Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54) | RFA OD 18 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 18 004

The Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54) funding opportunity (RFA-OD-18-004) is an NIH cooperative agreement designed to build and support interdisciplinary Centers of Excellence focused on translational research about sex differences in health and disease. Led by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in partnership with participating NIH institutes and offices, the program is meant to push beyond isolated projects and instead create coordinated center-based efforts that connect basic science discoveries to clinical questions and, ultimately, to improvements in health outcomes that matter for women. The intent is not only to study sex as a biological variable, but to generate actionable, cross-cutting knowledge that can inform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment approaches where sex differences are relevant.

At the core of each SCORE application is the expectation that an institution will develop a clear research agenda that bridges basic and clinical research around a defined health issue, specifically one that is pertinent to improving the health of women. In practice, that means applicants are expected to assemble teams that can move findings along the translational spectrum, for example by linking mechanistic work (such as molecular, cellular, or physiological drivers of sex differences) with patient-oriented studies, clinical phenotyping, intervention research, or other clinically grounded approaches. The emphasis on an interdisciplinary center model signals that NIH is looking for integrated programs with shared direction and synergy, rather than a collection of unrelated studies.

This opportunity uses the U54 mechanism, which is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. That structure generally indicates a more substantial level of scientific or programmatic involvement by NIH staff compared to typical investigator-initiated awards. While the exact nature of that involvement is spelled out in the full announcement and NIH policy, applicants should understand that a U54 center award usually comes with expectations around coordination, milestones, and close communication with NIH program leadership, reflecting the program's goal of building durable research capacity and generating broadly useful outcomes in the field of sex differences research.

Eligibility is broad across many types of U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local 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 that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when categorized that way); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Taken together, that list reflects NIH's interest in enabling a wide range of institutions, including those serving historically underrepresented communities, to lead center-level research programs in this area.

There are also important limits related to foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization. Similarly, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or elements of work when justified and structured in compliance with NIH rules, even though the applicant institution itself must be domestic.

From a funding classification standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding through NIH and falls under the broad activity category of health, with additional classification tags including environment and food/nutrition. It is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.113, 93.242, 93.273, 93.313, 93.847, 93.866), reflecting the participation of multiple NIH components. The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000, and the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided summary. The original closing date for the opportunity was April 23, 2018, and the posting creation date was February 20, 2018, indicating this is a specific historical solicitation cycle rather than an open-ended program announcement.

Overall, SCORE on Sex Differences (U54) is best understood as NIH support for institution-based centers that can organize a coherent, collaborative translational research program on sex differences, with a direct line of sight to improving women's health. The program encourages broad institutional participation, including community-based and minority-serving institutions, while maintaining domestic applicant requirements and allowing appropriately defined foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.242, 93.273, 93.313, 93.847, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-23. (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 $1,000,000.00 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 OD 18 004

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