Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 15 012
The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Bioinformatics Center (U24) opportunity (RFA-RM-15-012) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement meant to fund a single Bioinformatics Center that will become a core component of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC). MoTrPAC is a larger NIH Common Fund effort focused on understanding the molecular changes triggered by physical activity. This particular award is not aimed at running exercise interventions directly; it is aimed at building and operating the informatics backbone that makes the consortiums multi-site, multi-omics science usable, standardized, and broadly accessible to researchers.
At the center of the work is a comprehensive database and supporting software environment capable of storing, integrating, and serving a wide variety of data types generated across MoTrPAC. That includes traditional clinical, physiological, and metabolic measurements (the kinds of data that come out of human studies and associated phenotyping) as well as high-dimensional chemical and molecular profiling data. The FOA explicitly highlights metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, and transcriptomics, but the intent is broad and includes similar technologies and evolving assay platforms. A key emphasis is integration across these modalities so users can relate molecular features to clinical and physiological context rather than treating each dataset in isolation.
A major responsibility of the Bioinformatics Center is standardization. The awardee is expected to coordinate implementation of data standards and ontology-based metadata standards across the consortium, so that datasets coming from different sites, labs, instruments, and protocols can be harmonized and meaningfully compared. In practice, this means developing and enforcing common data models, controlled vocabularies, and consistent metadata capture so downstream analyses are reproducible and queries across studies and timepoints are reliable. Alongside the database itself, the center is expected to deliver tools for analysis and visualization, allowing consortium investigators (and eventually the broader community, as data are released) to explore patterns, compare conditions, and interpret results across tissues, timepoints, and molecular layers.
The FOA also stresses speed and scalability through cloud-based computing. The Bioinformatics Center is expected to provide rapid access to accumulated data and computational tools by using cloud infrastructure, which supports large-scale storage, high-throughput processing, and collaborative analysis without requiring every participating group to duplicate the same compute environment locally. In addition to hosting and serving data, the center is expected to conduct preliminary analyses of the diverse datasets submitted by other MoTrPAC components. That role typically involves initial quality control, integration checks, baseline summaries, and early cross-omics exploratory analyses that can guide subsequent hypothesis-driven work by consortium teams.
From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary health-related funding opportunity under CFDA 93.310, using the cooperative agreement mechanism (U24). A cooperative agreement generally implies substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant, meaning the awardee should expect active coordination with NIH staff and other consortium elements on timelines, standards, releases, and deliverables. The opportunity anticipated a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1). The original closing date listed is March 18, 2016, and the FOA was created October 8, 2015.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant types 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, but foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means certain project activities or collaborations can occur abroad under a U.S. applicant organization when properly justified and approved.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as funding the central data and computing hub for MoTrPAC: building the systems that collect and organize consortium data, enforcing shared metadata and ontology practices, enabling cloud-based access, and providing initial analytic and visualization capabilities so the consortium can generate consistent, integrated insights into how physical activity produces molecular changes across the body.Apply for RFA RM 15 012
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Bioinformatics Center (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 2015-10-08.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-03-18. (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.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
FAQs: Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Bioinformatics Center (U24) (RFA-RM-15-012)
What is this funding opportunity?
This opportunity funds the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity (MoTrPAC) Bioinformatics Center through an NIH cooperative agreement (U24) under FOA RFA-RM-15-012. The goal is to support a single, centralized Bioinformatics Center that serves as a core component of the broader MoTrPAC consortium.
What is MoTrPAC?
MoTrPAC (Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium) is an NIH Common Fund effort focused on understanding the molecular changes triggered by physical activity. The Bioinformatics Center is intended to support that larger multi-site, multi-omics program by providing the informatics backbone.
How many awards are expected?
The opportunity anticipated a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1).
What type of award mechanism is used?
The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U24). This implies substantial NIH programmatic involvement compared with a standard research grant, including active coordination on timelines, standards, data releases, and deliverables.
Is this grant meant to run exercise interventions or human studies?
