Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 26 017

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 26 017

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering small pilot project grants under the funding opportunity titled "Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-RM-26-017). The focus is on making better use of existing data generated by NIH Common Fund programs. Rather than paying to create brand-new large data resources, this opportunity is designed to support targeted, practical projects that show how selected Common Fund datasets can be used in meaningful ways, such as testing new analytic approaches, generating novel hypotheses, or producing early discoveries that encourage broader scientific use of these datasets. A key expectation is that awardees will not only use the data, but also help NIH improve the resources by providing feedback on how usable the datasets are in real research workflows.

The overall goal is to demonstrate and enhance the utility of Common Fund data resources. Applicants are essentially being asked to take widely available Common Fund datasets and do something concrete and informative with them: uncover patterns, validate methods, integrate datasets, or build proof-of-concept analyses that show the scientific value and practical strengths (or limitations) of the data. This kind of work can serve as a catalyst, helping other researchers see what is possible with the datasets and where additional documentation, tooling, harmonization, or access improvements might be needed. Because this is an R03 mechanism and the title specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," the work must not include a clinical trial, and the project scope is intended to be smaller, faster, and more exploratory than larger NIH research grants.

The program is categorized as discretionary grant funding in the health area (CFDA/Assistance Listing: 93.310). NIH anticipates making about 13 awards, with an award ceiling of $200,000. The original closing date listed is 2026-06-23, and the opportunity was created on 2026-01-30. Taken together, those details signal a competitive, limited-award pilot program where applicants should aim for a focused deliverable: a clear demonstration project using Common Fund datasets, coupled with actionable feedback for NIH on the data resource itself.

Eligibility is broad across many domestic U.S. organization types, which means applications can come from a wide range of institutions that are positioned to work with large biomedical datasets. 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; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where applicable); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities as described in the NOFO's Section III.

The opportunity has strict restrictions around foreign involvement. Non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which typically refers to certain aspects of a project being conducted outside the U.S. under specific NIH rules and approvals, distinct from a foreign organization applying directly. The most important compliance point is NIH's policy change effective May 1, 2025: NIH will no longer issue awards to domestic or foreign entities if the project includes foreign subawards or subcontracts, unless the application is submitted under a NOFO specifically intended for funded international collaborations. As a result, any application to this NOFO that includes foreign subawards/subcontracts will be considered noncompliant and will not be reviewed for funding. That prohibition is specifically about monetary international collaborations structured as subawards/subcontracts; it does not prevent unfunded international collaborations, permitted foreign components (as defined by NIH policy), paying foreign consultants, or purchasing specialized equipment or supplies from foreign vendors.

In practical terms, a competitive application for this NOFO would likely propose a tightly scoped, data-driven pilot that uses one or more Common Fund datasets to answer a compelling research question or demonstrate a reusable analytic strategy, while also documenting the experience of working with the data. That documentation and feedback is part of the value proposition to NIH: awardees are expected to identify what helped or hindered their ability to use the datasets effectively, which can inform future improvements to data access, metadata standards, interoperability, user support, and overall resource design across the Common Fund data ecosystem.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets (R03 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 2026-01-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-06-23. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• 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 26 017

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