National Centers for Cryoelectron Microscopy (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 23 118

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 118

The National Centers for Cryoelectron Microscopy (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (PAR-23-118) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant initiative designed to support national service centers that specialize in determining molecular structures using high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM). The core purpose is to strengthen and expand shared, national-scale infrastructure for cryoEM so that researchers across the United States can access cutting-edge instrumentation, expert staff support, and practical training needed to generate and interpret high-resolution cryoEM datasets. These centers are expected to function as open-access resources, meaning they must provide equal-opportunity nationwide access through an open application process rather than limiting use to local or internal institutional users.

The opportunity focuses on building and sustaining service centers that can take on end-to-end cryoEM workflows for external users, including access to state-of-the-art microscopes and supporting hardware, help with experimental design and sample preparation strategies, assistance with high-quality data collection, and expert guidance on downstream computational processing and analysis required to reach publishable, high-resolution structures. In addition to providing services, the centers are expected to deliver training and technical support so that the broader research community can develop skills in cryoEM data generation and interpretation. This emphasis on both service and workforce development reflects NIH interest in expanding national capacity for structural biology and related biomedical research areas that rely on cryoEM.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant using the R24 funding instrument, and it falls under the NIH health funding activity category (CFDA 93.859). The clinical trial policy is explicit: clinical trials are not allowed under this announcement, which signals that applications should focus on research infrastructure, service delivery, technology support, and training functions rather than proposing human-subject interventional clinical studies. The original closing date listed for this opportunity is 2024-02-27, and the stated award ceiling is $6,500,000, indicating NIH anticipates substantial budgets consistent with the high cost of acquiring, operating, and staffing advanced cryoEM facilities.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and 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/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not institutions of higher education in those specific nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant 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 federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the opportunity is clear about foreign participation limits: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed.

Overall, the program is best understood as an NIH investment in nationally accessible cryoEM service capacity: centralized, expert-run centers that can deliver high-quality structural biology outcomes for a wide range of U.S. investigators, while also training users and sharing know-how to broaden the national talent base in cryoEM methods.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Centers for Cryoelectron Microscopy (R24 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): 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-03-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-27. (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 $6,500,000.00 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 PAR 23 118

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