No. This award is not aimed at running exercise interventions directly. It is aimed at building and operating the informatics backbone that makes the consortium's multi-site science usable, standardized, and broadly accessible.
What is the main purpose of the Bioinformatics Center?
The Bioinformatics Center is intended to function as the central data and computing hub for MoTrPAC. Core responsibilities include building and operating a comprehensive database and software environment, coordinating data and metadata standardization across consortium sites, enabling cloud-based access, and providing analysis and visualization capabilities.
What kinds of data will the Bioinformatics Center need to store and serve?
The Center is expected to support a wide variety of data types produced across MoTrPAC, including traditional clinical, physiological, and metabolic measurements as well as high-dimensional chemical and molecular profiling data. The FOA explicitly highlights metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, and transcriptomics, while also signaling that the scope is broad and should accommodate evolving assay platforms.
Does the opportunity emphasize integration across different data modalities?
Yes. A key emphasis is integrating data across modalities so researchers can connect molecular features to clinical and physiological context, rather than working with each dataset in isolation.
What does "standardization" mean in the context of this FOA?
Standardization refers to coordinating and implementing common data standards and ontology-based metadata standards across the consortium. This includes developing and enforcing common data models, controlled vocabularies, and consistent metadata capture so that datasets from different sites, labs, instruments, and protocols can be harmonized and meaningfully compared.
Why are ontology-based metadata standards important here?
Ontology-based metadata standards support consistent description of samples, assays, protocols, and study variables. In a multi-site program like MoTrPAC, this consistency is crucial for reliable cross-study queries, comparisons across timepoints and tissues, and reproducible downstream analyses.
What tools is the Bioinformatics Center expected to provide beyond a database?
In addition to the database and supporting software environment, the Center is expected to deliver analysis and visualization tools. These tools should help consortium investigators (and eventually the broader community as data are released) explore patterns, compare conditions, and interpret results across tissues, timepoints, and molecular layers.
Is cloud computing part of the expected approach?
Yes. The FOA stresses speed and scalability using cloud-based computing. The Center is expected to provide rapid access to accumulated data and computational tools using cloud infrastructure for large-scale storage, high-throughput processing, and collaborative analysis.
What kinds of analyses is the Bioinformatics Center expected to perform?
The Center is expected to conduct preliminary analyses of datasets submitted by other MoTrPAC components. This typically includes initial quality control, integration checks, baseline summaries, and early cross-omics exploratory analyses that can help guide subsequent hypothesis-driven work by consortium teams.
How does a cooperative agreement affect how the project is run?
Because the mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, the awardee should expect active coordination with NIH staff and other consortium elements. This may include alignment on timelines, standards, data releases, and specific deliverables that support the overall consortium.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed as a discretionary health-related funding opportunity under CFDA 93.310.
When was the FOA created and what was the listed closing date?
The FOA was created on October 8, 2015, and the original closing date listed is March 18, 2016.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.
Are specific institution types explicitly called out as eligible?
Yes. The FOA also calls out eligibility for 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. (non-domestic) organizations eligible to apply?
No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply.
Are foreign components allowed under a U.S. applicant?
Yes. Foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. This generally means certain activities or collaborations can occur abroad under a U.S. applicant organization when properly justified and approved.
What does it mean that this Center becomes a "core component" of MoTrPAC?
It means the funded Bioinformatics Center is intended to be foundational infrastructure for the consortium, supporting multiple sites and scientific teams by providing shared systems for data storage, harmonization, access, computation, and early-stage analyses.
What is the overall takeaway for prospective applicants?
