Omics Data Generation Centers (ODGCs) for Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA RM 18 032

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA RM 18 032

This funding opportunity, titled "Omics Data Generation Centers (ODGCs) for the Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) Program (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)," is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) solicitation designed to stand up one or more specialized centers that can generate high-quality, cutting-edge omics datasets from patient body-fluid samples. The central idea is that A2CPS is collecting biological specimens and a broad range of clinical and phenotypic measurements from people at risk of transitioning from acute pain to chronic pain, and the ODGCs are meant to be the dedicated, expert facilities that run advanced molecular assays on those samples. The resulting molecular profiles are then integrated with the rest of the A2CPS clinical and assessment data to discover biosignatures that can help predict who is more likely to develop chronic pain (susceptibility) versus who is more likely to recover or avoid chronification (resilience). The omics modalities specifically highlighted include metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics, and extracellular RNA, reflecting an emphasis on comprehensive, systems-level measurement of biological pathways that may track with pain persistence or resolution.

Mechanistically, this is a cooperative agreement (U54), which typically means the NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement beyond standard grant oversight. In practice, awards under cooperative agreements are commonly used for large, coordinated, multi-site or consortium-style efforts where harmonization, shared standards, consistent data generation pipelines, and active coordination with NIH and other consortium members are essential. While the notice states "Clinical Trial Optional," the focus of the centers is fundamentally on omics data generation and related activities; any clinical trial component is not the defining feature of the work, but applicants have flexibility depending on how their proposed center operations are structured.

The scientific deliverable is not simply "more data," but data that are generated using state-of-the-art technologies and are suitable for identifying robust biosignatures. That typically implies strong expectations around assay performance, reproducibility, standard operating procedures, quality control/quality assurance, and consistent handling of samples and metadata. Because the goal is predictive biosignatures for acute-to-chronic pain transition, the work is implicitly tied to longitudinal or otherwise clinically anchored sample sets, and to analyses that can be correlated with patient-reported outcomes, clinical exams, and other A2CPS assessments. In other words, the ODGCs serve as a core enabling infrastructure for the A2CPS consortium, producing standardized molecular measurements that can be compared across participants and timepoints and combined with other data types to reveal biological patterns linked to pain trajectories.

Eligibility is broad and includes many typical U.S.-based applicant categories: 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 tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types, including 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, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, but non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may apply, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, which creates a path for some international involvement through U.S.-led applications.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary program in the health area, using the NIH Cooperative Agreement mechanism, with CFDA number 93.310. The funding opportunity number is RFA-RM-18-032, and the original closing date was October 24, 2018, with a creation date of August 24, 2018. The notice does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpted text, but it is clear the intent is to establish one or more centers capable of delivering omics data generation at a consortium-supporting scale. Overall, the FOA is best understood as an infrastructure-and-technology driven NIH Common Fund effort aimed at accelerating discovery of molecular signatures that forecast whether acute pain will resolve or progress into chronic pain, with the ODGCs acting as the specialized production hubs for those molecular measurements.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Omics Data Generation Centers (ODGCs) for Common Fund Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures Program (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 2018-08-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-10-24. (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 18 032

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