Tissue Mapping Centers for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 20 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 20 002

The NIH funding opportunity RFA-RM-20-002 supports the creation of Tissue Mapping Centers (TMCs) under the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). These centers are meant to serve as high-end, state-of-the-art hubs that can produce detailed, multiscale maps of normal (non-diseased) human organs and organ systems. The overall goal is to accelerate the development of a high-resolution framework for mapping the human body by generating rich molecular and spatial datasets that describe how cells, molecules, and tissue structures are organized in healthy human tissues.

A key expectation is that each Tissue Mapping Center can run an end-to-end, highly coordinated data generation pipeline. That includes everything from sourcing human tissue and managing the practical and ethical realities of collection, to optimizing preservation and processing so that tissue quality is consistent and fit for advanced downstream assays. From there, centers are expected to produce high-content measurements (for example, multi-omics and spatially resolved molecular profiling) at multiple biological scales, and then carry those data forward into integration, analysis, and interpretation. In practice, this means TMCs are not just sample-processing sites or single-technology labs; they are intended to be integrated operations that can reliably generate, validate, and interpret complex datasets while maintaining high standards for reproducibility and quality control.

The FOA is designed to push both throughput and rigor. Centers are expected to optimize and standardize workflows, improve methods where needed, and ensure that data coming out of different tissues, assays, and sites can be compared and combined. This emphasis on integration reflects the program-wide need to build coherent, interoperable maps rather than isolated datasets. The work is also explicitly collaborative: TMCs must coordinate closely with other HuBMAP-funded projects so that the overall program can converge on shared practices, data standards, and an overarching body-mapping framework.

Administratively, this opportunity uses the U54 activity code and is funded as a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIH will have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant. It falls under the Health activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.310. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, reinforcing that the focus is on atlas-building research in non-diseased tissues rather than interventional or clinical outcome studies.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments. 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/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in a specific way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain foreign collaborations or elements as part of the project when permitted by NIH policy and justified within the scope of the work.

The opportunity was created on 2019-12-02, with an original closing date of 2020-03-03. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not provided in the excerpted source information, but the structure and U54 cooperative agreement mechanism indicate NIH intended to support substantial, multi-component center-level efforts capable of producing program-defining atlas resources.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tissue Mapping Centers for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-12-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 RM 20 002

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