Genetic Architecture of Mental Disorders in Ancestrally Diverse Populations II (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 240

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 240

The NIH funding opportunity PAR 24 240, titled "Genetic Architecture of Mental Disorders in Ancestrally Diverse Populations II (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," supports large, coordinated research efforts designed to speed up gene discovery for psychiatric disorders by focusing specifically on cohorts of African ancestry located on the African continent. The central purpose is to address a long-standing imbalance in psychiatric genetics, where many gene discovery datasets have been dominated by populations of European ancestry, and to move the field toward global mental health equity. By generating and analyzing genetic data from ancestrally diverse African populations, projects funded under this program are expected to improve understanding of the biological underpinnings of mental disorders, strengthen the scientific validity and generalizability of genetic findings, and reduce disparities in how well genetic research translates to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across different populations.

This NOFO is part of the broader NIH program "Ending Disparities in Mental Health" (EDIfy-MH), which includes multiple related funding opportunities aimed at reducing inequities in mental health research and outcomes. Within that program context, this particular announcement emphasizes coordinated efforts, meaning applications are expected to propose organized, multi-component collaborations rather than isolated single-lab studies. The design implies close interaction with NIH program staff and other funded teams, which is typical of a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism where NIH has substantial involvement in the scientific direction, milestones, and coordination expectations.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U01) under the Health activity category, with CFDA number 93.242. Clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, indicating that proposed work should not include prospective interventional studies assigning participants to interventions to evaluate health outcomes. Instead, the focus is on gene discovery and related genomic research activities that can include cohort building or expansion, phenotyping strategies aligned with psychiatric genetics, biospecimen and data collection, genotyping or sequencing, data harmonization, and statistical genetics analyses, as long as they stay within the boundaries of non-trial research.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizational types such as 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. In addition, the NOFO explicitly highlights other eligible applicants that align with equity-focused participation and global collaboration, including non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations), U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and a range of mission- and community-connected institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. This breadth signals an intent to encourage partnerships that combine scientific capacity with deep community and regional engagement, especially where research is conducted in African-ancestry cohorts on the African continent.

Key administrative details from the posting include an original closing date of February 13, 2026, and a creation date of July 10, 2024. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided source data, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO text for budget expectations, project period limits, allowable costs, required components, data-sharing expectations, and any milestones or coordination requirements under EDIfy-MH. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an NIH-led effort to build and leverage high-quality psychiatric genetics resources in Africa, accelerate discovery of genetic risk factors for mental disorders, and ensure that the benefits of genomic science are more equitably distributed across global populations.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Genetic Architecture of Mental Disorders in Ancestrally Diverse Populations II (U01 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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-02-13. (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 PAR 24 240

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