Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD) Dysmorphology Research Resource (U24) | RFA AA 17 009

FAQs: CIFASD Dysmorphology Research Resource (U24) - RFA-AA-17-009

What is this funding opportunity?

This is an NIH funding opportunity for the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD) Dysmorphology Research Resource, supported through a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism and sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

What is the main purpose of the award?

The purpose is to continue and strengthen CIFASD by supporting a shared, consortium-wide Dysmorphology Research Resource. The resource is intended to improve how fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are prevented, identified, and treated by enabling consistent, high-quality dysmorphology-related phenotyping and comparable methods across studies and sites.

Is this meant to fund a standalone research project?

No. This announcement focuses on supporting a shared consortium resource rather than a standalone hypothesis-driven research project. Applicants are expected to propose and operate an organized, centralized resource that supports the broader CIFASD network.

What does "dysmorphology" mean in the context of this opportunity?

Here, dysmorphology refers to careful assessment and characterization of physical features and birth defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). This is described as central to improving diagnosis across the full FASD spectrum.

Why is a dysmorphology resource important for CIFASD?

The resource is intended to support consistent, high-quality phenotyping and to make data and methods comparable across studies and sites. The opportunity materials note that lack of comparability across sites can be a major barrier to making consortium findings broadly useful.

What funding mechanism is used?

The opportunity uses the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism.

What does it mean that this is a U24 "cooperative agreement"?

A cooperative agreement indicates a more collaborative relationship with NIH/NIAAA than a standard research grant. The awardee is expected to work closely with NIAAA program staff and CIFASD consortium leadership, align activities with consortium priorities, participate in consortium governance and coordination, and deliver services or infrastructure that multiple CIFASD projects can rely on.

Who sponsors this opportunity within NIH?

The sponsoring institute is the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

What is CIFASD?

CIFASD is a long-running, multidisciplinary research consortium created to improve how FASD are prevented, identified, and treated. It brings together coordinated clinical, basic, and translational research projects with a goal of speeding translation of scientific findings into practical tools and approaches that improve real-world outcomes for individuals affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

What kinds of activities is the funded group expected to provide?

The funded group would operate as a centralized resource for dysmorphology-related activities that support the consortium. The description emphasizes enabling consistent, high-quality phenotyping, comparable data and methods across studies/sites, reducing duplication across projects, and creating shared standards and capabilities to help combine data and accelerate progress in FASD research.

How does this award support translation to real-world outcomes?

The opportunity frames CIFASD as aiming to speed translation of scientific findings into practical tools and approaches, and describes this resource as enabling shared standards and comparable phenotyping that help move consortium discoveries toward tools, guidelines, and interventions that can be used in clinical and public health settings.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is RFA-AA-17-009.

What is the CFDA number and funding category?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.273 and falls under the health funding category.

When was this opportunity created and when was the original closing date?

The creation date listed is August 29, 2016, and the original application closing date listed is November 29, 2016.

Does the provided information include an award ceiling or expected number of awards?

No. The source information does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.

Where would an applicant typically find budget limits, project period expectations, and specific deliverables?

Based on the description provided, applicants would typically need to consult the full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) text (and any NIH guide notices) for budget limits, project period expectations, and specific deliverables.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizations and government entities, including:

• State, county, 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 with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories)
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses

Are any additional types of applicants explicitly called out?

Yes. The announcement explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types including Hispanic-serving institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; regional organizations; and U.S. territories or possessions.

Can foreign (non-U.S.) organizations apply directly?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply directly, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply.

Are any foreign activities allowed at all?

Yes, in a limited way. The announcement allows foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. That means a U.S. applicant may be able to include certain well-justified international collaborations or activities as part of the project structure, provided they meet NIH policy requirements and are appropriately scoped and managed.

How does this resource relate to consortium coordination and governance?

The expectations described include working closely with NIAAA program staff and CIFASD consortium leadership, aligning resource activities with consortium priorities, participating in consortium governance and coordination, and delivering shared services or infrastructure used by multiple CIFASD projects.

What problem is this opportunity trying to solve across consortium sites?

The description highlights that differences in data and methods across studies and sites can be a major barrier to broad usefulness of consortium findings. This resource is intended to address that by supporting consistent, high-quality phenotyping and comparable methods across sites.

What is prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and why is it mentioned?

PAE is referenced as the exposure linked to physical features and birth defects assessed through dysmorphology, and as the underlying factor affecting individuals within the FASD spectrum that CIFASD aims to better prevent, identify, and treat.