Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA ES 22 010

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 22 010

The Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-22-010) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant mechanism that supports the creation or continued operation of Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers under the P30 activity code. In practical terms, this program is designed to fund shared research infrastructure rather than a single stand-alone research project. The intent is to strengthen and coordinate groups of investigators who are already conducting environmental health sciences research by giving them centralized facilities, services, and resources they can use in common. The announcement also notes that clinical trials are optional, meaning the Center can include clinical trial-related activities if appropriate, but it is not required to be built around a clinical trial.

NIEHS positions these Core Centers as intellectual hubs for the environmental health sciences field. That framing matters because the program expects Centers to do more than provide lab space or technical services; it expects them to serve as thought leaders that help shape research directions and accelerate progress in areas aligned with the NIEHS Strategic Plan. In effect, an EHSCC is meant to be a connective platform that raises the capacity and impact of environmental health research at an institution or across a collaborative group, making it easier for investigators to pursue complex, multidisciplinary questions about how environmental exposures affect human health.

The core purpose of the award is to provide critical research infrastructure through shared facilities, services, and resources. While the specific cores and services would be proposed by applicants based on local strengths and needs, the general model is that multiple investigators and projects benefit from centralized support that would be inefficient or too expensive to duplicate in individual labs. These resources can include shared instrumentation, specialized technical expertise, data management support, exposure assessment capacity, biostatistics, community engagement support, or other center-wide services that increase productivity, rigor, and collaboration across environmental health research programs.

Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (when not higher education institutions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible categories such as 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, eligible agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA draws clear boundaries around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, including foreign organizations and foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant can include certain foreign activities or collaborations when they are justified and comply with NIH policy, even though a foreign institution cannot be the primary applicant.

From an administrative standpoint, the program is categorized under the Environment and Health funding activity area and is associated with CFDA number 93.113. The agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the original closing date shown for the opportunity is April 19, 2024. Overall, the announcement is best read as an infrastructure-building and field-leading center grant: it is meant to consolidate expertise, provide shared research capabilities, and enable a community of environmental health scientists to work more effectively and collaboratively in ways that advance NIEHS priorities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) (P30 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-11-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-19. (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 ES 22 010

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