Informatics Tools for the Pangenome (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 23 026

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 23 026

The Informatics Tools for the Pangenome (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) opportunity is a funding announcement from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focused on strengthening the practical, day-to-day usability of the next-generation human genome reference. NHGRI is renewing the Human Genome Reference Program (HGRP), and this particular announcement is designed to support the creation of software and computational methods that help researchers and other end users actually adopt and benefit from an improved pangenome reference. In simple terms, the pangenome reference aims to represent human genetic diversity more completely than a single linear reference genome, and NHGRI is looking for informatics tools that make that richer representation accessible, interpretable, and useful across many settings.

The main goal is to fund multiple projects that develop broadly useful informatics tools for common and high-impact use cases. The emphasis is explicitly on tools that serve different sectors of the genomics community, including clinical genomics (where interpretation and reporting constraints can be strict), population genomics (where scale and diversity are central), and functional genomics (where understanding regulatory elements and biological mechanisms is key). The announcement highlights example needs such as methods to select an appropriate subset of linear genomes or graph paths for particular samples (which matters because users may not always want or be able to use the full graph representation), tools to visualize complex variation in an understandable way (a major challenge when variation is structural, multi-allelic, or graph-based), and tools that can annotate functional and medical relevance, including regulatory elements and disease associations, in a pangenome-aware manner. The overall theme is enabling uptake: not just producing algorithms, but delivering practical tools that help the community use pangenome references in real workflows.

This funding opportunity uses a Cooperative Agreement mechanism (U01), which typically means NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement and coordination between the funded teams and the agency compared with a standard research grant. Projects funded under a U01 often operate with shared milestones, community engagement expectations, and alignment with broader program goals, which fits the intent here: to build tools that integrate into an evolving pangenome ecosystem rather than remain isolated prototypes. The activity category is Health, and the listing is associated with CFDA number 93.172.

The opportunity is identified as RFA HG 23 026, titled "Informatics Tools for the Pangenome (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." The application deadline listed is March 3, 2025. The award ceiling shown is $400,000, indicating an upper bound on the amount that can be requested or awarded under the terms provided in the source data. The notice indicates that multiple awards are expected, though the exact number is not specified in the provided details.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations across the public, private, academic, nonprofit, and governmental spectrum. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township 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 (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions in those categories as stated); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants 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, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This breadth suggests NHGRI is aiming to encourage wide participation and tool development that reflects the needs of diverse communities and deployment contexts.

Finally, the scope is clearly informatics and tool-building rather than clinical intervention research. The title includes "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which indicates applications should not propose clinical trials as defined by NIH policy. Instead, applicants should focus on computational tool development, software engineering, data integration, visualization, annotation frameworks, reference representation methods, or other informatics approaches that help users analyze, interpret, and apply genomic data using a pangenome reference. The strongest fit will likely be projects that demonstrate clear community demand, practical integration into existing genomics pipelines, attention to usability and dissemination, and an ability to handle the complexity introduced by graph-based references and diverse human variation.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Informatics Tools for the Pangenome (U01 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): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-03. (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 $400,000.00 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 HG 23 026

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