Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Research Hubs (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA RM 20 015

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 20 015

The Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Research Hubs funding opportunity (RFA-RM-20-015) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U54, clinical trial optional) designed to strengthen and scale data science-driven health research and innovation across the African continent. The broader DS-I Africa initiative is focused on turning modern data science methods into practical health discoveries and real-world improvements in healthcare delivery, public health decision-making, and health research capacity in Africa. Rather than supporting isolated projects, this FOA is built around the idea of creating “Research Hubs” that can become durable centers of excellence, coordinating multiple related research activities and partnerships that together accelerate impact.

A central expectation of the program is that each funded Hub will organize its work around a clear, unifying health theme that directly addresses a priority in an African country or region. Within that theme, applicants must propose at least two distinct research projects. These projects are meant to be more than parallel efforts; they should be connected by shared scientific goals, shared data resources or methods, and complementary expertise across participating teams. The aim is to show how data science can be applied to important health problems in ways that generate new knowledge, better tools, or improved approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, health system performance, or population health.

In addition to the core projects, each Hub must also include a structured system for running smaller pilot projects. This means applicants need to describe how they will solicit pilot ideas, evaluate them fairly, decide which to fund, and manage them once awarded. The pilot mechanism is intended to keep the Hub agile and innovative by allowing it to test promising new directions, support early-stage concepts, and bring in new investigators or partners who can contribute fresh ideas aligned with the Hub’s theme. In practice, NIH is signaling that a successful Hub should have both depth (through the main projects) and flexibility (through pilots) so it can respond to emerging needs, data opportunities, or technological advances.

Partnership is not optional in this FOA; it is a core feature. Hubs are expected to engage and coordinate with organizations that can bring “synergistic expertise,” including government bodies, industry partners, and other organizations, as well as different departments or units within academic institutions. The underlying logic is that meaningful data science for health often requires combined capabilities such as access to data, clinical or public health domain expertise, computational infrastructure, ethical and regulatory competence, and pathways for translating research outputs into tools or policies. The FOA explicitly encourages collaborations that connect African institutions with partners elsewhere, including in the United States or other countries, as long as the partnerships strengthen the Hub’s ability to deliver on its health theme and innovation goals.

Eligibility is centered on African leadership and institutional grounding. Applications must be submitted from African academic institutions or other African non-profit organizations. Non-U.S. entities (foreign institutions) are eligible, but the FOA draws an important boundary: non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant institution. At the same time, foreign components are allowed under NIH policy, meaning the Hub can include international collaborations and activities consistent with NIH Grants Policy Statement definitions. This structure reinforces that the administrative and scientific center of gravity should be in Africa while still enabling robust global collaboration.

As a cooperative agreement (U54), this award mechanism generally implies a more substantial level of NIH program involvement than a typical research project grant, reflecting NIH’s interest in actively shaping a coordinated initiative with multiple Hubs and partners. The “clinical trial optional” designation indicates that clinical trials may be included if they fit the Hub’s goals, but they are not required; the Hub can focus on other types of data science health research, including observational studies, method development, implementation-focused analytics, or technology-enabled innovations, depending on what best serves the chosen theme and regional priorities.

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include that it is categorized as discretionary funding in the health area, associated with CFDA number 93.310, and was originally posted on July 24, 2020 with an original closing date of February 8, 2021. The listing identifies NIH as the funding agency and describes eligible applicants in general terms as nonprofit entities, while the FOA-specific language emphasizes African academic or other non-profit organizations as the required applicants for these Hub awards.

Overall, this FOA is about building multi-project, partnership-driven research centers in Africa that use data science to tackle high-priority health challenges, generate new discoveries, and catalyze innovation. The program’s design pushes applicants to demonstrate not only strong individual research ideas, but also a coherent Hub strategy: a shared theme, multiple integrated projects, a transparent pilot program to seed new work, and partnerships that can move data science outputs toward practical technologies, solutions, and measurable health impact.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) Research Hubs (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): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-07-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for RFA RM 20 015

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