Expert-Driven Small Projects to Strengthen Gabriella Miller Kids First Discovery (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 22 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 22 006

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its Common Fund, offered this funding opportunity to support small, expert-led projects that make the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) Data Resource more useful to the wider research community. Kids First was created to reduce the burden of childhood cancer and structural birth defects by accelerating collaborative research into the causes of these conditions and by promoting strong data sharing practices across pediatric research. Over time, the program has built a centralized data resource that includes curated genomic and phenotypic datasets from relevant cohorts, along with a portal that lets researchers access the data and associated analysis tools. This grant opportunity focuses less on generating brand-new clinical data and more on targeted efforts that improve the value, usability, and impact of the existing Kids First datasets and linked resources.

The core purpose of the award is to bring in domain experts who can contribute focused, practical enhancements that strengthen downstream analyses of Kids First data. In other words, the work is meant to help the broader research community ask better questions and get more reliable answers from Kids First childhood cancer and structural birth defects datasets. Projects are expected to directly enhance the utility of Kids First genomic datasets and/or the phenotypic datasets and resources connected to them, with the longer-term aim of supporting advances in diagnosis and therapies for affected children and families. The funding mechanism is an R03 small grant, and clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, which signals that the NIH is looking for tightly scoped, non-trial activities that improve data, tools, methods, or related infrastructure supporting future research.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity in the health funding category, listed under CFDA 93.310. The opportunity number is RFA-RM-22-006, and the program title is "Expert-Driven Small Projects to Strengthen Gabriella Miller Kids First Discovery (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)." The award ceiling listed is $100,000, emphasizing that projects should be limited in size but high in leverage, meaning they should produce clear improvements or additions that many researchers can use. The original closing date for applications was June 10, 2022, and the announcement was created on November 17, 2021.

Eligibility is broad, reflecting the program goal of drawing expertise from many sectors and communities. Eligible applicants include a wide range of U.S. governmental entities (state, county, city/township, special district governments), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. It also includes public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. In addition, the announcement explicitly highlights eligibility for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), 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 even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This inclusive approach is consistent with building a widely usable pediatric data resource and ensuring that a diverse set of experts and institutions can contribute improvements that benefit the entire field.

In practical terms, the opportunity is best understood as support for well-defined, expert-guided efforts that increase the research value of Kids First datasets and the portal ecosystem around them. While the announcement text does not list specific example project types, the intent is clear: strengthen the datasets and associated phenotypic resources, improve how researchers can access and analyze them, and make future studies using Kids First data more powerful, accurate, and clinically meaningful. The ultimate public health payoff NIH is aiming for is that better-curated, more accessible, and more analytically robust pediatric genomic and phenotypic resources will help the community move faster toward improved diagnostic capabilities and better therapies for children affected by cancer and structural birth defects.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Expert-Driven Small Projects to Strengthen Gabriella Miller Kids First Discovery (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 2021-11-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-10. (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 $100,000.00 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 RM 22 006

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: