Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OD 19 013
The Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) grant opportunity (RFA-OD-19-013) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement led by the Department of Health and Human Services through NIH, with the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) and participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The core purpose of this program is to establish or support Centers of Excellence that use interdisciplinary, team-based science to advance translational research focused on sex differences. In practical terms, the program is looking for institutions to build coordinated research centers that connect basic (mechanistic, laboratory, preclinical) discovery to clinical research, with the explicit goal of improving the health of women by better understanding how biological sex influences health and disease.
A key theme of the opportunity is the expectation that each funded SCORE site will be more than a collection of separate projects. The center is intended to operate as an integrated research enterprise with a clear, cohesive agenda centered on one or more health issues where sex differences matter and where there is a meaningful pathway from foundational science to patient-oriented impact. The NIH emphasis on translational work means applicants are expected to show how their basic research questions inform clinical hypotheses, how clinical observations feed back into mechanistic studies, and how the center will move the field toward better prevention strategies, diagnostics, or treatments that account for sex-based biology. Because the funding mechanism is a U54 cooperative agreement, awardees should also anticipate substantial scientific involvement from NIH staff compared to a standard research grant, often including coordination, milestone expectations, and programmatic oversight designed to keep the center aligned with the initiative's goals.
The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation signals that the program can support centers that include clinical trials, but does not require that every application propose a clinical trial component. Applicants may propose clinical research that ranges from observational and human-subjects studies to interventional trials when appropriate for the center's aims. This flexibility is meant to accommodate different translational strategies while still keeping the focus on bridging basic and clinical research in a structured, center-based format.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants listed for this opportunity include state, county, and city or township 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; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility language. This wide eligibility reflects NIH's intent to encourage diverse institutions with the capability to run complex, collaborative research centers to apply, as long as they can demonstrate the infrastructure and leadership needed to deliver a cohesive SCORE program.
From a funding standpoint, the opportunity was posted with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 and an expectation of about five awards. As a center-focused mechanism, applicants would typically be expected to justify how the requested funds support an integrated set of activities that collectively advance the SCORE mission, rather than isolated efforts. The program is categorized under health-related funding activity areas, and it is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.113, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.846, 93.847, 93.866), reflecting participation across multiple NIH components and the cross-cutting nature of sex-differences research.
Administrative details provided for this specific announcement indicate it was created on November 26, 2018, with an original closing date of January 10, 2019. Even though those dates reflect a past cycle for this particular posting, the content clarifies the kind of center NIH wanted to build: interdisciplinary, translational, sex-differences-focused, and explicitly relevant to improving the health of women. In short, the SCORE program is designed to concentrate expertise, infrastructure, and coordinated research projects into a single center that can generate deeper mechanistic understanding of sex differences while accelerating progress toward clinical relevance and real-world improvements in women's health outcomes.Apply for RFA OD 19 013
- The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.846, 93.847, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 26, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2019. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FAQs: Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) - RFA-OD-19-013
What is the SCORE on Sex Differences (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) opportunity?
This opportunity (RFA-OD-19-013) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement to establish or support Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) focused on sex differences. The program is designed to build coordinated research centers that use interdisciplinary, team-based science to advance translational research on how biological sex influences health and disease, with an explicit goal of improving the health of women.
Which federal agency is offering this grant?
The grant is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is led by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) in partnership with participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
What does SCORE stand for, and what is the program trying to create?
SCORE stands for Specialized Centers of Research Excellence. The program is intended to create Centers of Excellence that function as integrated research enterprises (not just a set of unrelated projects) focused on one or more health issues where sex differences are important and where there is a realistic pathway from foundational science to patient-oriented impact.
What kinds of research does the program prioritize?
The emphasis is on translational research that connects basic (mechanistic, laboratory, preclinical) discovery to clinical research. Applicants are expected to show how basic research questions inform clinical hypotheses, how clinical observations can feed back into mechanistic studies, and how the center's work can move the field toward better prevention strategies, diagnostics, or treatments that account for sex-based biology.
Is the focus specifically on women's health?
Yes. While the scientific theme is sex differences broadly, the announcement states an explicit goal of improving the health of women by better understanding how biological sex influences health and disease.
What does "interdisciplinary, team-based science" mean in this context?
In this program, NIH is looking for centers that bring together multiple disciplines and investigators into a coordinated structure. The expectation is that the center operates with a cohesive research agenda and integrated activities, rather than functioning as separate, disconnected projects.
Does the center need to be organized around a single disease or health issue?
The announcement indicates the center should have a clear, cohesive agenda centered on one or more health issues where sex differences matter, and where there is a meaningful pathway from foundational science to clinical impact.
What does the U54 "cooperative agreement" mechanism mean for applicants and awardees?
Because this is a U54 cooperative agreement, awardees should anticipate substantial scientific involvement from NIH staff compared to a standard research grant. The description notes that this often includes coordination, milestone expectations, and programmatic oversight designed to keep the center aligned with the initiative's goals.
Are clinical trials required under this opportunity?
No. The opportunity is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning a center may include clinical trials but is not required to propose a clinical trial component.
What types of clinical research are allowed if a center includes human studies?
The description notes flexibility: applicants may propose clinical research ranging from observational and other human-subjects studies to interventional clinical trials, when appropriate for the center's aims.
What is meant by "translational" in the program description?
Translational work here means building an intentional bridge between mechanistic discovery and clinical relevance. The announcement highlights a two-way connection: basic research should inform clinical hypotheses, and clinical observations should inform mechanistic studies, with the overall direction pointing toward practical improvements such as better prevention, diagnostics, or treatments that consider sex-based biology.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic organizations and government entities, including: state, county, and city or township 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; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility language.
Are higher education institutions eligible?
Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are explicitly listed as eligible applicants.
Can government entities apply?
Yes. The eligible applicant types listed include multiple government entities, such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts.
Can tribal governments or tribal organizations apply?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations are listed among the eligible applicants.
Are nonprofits eligible, including those without 501(c)(3) status?
Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education).
Can for-profit organizations apply?
Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.
How much funding is available per award?
The posting lists an award ceiling of $1,000,000.
How many awards were expected under this posting?
The opportunity description states an expectation of about five awards.
What is the program's funding activity area?
The opportunity is categorized under health-related funding activity areas.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The program is associated with multiple CFDA numbers: 93.113, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.846, 93.847, and 93.866. This reflects participation across multiple NIH components and the cross-cutting nature of sex-differences research.
When was this specific announcement created and when did it close?
The administrative details provided state the announcement was created on November 26, 2018, and had an original closing date of January 10, 2019.
Even though the dates are in the past, what does the posting reveal about what NIH wanted to fund?
The description clarifies the intended model: interdisciplinary, translational, sex-differences-focused centers designed to operate as integrated research enterprises and to accelerate progress from mechanistic understanding toward clinically relevant improvements in women's health outcomes.
What distinguishes a SCORE center from a group of separate research projects?
A SCORE center is expected to be coordinated and cohesive. The announcement emphasizes that each funded site should be more than a collection of separate projects, operating instead as an integrated research enterprise with a clear agenda and a structured approach to bridging basic and clinical research.
What kinds of outcomes or impacts are implied by the opportunity description?
The opportunity points toward outcomes such as advancing mechanistic understanding of sex differences and accelerating progress toward practical clinical relevance, including improved prevention strategies, diagnostics, or treatments that account for sex-based biology, with the overarching aim of improving women's health.
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