Knowledge Management Center for Illuminating the Druggable Genome (U24) | RFA RM 16 024

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 16 024

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) titled "Knowledge Management Center for Illuminating the Druggable Genome (U24)" (RFA-RM-16-024) supports the creation of a single, dedicated Knowledge Management Center (KMC) to serve as the informatics and coordination hub for the Illuminating the Druggable Genome (IDG) program, a Common Fund initiative. The broader purpose of IDG is to speed up the scientific understanding of selected understudied proteins that are considered part of the "druggable genome," meaning proteins that could plausibly be targeted by therapeutics but whose biology, function, and disease relevance remain poorly characterized. This FOA is positioned as part of the program's Implementation Phase and emphasizes bringing together experimental and computational approaches so the community can more rapidly connect targets, pathways, phenotypes, and potential therapeutic opportunities.

This KMC award is designed to operate within a larger IDG research consortium structure rather than as a standalone project. The consortium is expected to include multiple Data and Resource Generation Centers (DRGCs; referenced as RFA-RM-16-026) that will generate experimental datasets and resources, plus a Resource Dissemination and Outreach Center (RDOC; referenced as RFA-RM-16-025) focused on distributing resources and engaging the broader community. In that ecosystem, the KMC functions as the central knowledge and data integration engine: it aggregates information produced across centers, harmonizes it, makes it searchable and usable, and helps translate a growing body of heterogeneous evidence into coherent, accessible knowledge about understudied targets. The FOA also notes that, if funds become available, NIH may later pursue a separate initiative for Cutting Edge Informatics Tools (CEITs), suggesting an intent to keep strengthening advanced computational capabilities around IDG data over time.

The funding mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which signals substantial NIH involvement in the execution and oversight of the project. In practice, this means the KMC is not only expected to deliver technical outputs (such as data platforms, integrated knowledgebases, interfaces, and pipelines), but also to participate actively in consortium governance, planning, and coordination. Because the IDG program is organized as a consortium, the KMC role inherently includes collaboration requirements: working closely with DRGC sites to ensure data standards and consistent metadata capture; coordinating with the RDOC to ensure that what is built is broadly disseminated and adopted; and aligning with NIH program leadership on priorities, milestones, and cross-center integration goals.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common applicant types such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible groups, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, and certain tribal governments and regional organizations, as well as U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws clear lines around foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, though "foreign components" (as defined by NIH policy) are allowed, meaning certain project activities or collaborations may occur abroad under NIH rules even when the prime applicant is U.S.-based.

Administrative details in the source information characterize this as a discretionary health-related funding opportunity under CFDA 93.310, administered by NIH. The FOA was created on 2016-11-10 and had an original closing date of 2017-03-14. The expected number of awards is listed as one, which aligns with the concept of a single KMC serving as the unified knowledge management backbone for the entire IDG consortium. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided excerpt, but the cooperative agreement structure and single-award expectation underscore that NIH intended to fund one centralized entity capable of operating at consortium scale, supporting multiple data-producing centers, and delivering a widely usable knowledge management platform for the druggable genome research community.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Knowledge Management Center for Illuminating the Druggable Genome (U24)" 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 2016-11-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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 16 024

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