Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) for Infectious Diseases (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA AI 23 032

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AI 23 032

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking applications for the Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) for Infectious Diseases program under Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-AI-23-032. This is a discretionary funding opportunity that uses the cooperative agreement mechanism (U24), meaning awardees should expect substantial scientific and programmatic involvement from NIH staff as the project progresses. The FOA is focused on strengthening the bioinformatics infrastructure that supports human infectious disease research, with an emphasis on resources that are broadly useful to the scientific community rather than tools built only for a single lab or narrow project. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement.

At its core, the BRC program is designed to create and maintain integrated knowledgebases that help researchers move faster in both basic and applied infectious disease work. These knowledgebases are expected to bring together and organize diverse data types in ways that make them easier to find, interpret, compare, and reuse. In practical terms, that often means curated datasets, consistent metadata and standards, searchable interfaces, clear documentation, and workflows that help users translate raw biological data into actionable insight. The overarching goal is to reduce fragmentation across data sources and to make it simpler for scientists to connect information across pathogens, hosts, experiments, and analytical methods.

Alongside knowledgebase development, the FOA calls for advanced and innovative bioinformatics technology development. This includes creating or significantly improving software, analytical pipelines, tools, and methods that address real needs in infectious disease research. The emphasis is on modern, scalable approaches that can keep up with growing data volumes and evolving scientific questions. Applicants should interpret this as an expectation that the BRCs will not only host data but will also actively push forward the computational capabilities needed to analyze it, such as improved annotation strategies, interoperability tools, visualization systems, reproducible workflows, and other informatics solutions that are robust enough for broad community use.

A third major element is the provision of state-of-the-art bioinformatics services for investigators who need support. This service component signals that the BRCs are intended to be active resources for the community, not passive repositories. Services may include user support and training, helpdesk functions, consultation, documentation, onboarding resources, and assistance with using tools or interpreting outputs. The intent is to lower the barrier for researchers who may not have deep computational expertise or local bioinformatics capacity, while also improving overall research quality through standardization and best practices.

Finally, the FOA explicitly highlights the need for cutting-edge informatics support during public health emergencies. This is a preparedness and rapid-response expectation: when outbreaks or emergent threats arise, the BRCs should be positioned to quickly ingest, organize, and share relevant data; deploy or adapt analytical tools; and provide timely support to the broader research and public health community. In effect, the BRCs are meant to function as part of the national research infrastructure that can surge capability when urgent infectious disease events demand faster coordination, analysis, and dissemination.

From an applicant eligibility standpoint, NIH allows a wide range of organizations to apply. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The FOA also allows 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 nonprofit categories), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. In addition, the announcement calls out other eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility aligns with the program’s community-facing infrastructure mission and encourages participation from diverse institutions, including those serving underrepresented populations and regions.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the activity category is Health and the CFDA number is 93.855. The original closing date listed is August 25, 2023, and the FOA creation date is May 15, 2023. The award ceiling provided is $2,500,000. The notice also indicates “Expected Awards:” but the number of awards is not specified in the provided text. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building durable, high-impact bioinformatics centers that combine data resources, innovative computational tool development, user-facing services, and emergency-response informatics capacity for the infectious disease research community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bioinformatics Resource Centers (BRCs) for Infectious Diseases (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.855.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-05-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-25. (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 $2,500,000.00 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.

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