis, and scientific outreach center. The center is intended to serve as a program backbone for organizing, harmonizing, analyzing, and sharing SCORCH-related single-cell and other molecular datasets tied to HIV and substance use disorders (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD).

How does RFA-DA-19-038 relate to RFA-DA-19-037?

RFA-DA-19-038 is paired with RFA-DA-19-037. While RFA-DA-19-037 focuses on generating single-cell datasets from one or more brain regions relevant to opioid use disorder and persistent HIV infection, RFA-DA-19-038 focuses on coordinating, harmonizing, analyzing, and sharing the resulting datasets so they become a coherent, reusable resource.

What is the central goal of the data coordination, analysis, and outreach center?

The center is intended to make NIDA-funded single-cell data and other molecular data related to HIV and substance use disorders FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Practically, that means the data should be easy to discover, accessible in appropriate ways, usable across platforms and projects, and reusable over time for new research questions.

What does FAIR mean in the context of this opportunity?

FAIR refers to data being Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. In this program, FAIR principles are emphasized so that datasets produced across different projects, platforms, and sites can be discovered easily, accessed appropriately, combined or compared reliably, and reused for future analyses.

Why is harmonization a major focus for SCORCH datasets?

Single-cell methods generate complex, high-dimensional data that can vary due to technical differences across platforms and sites. The center is meant to drive harmonization so data from different SCORCH projects can be integrated into standardized resources instead of remaining siloed and difficult to compare.

What kinds of data are expected to be coordinated under this program?

Based on the description, the center will coordinate NIDA-funded single-cell datasets as well as other molecular data related to HIV and substance use disorders (SUD). The paired data-generation effort (RFA-DA-19-037) specifically references single-cell datasets from brain region(s) relevant to OUD and persistent HIV infection.

What does "scientific outreach" mean for this center?

Scientific outreach indicates responsibility beyond simply storing data. The center is expected to help the broader community discover and use the datasets. This can include documentation, user support, communication of updates, and other efforts that lower barriers for outside investigators to access and analyze the harmonized resources.

What role does NIDA play given this is a cooperative agreement?

Because it is a cooperative agreement, NIDA expects substantial involvement and coordination. The description indicates the center will actively coordinate with data-generating projects, help define common data elements and metadata expectations, support cross-project quality control and normalization strategies, and facilitate data release processes aligned with FAIR principles and community standards.

How is this opportunity expected to benefit the broader research community?

The program emphasizes enabling immediate and future data mining by the broader scientific community. In the near term, harmonized datasets are expected to accelerate discovery related to biomarkers and biological pathways tied to HIV persistence and opioid exposure, including cell-type-specific responses and candidate molecular targets. Over the longer term, robust standards and dissemination are intended to keep the datasets valuable as analytical methods improve.

What scientific areas does the opportunity emphasize?

The focus is on research data related to HIV and substance use disorders, including opioid exposure and opioid use disorder (OUD), and on understanding opioid responses in the context of HIV. The paired program references brain regions relevant to OUD and persistent HIV infection, and the UM1 center supports integrated analysis and dissemination of these types of datasets.

What is the practical outcome NIDA is aiming for with this program?

The intended outcome is a coordinated data ecosystem that turns multiple single-cell projects into a unified, reusable resource for HIV and SUD research. This includes better organization and stewardship of complex datasets, faster scientific discovery in the near term, and sustained usefulness of the data as computational methods evolve.

What is the CFDA number and activity category for this opportunity?

The opportunity is tied to CFDA number 93.279 and is described as a discretionary funding opportunity in the Education and Health activity category.

When was this funding opportunity created and when did it originally close?

The opportunity was created on April 1, 2019, and the original closing date was May 8, 2019.

Who is eligible to apply for RFA-DA-19-038?

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special district), 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 governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education when specified), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses.

Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included as eligible applicants?

Yes. The opportunity highlights additional eligible groups 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), and faith-based or community-based organizations, among others.

Can federal agencies, U.S. territories, or foreign organizations apply?

Yes. The eligibility description includes eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations).

Is this opportunity best described as a data generation award or a data infrastructure award?

Based on the description, RFA-DA-19-038 is primarily a data infrastructure, coordination, analysis, and outreach award. The generation of single-cell datasets is associated with the paired opportunity (RFA-DA-19-037), while this UM1 is described as the integrative backbone that makes those datasets maximally useful.

What kinds of coordination activities are implied by "central hub" and "integrative backbone"?

The description implies active coordination across companion SCORCH projects, including harmonizing datasets across different platforms and sites, defining common data elements and metadata expectations, supporting quality control and normalization strategies, and facilitating broad sharing and data release aligned with FAIR principles and community standards.

Why does the opportunity emphasize long-term reuse of data?

The program is explicitly designed to keep datasets valuable as analytical methods improve. By investing in robust data organization, standards, and dissemination now, NIDA aims to maximize the return on the original investment in data generation and enable future researchers to reanalyze the same resources using newer computational approaches and emerging integrative methods.