Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), Data Coordination Resource (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AA 21 013

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AA 21 013

This funding opportunity, RFA-AA-21-013, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24) sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). It supports the continuation of the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), a long-running, multi-site research consortium focused on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The specific purpose of this announcement is to fund the consortium's Data Coordination Resource, sometimes described as the Data Coordination Core, which is meant to serve as the central hub for coordinating, managing, harmonizing, and sharing data across CIFASD projects. The opportunity is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the funded activities should not include initiating or conducting clinical trials under this award mechanism.

At a program level, NIAAA is looking for a coordinated, integrated, and multidisciplinary approach to address major unmet needs in the FASD field. The description highlights several pressing goals that the broader CIFASD consortium is expected to advance: improving early and accurate identification of FASD cases (including better diagnostic or screening approaches), strengthening and refining interventions that can lessen adverse outcomes for affected individuals, expanding basic and mechanistic understanding of alcohol teratogenesis (how prenatal alcohol exposure disrupts development) in ways that speed translation to practical solutions, and reducing prenatal alcohol exposure overall to ultimately lower the incidence of FASD. While those aims describe the consortium's overall scientific direction, applications to this particular FOA are expected to focus on the infrastructure and coordination function that makes multi-site, multi-project research feasible and more impactful.

Because the award is a cooperative agreement (U24), it is intended to be a partnership-style mechanism where NIH/NIAAA has substantial involvement in the project beyond what is typical for a standard research grant. In practical terms, a Data Coordination Resource in a consortium setting typically supports common data elements, data standards, quality control processes, cross-site data integration, secure data handling, governance workflows, and routine reporting that allows multiple research teams to contribute data in consistent formats. It also commonly enables collaboration by supporting shared documentation, data dictionaries, analytic pipelines, and potentially platforms for controlled-access data sharing consistent with NIH policy. The core idea is that a well-run coordinating resource increases the reliability, comparability, and reusability of CIFASD data and helps accelerate discovery by reducing fragmentation across studies.

Eligibility for this opportunity is broad across U.S.-based organizations, spanning many government entities and research-performing organizations. 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; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of universities); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), regional organizations, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply directly, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, the notice allows "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant may include certain well-justified international elements within the overall project when permitted under NIH policy, even though a non-U.S. institution cannot be the applicant organization.

Administrative details provided in the source include the opportunity category as discretionary funding, the activity category as health, and CFDA number 93.273. The original closing date listed is August 16, 2021, and the posting creation date is June 2, 2021. The excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the fields shown, so applicants would typically need to consult the full FOA on NIH/NIAAA systems for budget caps, project period, specific required components, and detailed expectations for the Data Coordination Resource.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), Data Coordination Resource (U24 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): 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 AA 21 013

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