Research Network on Telomeres as Sentinels of Environmental Exposures, Psychosocial Stress, and Disease Susceptibility (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 19 022

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 19 022

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released this discretionary funding opportunity (RFA-AG-19-022) to support a U24 cooperative agreement focused on building and running a Telomere Research Network/Collaboratory. The core idea is not to fund a set of independent telomere biology projects, but to fund a central coordinating hub that helps the field produce more reliable, comparable, and interpretable telomere length (TL) data in population-based research. The opportunity is framed around telomeres and telomere maintenance as potential "sentinels" or indicators of environmental exposures, psychosocial stress, and disease susceptibility, which means the program is interested in how TL measurements can be used in real-world human health research and not just in tightly controlled laboratory contexts. Clinical trials are not allowed under this U24, reflecting that the award is meant for coordination, standards, methods work, and network-building rather than testing interventions.

A major responsibility of the U24 awardee is to coordinate a telomere length methods comparison study that involves multiple laboratories. These labs are expected to be supported by companion U01 awards made under a related funding announcement (RFA-AG-19-023). The problem NIH is trying to solve is a common one in TL research: different labs often use different protocols, platforms, sample handling practices, and analytic approaches, which can produce results that are difficult to compare across studies. Without cross-validation between protocols and samples, it becomes harder to establish best practices and harder to interpret whether differences in TL findings reflect biology, measurement artifacts, or laboratory-specific effects. The U24 is therefore positioned as the organizing center for harmonization efforts, aiming to improve reproducibility and standardization in population-based telomere research.

In practical terms, the U24 serves as the central resource for organizing meetings and coordinated activities across the funded labs and the broader program. This includes logistical and scientific support for the methods comparison study itself, management of collaborative workflows, and ensuring that the group can collectively evaluate how different TL measurement approaches perform. Another explicit deliverable is dissemination: the U24 is expected to help communicate results from the methods study and translate them into recommendations that the broader field can use. This dissemination component is important because it is where the methods work becomes actionable guidance, such as suggested protocols, reporting standards, quality control expectations, and other consensus practices that can raise the floor for future TL studies.

Beyond the immediate coordination of the methods comparison study, the award is also intended to develop and foster an extended Telomere Research Network (TRN). This network-building role is meant to connect researchers across disciplines and across the broader telomere field, not only those directly involved in the U01/U24 coordinated program. The FOA describes a flexible range of activities to advance an interdisciplinary research agenda, especially around telomeres and telomere length maintenance in relation to environmental exposures, psychosocial stress, and susceptibility to disease. In other words, the network is expected to stimulate collaboration, align terminology and practices where helpful, and accelerate progress by bringing together expertise from areas like environmental health, stress biology, epidemiology, aging research, and methodological science.

The mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U24), which usually means NIH expects substantial programmatic involvement from the funding institute compared with a standard research grant. The activity category is listed under environment and health, and the CFDA numbers provided are 93.113 and 93.866. The posted award ceiling is $345,000, and the original closing date for applications was December 3, 2018, with a creation date of August 15, 2018. While the listing notes expected awards without a number, the design strongly suggests a single coordinating hub supporting a multi-lab effort rather than many independent U24 awards.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations, such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a clear boundary around foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as applicants, but foreign components (as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed. This typically means a U.S. applicant organization can include certain foreign activities or collaborations when justified and compliant with NIH policy, even though a foreign institution cannot serve as the prime applicant.

Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as an infrastructure-and-coordination award for the telomere research community. Its primary impact is intended to come from improving the comparability and credibility of telomere length measurements across laboratories, producing field-facing best-practice recommendations, and creating a durable research network that can support interdisciplinary work on how telomeres relate to environmental exposures, psychosocial stress, and disease risk.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Network on Telomeres as Sentinels of Environmental Exposures, Psychosocial Stress, and Disease Susceptibility (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): 93.113, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-12-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $345,000.00 in funding.
• 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 AG 19 022

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