Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Organizational Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA RM 22 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 22 009

The Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Organizational Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-RM-22-009) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement aimed at creating the central coordinating hub for the SMaHT Network. The broader SMaHT Network is intended to accelerate discovery of how somatic genomic variation (genetic changes that arise after conception and are present in some cells or tissues but not others) contributes to fundamental biology and to disease mechanisms across human tissues. Rather than funding a single research project, this particular award supports the infrastructure and leadership needed to keep a multi-site, multi-team consortium functioning smoothly and productively.

At its core, the Organizational Center is designed to be the operational backbone of the SMaHT Network. The center is expected to coordinate network-wide meetings and working sessions, manage day-to-day communication across participating groups, and support outreach activities that connect the network to related programs and to the wider scientific community. In practical terms, this means serving as the organizing point for cross-team collaboration, helping align goals and timelines, facilitating information flow, and creating consistent processes so that the network can operate as a unified effort rather than a set of disconnected projects. The FOA emphasizes that the center should act as the main conduit for collaboration, which signals an expectation that it will actively build bridges among SMaHT-funded components and external stakeholders, not simply schedule meetings.

The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial NIH program involvement in shaping priorities, oversight, and coordination as the program evolves. The FOA explicitly states that clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity, reinforcing that the purpose of the Organizational Center is coordination, support, and network enablement rather than testing interventions in human participants. The activity category is Health, and the opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.310. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, the structure and language make clear that NIH is seeking a single organizing entity capable of supporting a complex consortium with significant logistical and collaborative demands.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants across government, academia, nonprofit, and industry. Eligible applicants include 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as 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 federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a firm boundary around foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. This means the Organizational Center and its supported activities must remain fully domestic in terms of applicant organization and component performance.

From a programmatic standpoint, the value of this Organizational Center is that it enables the science by strengthening the network. Large-scale efforts focused on somatic mosaicism across tissues require coordinated standards, efficient collaboration, regular alignment on methods and deliverables, and active community engagement so that findings, tools, and resources can be shared and used broadly. The FOA frames the center as the mechanism that makes that coordination possible, ensuring the network can consistently communicate internally, represent itself externally, and interface effectively with related initiatives. The application deadline listed in the source data was July 8, 2022, and the FOA was created on February 23, 2022, placing it within a defined time window for establishing the coordinating infrastructure at the outset of the SMaHT Network.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Organizational Center (U24 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): 93.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-08. (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 RFA RM 22 009

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