Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA MH 20 215

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 215

This funding opportunity, titled "Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (RFA-MH-20-215), is a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) announcement under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24), which typically means the awardee will carry out the work in close coordination with NIH/NIMH staff rather than operating entirely independently. The activity area is health (CFDA 93.242), and the program is framed as a continuation effort under a limited competition, implying that eligibility to apply is restricted and likely tied to existing program infrastructure or prior awardees, with specifics governed by the full FOA.

The core purpose is to develop, sustain, enhance, and further enrich a centralized, national biorepository that supports genetic and genomic research on psychiatric disorders. In practical terms, NIMH is looking for a single, nationally centralized resource that can collect, curate, store, and distribute biospecimens and associated data in a way that makes it easier for the broader research community to study the genetic risk architecture of mental disorders. The emphasis is on accelerating scientific understanding of how genetic variation contributes to psychiatric conditions, with the expectation that the resource will advance both basic research (foundational genetic discovery) and translational research (work that helps move findings toward improved tools, targets, or approaches relevant to mental health).

A major requirement embedded in the description is open sharing through one centralized national platform. That means the funded center is expected to function as a hub: receiving and managing biosamples, ensuring high-quality processing and standardized metadata, and making both samples and data broadly available to qualified investigators. The goal is to reduce fragmentation across separate collections, improve harmonization across studies, and increase the value of biospecimens by linking them to useful clinical, demographic, and other research-relevant information. By consolidating access and standardizing practices, the biorepository is intended to make large-scale, reproducible genomic studies more feasible and to speed up discovery in psychiatric genetics.

The FOA also makes it clear that the work should be carried out by a functionally integrated, multidisciplinary team. That signals NIMH expects strong coordination across multiple specialties needed to run a national biorepository and data resource at high standards, such as biobanking operations, laboratory science, genomics, bioinformatics, data management, informatics infrastructure, quality control, governance and compliance, and community-facing distribution and user support. The center is not just a storage facility; it is intended to be an active national research-enabling infrastructure that continually improves its holdings and processes, expands the breadth and depth of its resources, and supports the research community with reliable access.

This is explicitly a "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" opportunity, meaning applicants should not propose clinical trials as part of the project scope under this U24. The focus is on infrastructure and resource development and maintenance that supports research, rather than interventional studies testing treatments or clinical outcomes. While the resulting biorepository may enable downstream clinical or translational work by other investigators, the funded activities under this award are not meant to be structured as clinical trials.

Eligibility, as summarized in the provided details, includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The FOA also highlights restrictions involving non-U.S. entities: non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. At the same time, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means certain aspects of the work can involve foreign collaborations or activities if they meet NIH definitions and requirements, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic. Because these distinctions can be technical, the announcement directs applicants to consult the full FOA for the exact eligibility and structural requirements.

Key administrative details from the source include the original closing date of August 16, 2019, and the creation date of June 11, 2019. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not listed in the provided fields, which suggests those specifics either were not set in the summary data or were provided elsewhere in the full FOA text. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as NIMH investing in a centralized national capability for psychiatric genomics: a shared, openly accessible biorepository and data resource designed to raise the efficiency, scale, and impact of genetic studies aimed at understanding mental disorders.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: Continuation of the Center for Genomic Studies on Mental Disorders (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 2019-06-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-08-16. (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 RFA MH 20 215

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: