Small Grants for Secondary Analyses of Existing Data Sets and Stored Biospecimens (R03) | PA 17 299

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 299

The Small Grants for Secondary Analyses of Existing Data Sets and Stored Biospecimens (R03) opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number PA 17 299) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program under CFDA 93.865 that supports small, focused research projects. Its purpose is to encourage investigators to carry out secondary analyses using either publicly available data sets funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) or stored biospecimens that were originally collected with NICHD support. The core idea is to generate new, innovative findings in a cost-effective way by making better use of existing, well-characterized resources rather than funding new large-scale data or specimen collection efforts.

This FOA is aimed at studies that ask new questions of existing NICHD-supported materials. In practical terms, that means projects that reanalyze previously collected data, combine or harmonize existing data sources, test new hypotheses, apply new analytic methods, or examine subgroups or outcomes that were not the main focus of the original study. On the biospecimen side, it supports work that uses stored specimens to answer new research questions, often by applying newer assays or updated laboratory approaches that were not available or not used when specimens were first collected. The broader program goal is to accelerate discovery and maximize the return on prior NICHD investments by enabling smaller, quicker-turnaround studies that can still produce meaningful scientific insights.

The award is structured as an R03 small grant, with an indicated award ceiling of $50,000. That ceiling signals that the program is designed for tightly scoped projects with well-defined aims, limited data acquisition costs (since the data/specimens already exist), and efficient analysis plans. While the listing shows the original closing date as 2020-05-07 and the creation date as 2017-05-26, the central features of the opportunity are clear: it is intended to fund modest, targeted secondary analyses rather than large, multi-year primary data collection projects.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are eligible across categories, including public and state-controlled institutions, private institutions of higher education, and other qualifying educational entities. Tribal participation is supported through eligibility for federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments). The FOA also allows nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), as well as for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses.

In addition, the FOA explicitly highlights other eligible applicant categories that are often emphasized to broaden participation in federally funded research. These include 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; eligible agencies of the federal government; U.S. territories or possessions; regional organizations; Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations can apply. This wide eligibility net is consistent with the program's emphasis on leveraging existing NICHD resources and encouraging a diverse range of institutions to produce new knowledge from them.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a mechanism for funding lean, hypothesis-driven research that can be completed primarily through analysis rather than new collection. It is meant to help researchers move quickly, test innovative ideas, and extract additional scientific value from NICHD-funded data sets and biospecimens that are already available, thereby advancing research in areas aligned with NICHD's mission while keeping costs relatively low.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Small Grants for Secondary Analyses of Existing Data Sets and Stored Biospecimens (R03)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
• 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 PA 17 299

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