Human Genome Reference Center (HGRC) (U41 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA HG 19 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 19 004

The Human Genome Reference Center (HGRC) funding opportunity (RFA-HG-19-004) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) cooperative agreement (U41) aimed at creating and supporting a central, coordinating hub for the Human Genome Reference Program (HGRP). The basic purpose is to ensure the human genome reference is continuously maintained, improved, and delivered to the broader scientific community as a trusted, high-quality resource. This opportunity is explicitly marked "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the work is intended to be resource development, coordination, standards, and reference genome improvement rather than interventional clinical research.

At the core of the award is the expectation that the HGRC will function as the main operational and strategic center of a larger multi-component program. Practically, that means the HGRC is expected to lead the ongoing stewardship of the human reference genome and manage the process of updating it as new data, methods, and community needs emerge. A major focus is on incorporating new, high-quality genome assemblies into the reference in a way that is systematic and standards-driven. The center is also expected to help drive decisions about which samples should be prioritized for new assemblies, working in close coordination with other program components and with input from the broader genomics community. This reflects a shift from treating the reference as a mostly static product to treating it as an actively curated, evolving infrastructure.

Another central feature of the HGRC mission is improving the way the reference represents human diversity, especially through state-of-the-art representations of alternate haplotypes. In modern genomics, a single linear reference sequence is often not enough to represent real human genetic variation, so the program emphasizes improved representation of alternative genomic sequences and haplotypes, including those created by other HGRP components. In addition to the technical work of integration and representation, the HGRC is expected to identify and respond to different user needs across the community. That includes both basic research users and clinically oriented users who rely on accurate reference representations for variant interpretation, benchmarking, and downstream analysis.

Because the human genome reference is part of a global ecosystem of data and tools, the HGRC is also expected to liaise with, coordinate with, or otherwise align efforts across other national and international resources that represent human genomic sequence and variation. This includes coordinating with groups that provide reference resources for humans and other organisms where there are shared standards, interoperability issues, or common technical challenges. The funding announcement notes that this and related opportunities are intended to replace and update NHGRI's current contributions to the Genome Reference Consortium (GRC), signaling an evolution in how NHGRI organizes and supports the reference genome enterprise.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U41), which typically means NIH expects substantial scientific and programmatic involvement during the period of performance. In other words, this is not simply a hands-off grant; it is designed as a partnership where NHGRI and the awardee coordinate closely on milestones, priorities, deliverables, and integration with the rest of the HGRP. The activity category is Health and the CFDA number listed is 93.172.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes many types of public and private entities. 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; certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also highlights categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is constrained in a specific way. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, meaning a U.S. applicant can include certain foreign collaborators or parts of the project performed abroad when permitted under NIH policy and justified scientifically.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the opportunity was created on January 30, 2019, and the original closing date was April 2, 2019. The funding instrument type is listed as a cooperative agreement, and while an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not provided in the excerpt, the overall structure indicates NHGRI was seeking a single central resource or a very small number of tightly coordinated awards to serve as the program hub.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human Genome Reference Center (HGRC) (U41 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 2019-01-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-02. (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 HG 19 004

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