The NIH INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project seeks to improve health and quality-of-life for individuals with Down syndrome. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applicants to participate in a new INCLUDE Project Down Syndrome Cohort Development Program (DS-CDP) as Cohort Research Sites (DS-CRS). The purpose of this program is to recruit participants with Down syndrome across the lifespan; collect biospecimens; assemble phenotypic data, images, and omics for deep phenotyping; and make the data readily available to the scientific community. Research sites will participate in all aspects of planning and conducting a common protocol, as well as interpretation and translation of results. This NOFO runs in parallel with a companion NOFO (RFA-OD-24-005) ) that will solicit applications for the Clinical Cohort Coordinating Center (DS-4C) to provide overall coordination of the DS-CDP. A related NOFO (RFA-OD-24-004) ) will support a Federated Biobanking Resource to store and distribute biospecimens collected by the Cohort Research Sites.
This NOFO requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP), which will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation. Applications that fail to include a PEDP will be considered incomplete and will be withdrawn.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the NOFO instructions carefully and view the available PEDP guidance material.
Deadlines:
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Letter of Intent Due Date(s): Nov. 15, 2023
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Application Due Date: Dec. 15, 2023
RFA-OD-24-003 Expiration Date December 16, 2023
The PD/PI(s) are strongly encouraged to devote a minimum of 2.4 calendar months effort for the PD/PI or a minimum of 2.4 person months combined effort for all multi-PDs/PIs.
Application budgets are not limited, but should reflect the actual needs of the project. Main sites are expected to request up to $300,000 in direct costs per year (excluding consortium F&A) in FY2024 for the main site, plus up to $300,000 per partner site for up to five partner sites (for a total of 6 maximum), not including costs for core services which will be funded by the DS-4C, where the request should reflect the actual needs of the proposed site.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to include at least 3 partner institutions, with a maximum of 6 total partner institutions, and encouraged to include at least one partner that is a resource-limited institution (RLI), defined in section I above , or an institution within an IDeA-eligible state.