Data Analysis and Coordination Center for the PsychENCODE Consortium (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 234

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 234

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity PAR 23-234 invites applications for a U24 cooperative agreement to run the Data Analysis and Coordination Center (DACC) for the PsychENCODE Consortium. The overall purpose is to provide a central, consortium-wide hub that can manage and analyze large, complex functional genomics datasets tied to the human brain, with a specific emphasis on uncovering and interpreting human-specific non-coding regulatory elements. These non-coding elements are the parts of the genome that do not encode proteins but can strongly influence when, where, and how genes are turned on or off, and the FOA highlights their importance across different brain regions, cell types, and developmental stages in understanding the molecular basis of psychiatric disorders.

A key theme of the opportunity is coordination at scale. The DACC is expected to support integration and harmonization of data generated across the PsychENCODE Consortium, meaning it should help bring disparate datasets into consistent formats and shared standards so they can be compared and combined reliably. In addition to harmonization, the center is meant to enable high-quality analysis workflows, data management practices, and broad dissemination of Consortium outputs. In practical terms, this typically includes developing and maintaining pipelines for processing and quality control, building systems for metadata standardization, ensuring datasets can be linked across experiments and modalities, and producing accessible releases to the research community. Because the goal is to characterize non-coding functional genomic elements across the spectrum of brain biology, the DACC would be positioned to support analyses that connect regulatory DNA and RNA features to cell-type-specific function, developmental timing, and disease-relevant molecular signatures.

This funding opportunity is a cooperative agreement (U24), which signals that NIH expects substantial scientific and programmatic involvement from the agency compared with a standard research grant. The center would not simply operate independently; instead, it would work in close partnership with NIH and the broader PsychENCODE Consortium to meet shared milestones, coordinate priorities, and align deliverables. The FOA is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," indicating the work supported under this award should not involve conducting clinical trials. The activity category is health, and the listing is associated with CFDA number 93.242.

Eligibility is limited. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The FOA also clarifies important restrictions regarding foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply either. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign activities or collaborations if they meet NIH definitions and are appropriately justified and approved. Applicants would need to consult the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the precise eligibility rules and definitions, especially around what qualifies as a foreign component versus a foreign institution applicant.

Administrative details included in the source information indicate the opportunity was created on June 29, 2023, with an original closing date of August 24, 2023. The awarding agency is NIH, the funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and the opportunity falls under the discretionary category. The public synopsis does not provide a specific award ceiling or expected number of awards in the supplied fields, so those details would need to be confirmed in the full NOFO or related NIH documentation.

In summary, PAR 23-234 is designed to fund a central, consortium-facing data and analysis organization that makes PsychENCODE data more usable, interoperable, and impactful. By focusing on integrating and disseminating multi-dimensional brain functional genomics data, the DACC is meant to accelerate discovery of non-coding regulatory mechanisms and clarify how those mechanisms may contribute to the biology underlying psychiatric disorders across brain context, cell identity, and human development.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Data Analysis and Coordination Center for the PsychENCODE Consortium (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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-08-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAR 23 234

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