This opportunity is best understood as funding the central informatics and computing hub for MoTrPAC: building systems to collect and organize consortium data, enforcing shared metadata and ontology practices, enabling cloud-based access, and providing initial analytics and visualization so the consortium can generate consistent, integrated insights into how physical activity produces molecular changes across the body.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health
Next opportunity: FY 2025 Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program Placement Components
Previous opportunity: BJA FY24 Justice Systems and Behavioral Health- Invited to Apply
Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for RFA RM 15 012
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA RM 15 012) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium Coordinating Center (CCC) (U24) Apply for RFA RM 15 014 Funding Number: RFA RM 15 014 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Clinical Centers (U01) Apply for RFA RM 15 015 Funding Number: RFA RM 15 015 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Collaborative Activities to Promote Metabolomics Research (Admin Supp) Apply for PA 16 005 Funding Number: PA 16 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health® (U19) Apply for PAR 15 361 Funding Number: PAR 15 361 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, (BRFSS) Apply for CDC RFA DP15 151302CONT16 Funding Number: CDC RFA DP15 151302CONT16 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Human Immunology Project Consortium (U19) Apply for RFA AI 15 041 Funding Number: RFA AI 15 041 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Health Service Delivery Apply for RFA 278 16 000003 Funding Number: RFA 278 16 000003 Agency: Agency for International Development Category: Health Funding Amount: $50,592,194 |
| Protecting and Improving Public Health Globally: Building and Strengthening Public Health Impact, Systems, Capacity and Security Apply for CDC RFA GH14 141802CONT16 Funding Number: CDC RFA GH14 141802CONT16 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Addressing Emerging Infectious Diseases and the International Health Regulations Apply for CDC RFA CK14 140203CONT16 Funding Number: CDC RFA CK14 140203CONT16 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Funds Manager for DREAMS Innovation Challenge Apply for SBUR SOGAC 16 001 Funding Number: SBUR SOGAC 16 001 Agency: Office of the Secretary Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| PPHF 2016: Office of Smoking and Health – Asian Language Tobacco Quitline – Financed solely by 2016 Prevention and Public Health Funds Apply for CDC RFA DP15 150302CONTPPHF16 Funding Number: CDC RFA DP15 150302CONTPPHF16 Agency: Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| PPHF 2016: Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program for Infectious Diseases – Building and Strengthening Epidemiology, Laboratory and Health Information Systems Capacity in State and Local Health Departments – Financed in part by 2016 Prev Apply for CDC RFA CK14 1401CONTPPHF16 Funding Number: CDC RFA CK14 1401CONTPPHF16 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Identify and Evaluate Potential Risk Factors for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Apply for RFA TS 25 036 Funding Number: RFA TS 25 036 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA Category: Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| E-Learning Collaborative for Integrated Violence Prevention Apply for CDC RFA CE 25 0039 Funding Number: CDC RFA CE 25 0039 Agency: Centers for Disease Control - NCIPC Category: Health Funding Amount: $345,000 |
| High-Impact HIV Prevention and Surveillance Programs for Health Departments: Accelerating Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Uptake for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States Apply for CDC RFA PS 24 00470101SUPP24 Funding Number: CDC RFA PS 24 00470101SUPP24 Agency: Centers for Disease Control - NCHHSTP Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Ensuring Social Protection by Empowering and building Resiliency for Adolescents, Nuclear families, Children, and caregivers affected by HIV/AIDS (ESPERANÇA) Apply for 72065624RFA00005 Funding Number: 72065624RFA00005 Agency: Mozambique USAID-Maputo Category: Health Funding Amount: $40,000,000 |
| Short Courses on Utilizing the NIH Stage Model to Develop Behavioral Interventions to Promote Healthy Aging (R25 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AG 25 029 Funding Number: RFA AG 25 029 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Modern Equipment for Shared-use Biomedical Research Facilities: Advancing Research-Related Operations (S15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 24 259 Funding Number: PAR 24 259 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $350,000 |
| Promoting Innovative Research in Treponema pallidum Pathogenesis (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AI 24 071 Funding Number: RFA AI 24 071 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| USAID’s Health Financing, Governance, and Information Systems Strengthening Activity Apply for 72066024RFI00005 Funding Number: 72066024RFI00005 Agency: Democratic Republic of the Congo USAID-Kinshasa Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Inside Our Applicants Portal
Access Applicants Portal
- Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
- Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
- Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Learn More
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA RM 15 012", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.