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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NIH RFA-RM-20-002 (HuBMAP Tissue Mapping Centers)

1) What is RFA-RM-20-002 funding?

RFA-RM-20-002 is an NIH funding opportunity that supports the creation of Tissue Mapping Centers (TMCs) under the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). The centers are intended to act as high-end hubs that generate detailed, multiscale maps of normal (non-diseased) human organs and organ systems.

2) What is the purpose of the HuBMAP Tissue Mapping Centers (TMCs)?

The purpose is to accelerate development of a high-resolution framework for mapping the human body by producing rich molecular and spatial datasets that describe how cells, molecules, and tissue structures are organized in healthy human tissues.

3) What kinds of tissues are the focus of this opportunity?

The focus is on normal (non-diseased) human organs and organ systems. The goal is atlas-building for healthy tissues rather than studies centered on disease processes or clinical outcomes.

4) What is a key operational expectation for a Tissue Mapping Center?

Each TMC is expected to run an end-to-end, highly coordinated data generation pipeline. This spans tissue sourcing and collection considerations, preservation and processing optimization, generation of high-content measurements, and subsequent integration, analysis, and interpretation of the resulting datasets.

5) Does a TMC have to do more than sample processing or running a single assay?

Yes. The opportunity emphasizes that TMCs are not intended to be only sample-processing sites or single-technology labs. They are meant to be integrated operations that can reliably generate, validate, and interpret complex datasets with strong reproducibility and quality control.

6) What does "end-to-end pipeline" mean in the context of this FOA?

Based on the provided description, it includes: sourcing human tissue and managing practical and ethical collection realities; optimizing preservation and processing to ensure consistent tissue quality; producing high-content measurements (such as multi-omics and spatially resolved molecular profiling) across multiple biological scales; and carrying the data into integration, analysis, and interpretation.

7) What kinds of data or measurements are TMCs expected to generate?

TMCs are expected to produce high-content measurements, with examples including multi-omics and spatially resolved molecular profiling. The work is described as multiscale, meaning data should capture multiple biological scales relevant to how cells, molecules, and tissue structures are organized.

8) How important are workflow standardization and quality control under this opportunity?

They are central. The FOA is designed to push both throughput and rigor, with expectations that centers optimize and standardize workflows, improve methods where needed, and maintain high standards for reproducibility and quality control so outputs are consistent and comparable.

9) Why does the FOA emphasize integration and interoperability of data?

The program-wide goal is to build coherent, interoperable human body maps rather than isolated datasets. The FOA highlights the need for data produced across different tissues, assays, and sites to be comparable and combinable.

10) Is collaboration with other HuBMAP projects required?

Yes. The work is explicitly collaborative, and TMCs are expected to coordinate closely with other HuBMAP-funded projects to converge on shared practices, data standards, and an overarching body-mapping framework.

11) What NIH grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?

This opportunity uses the U54 activity code.

12) Is this a standard grant or a cooperative agreement?

It is funded as a cooperative agreement. The provided information notes that this typically means NIH will have substantial programmatic involvement compared with a standard grant.

13) What activity category is associated with this FOA?

It falls under the Health activity category.

14) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.310.

15) Are clinical trials allowed under RFA-RM-20-002?

No. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, consistent with its focus on atlas-building research in non-diseased tissues rather than interventional or clinical outcome studies.

16) Who is eligible to apply (U.S.-based eligibility)?

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments. The provided list includes: 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.

17) Are specific institution types called out as eligible applicants?

Yes. Additional categories explicitly called out include 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.

18) Can a foreign organization apply as the primary applicant?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant.

19) Can a non-domestic component of a U.S. organization apply?

No. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.

20) Are foreign components allowed in any way?

Yes. Foreign components (as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. This means 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.

21) When was this funding opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on 2019-12-02.

22) What was the original closing date for this opportunity?

The original closing date was 2020-03-03.

23) Does the provided information state the award ceiling?

No. The award ceiling is not provided in the excerpted source information.

24) Does the provided information state the expected number of awards?

No. The expected number of awards is not provided in the excerpted source information.

25) What level of effort does NIH appear to be supporting through this FOA?

While specific award amounts and counts are not provided, the U54 center mechanism and cooperative agreement structure indicate NIH intended to support substantial, multi-component, center-level efforts capable of producing program-defining atlas resources.